Mackenzie and Norrodin take on the ‘Cathedral of Speed’
Assen (The Netherlands)
After almost a month’s break, the 2024 Superbike World Championship resumes at the TT Circuit Assen in The Netherlands. The PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team is set to take part in this third round of the season with riders Tarran Mackenzie and Adam Norrodin.
Both team and riders have made the most of the last few weeks, continuing, respectively, with their technical and athletic preparation so as to be in as strong a position as possible when the action gets underway on Friday. At the latest Catalunya round, Mackenzie and Norrodin faced a variety of challenges but felt that they had nevertheless taken a step in the right direction by the end of the race weekend. The plan is to continue to build on the work done thus far and make small gains race after race.
Despite being SBK category rookies, Mackenzie and Norrodin have recent experience of the Assen circuit, having raced at the track in the World Supersport category last season. One of the oldest circuits on the WorldSBK calendar, the TT Circuit Assen has staged motorcycle races since the 1950s. Often referred to as the ‘cathedral of speed’, this prestigious and historic track is always popular with the fans. Located in the Drenthe province of The Netherlands, the track currently measures 4.542 km and features eighteen turns (twelve right-handers and six left).
Tarran Mackenzie
“I’m really excited about Assen. I’ve had a bit of experience there with a Superbike back in 2018 and 2019, so I’m really looking forward to returning. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like Assen, so I can’t wait to get back to it after a few weeks off. We left Barcelona in a much better place than Phillip Island, so hopefully we can continue moving in the right direction again this weekend.”
Adam Norrodin
“We’re ready and excited for round three at Assen. I’m keen to keep learning and improving and am really motivated for this round, also because I feel that I learned a lot during the last round. Assen is not an easy track but hopefully our recent experience can help us. The target is to reduce the gap to the front with respect to the Barcelona round; it will be a step in the right direction if we can do that.”
Track Information
Country: The Netherlands
Name: TT Circuit Assen
Length: 4.542 km
Pole position: left
Turns: 6 left, 12 right
Race distance: 21 laps/95.382 km
LAP RECORDS: Best lap – Bautista (Ducati) 1’33.620 (2022). Superpole – Razgatlioglu (Yamaha) 1’32.934 (2022).
2023 RESULTS:
Race 1 – 1. Bautista (Ducati); 2. Rea (Kawasaki); 3. Razgatlioglu (Yamaha)
Superpole race – 1. Bautista (Ducati); 2. Rea (Kawasaki); 3. Razgatlioglu (Yamaha)
Race 2 – 1. Bautista (Ducati); 2. Razgatlioglu (Yamaha); 3. Locatelli (Yamaha)
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