WorldSBK – Hafizh Syahrin back in action in Italy, with Eric Granado replaced by Ryo Mizuno

The PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda team is preparing for the weekend’s fifth Superbike World Championship round at the Misano World Circuit with rider Hafizh Syahrin, who returns to the ranks after recovering from injuries sustained during round four, which concluded a little over three weeks ago at the Barcelona-Catalunya circuit. Following a race 1 crash at the same round, Eric Granado is unfortunately still considered unfit to compete and continues to recuperate following a head injury and concussion. He will be replaced at Misano by Japanese Superbike Honda rider Ryo Mizuno.

Considering their respective fitness levels, neither rider was able to take part in the test session held at the Misano World Circuit just a few days after the fourth championship round, with PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Supersport rider Tarran Mackenzie stepping in for them during that test.

As for the upcoming round, and despite missing out on the opportunity to prepare for the races during the recent tests, Syahrin remains optimistic about his chances. Replacement rider Mizuno will be competing in WorldSBK for the first time, having competed with Honda in the 2022 British Superbike Championship. The Japanese rider, born on 31 May 1998, is enthusiastic about the challenge that awaits but will face a steep learning curve as he takes to the Misano track for the first time.

The Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli has staged WorldSBK events since 1991, with recent editions generally scheduled to run during the summer season. Located in the popular tourist area of the Riviera Romagnola, the Italian racetrack is a favourite with many of the riders, the Superbikes always a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.

Hafizh Syahrin

“I’m really looking forward to the Misano round despite the fact that we unfortunately missed the recent test sessions that all the other riders completed due to my injury. So we missed out on that opportunity to set-up the bike which would have been an advantage when FP1 gets underway on Friday. I really like the Misano track anyway and felt good there in last year’s races. Everyone will be more competitive again this year of course, but we’ll see what we can do. I’ll do my best to be ready as soon as possible and get into a good rhythm right from Friday’s practices. Thanks to everyone supporting us and we’ll see you at Misano.”

Eric Granado

“I’ve been slowly regaining my strength in the weeks since my crash and feel good actually, physically and mentally. As a rider I would like to race, and feel ready, but the doctors have said I can’t compete at Misano. After the crash I spent a week in hospital, after which the doctors would only let me walk, no other kind of training and at the moment it would be unwise to race. The important thing is that I feel good in myself, so I’ll focus on gradually getting back into my training in order to be ready for the Donington round.”

Track Information:

Country: Italy
Name: Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli
Length: 4.226 km
Pole position: left

Race distance: 21 laps/88.746 km

SBK RECORDS: Best lap – Razgatlioglu (Yamaha) 1’33.722 (2022). Superpole – Bautista (Ducati) 1’33.328 (2022).

2022 SBK RESULTS:

Race 1 – 1. Bautista (Ducati); 2. Rea (Kawasaki); 3. Rinaldi (Ducati)

Superpole race – 1. Razgatlioglu (Yamaha); 2. Bautista (Ducati); 3. Rea (Kawasaki).

Race 2 – 1. Bautista (Ducati; 2. Razgatlioglu (Yamaha); 3. Rinaldi (Ducati)