In this penultimate round of the 2024 Superbike World Championship, the PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team has fielded Tarran Mackenzie and Portuguese rider Ivo Lopes, who once again substitutes for injured Adam Norrodin. After persistent wet weather on Friday and Saturday, Sunday’s Race 2 ran in dry conditions. Prior to that though, a morning warm-up took place on a track that still had a lot of damp patches, which meant that many of the SBK riders, Mackenzie included, opted not to ride. Lopes did head out on track, making a total of four laps aboard the CBR1000RR-R during this short session. 

The ten-lap Superpole race got underway as scheduled at 11am CET. Having achieved his best qualifying result of the season yesterday, Mackenzie started the race from eighth on the grid. Dropping to thirteenth through the first corners, the British rider did his best to remain with the chasing group but could only do so much. Losing further ground and positions as the race went on, Tarran concluded this ten-lap sprint in nineteenth place. Twenty-first on the grid, Lopes worked to maintain contact with the rider immediately ahead. Gaining one position during the course of the sprint, the local rider crossed the line twentieth. 

Mackenzie started the weekend’s second and final race from thirteenth on the grid, Lopes again twenty-first. The pair found themselves one behind the other by the end of lap one, but it wasn’t Tarran’s day, the British rider crashing out on lap two. Ivo climbed as high as seventeenth through the initial stages, battling in a small group of three riders. Sixteenth at the mid-race point, he was very keen to reach the points zone and replicate his race 1 result. Moving up into fifteenth during the latter stages, local rider Lopes achieved his objective, scoring another championship point as he confirmed P15. 

After this penultimate WorldSBK round, Mackenzie positions twenty-third in the championship standings with 7 points and Lopes twenty-seventh with 2 points. The PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team will now prepare for the 2024 season finale, set to take place next weekend at the Jerez Circuit in Spain. 

Tarran Mackenzie DNF

“I felt like I made a step in the Superpole race today. The lap times were a lot better, and I was closer to the group in front, so I was happy in that respect. Overall, I feel that we’ve taken a step with the electronics this weekend, trying to understand whether I need to adapt my riding style a bit and what the bike needs in order to ride a little better. The dry track time was limited this weekend but I’m happy with the progression we made there. It’s just a pity I didn’t get many laps in in Race 2. I was behind Sam Lowes and he ran a little wide through turn 2 and then tighter into the next turn, which meant I then ran a little wide and unfortunately lost the front. I couldn’t get back on the bike, and so that was that. A shame, but it was nice to show potential and speed in the rain and qualify on the front three rows. That was an improvement, and I’ve felt a bit more competitive, which is nice. Now we just need to keep working and progressing and finish the season on a positive note at Jerez.” 

Ivo Lopes P15

“Another day, another point! I’ve really enjoyed today, as the team was able to really improve the bike. Although we were only 20th in the Superpole race, my pace was strong, and I felt I had good speed and feeling. And in Race 2, I again felt better than I had yesterday and scored another point. So, I want to say a big thank you to the team, for all their hard work and support. It’s been amazing to race at my home track in front of a home crowd, really a dream come true for me to have raced in WorldSBK here, so thank you so much to everyone who helped to make this happen.”