The PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team is set to tackle the new Cremona track with Tarran Mackenzie and substitute rider Ivo Lopes, who again stands in for injured Adam Norrodin just as he did at the latest Magny-Cours round. Malaysian Norrodin continues his recovery after sustaining a toe fracture during testing at the Estoril Circuit in August. 

Although the SBK field has never raced at Cremona, most of the current riders, Mackenzie included, were able to use a two-day test held in May 2024 to get to grips with the track ahead of the race weekend. Lopes has not ridden the Cremona track before, and so will be tasked with learning the layout as quickly as possible on Friday during practice. 

At the latest French championship round, which was conditioned somewhat by the changeable weather, Mackenzie struggled with some arm pump over the course of the weekend, while Lopes did his best in the challenging conditions at what was a new track for him. Having both had chance to rest and recover somewhat, the two riders now hope for a slightly less challenging Italian round. 

The Cremona Circuit is located close to San Martino del Lago in the Lombardy region of Italy. It stages WorldSBK for the first time this season, having signed a five-year contract with the championship organisers. Modifications have been to both the track and spectator viewing facilities to ready the circuit for this prestigious event. In its current configuration, the track measures 3.768 km in length and incorporates six right-hand turns and seven left-handers. 

 Tarran Mackenzie 

“I’m excited for Cremona. We had a good test there back in May, so I’m hoping to build on what we did there; I think we’ve improved the bike a little since then too. I imagined Magny-Cours might be tough coming back after a two-month break. We did OK in the rain, but I struggled a little in the dry, so hopefully I can improve a little in myself for Cremona. It would be good if we can have a solid weekend, as it’s important over these last four rounds to gain a better feeling and try to end the season in a better position to where we were in France. We’ll see what the weather does but I think we can do a good job either way. Racing at this track will be a first for everyone, so I’m interested to see how it goes. The aim is to keep working, keep pushing and try to get a little closer to the guys in front.” 

Ivo Lopes 

“Another round, and another new circuit for me! I might not know the track layout, but this is the first time that WorldSBK is racing at Cremona, so I’m not at too much of a disadvantage compared to everyone else. We’ll take it day by day and work as hard as we can. I wish Adam a speedy recovery of course, but I want to thank the PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team again for the opportunity as this is all valuable experience in the world championship.” 

Track Information: 

Country: Italy
Name: Cremona Circuit
Length: 3.768 km
Start/finish: 400 m 

Turns: 7 left, 6 right

SBK RECORDS: new circuit 

SBK RESULTS: new circuit