The PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team is almost ready to take on the Misano World Circuit "Marco Simoncelli" with riders Tarran Mackenzie and Zaqhwan Zaidi, as preparations for the Emilia Romagna WorldSBK Round enter the final stages.

Less than two weeks ago, the team took part in a very valuable test session at the same Italian circuit, which gave Mackenzie two full days in which to ready himself for the upcoming round. Zaidi was unable to attend, which means he will need to hit the ground running on Friday at another circuit that is new to him, the Malaysian rookie unfamiliar with almost every track on the 2025 WorldSBK calendar.

The track time allowed the British rider and his technicians to work on developing a plan for the next round and beyond. The 2025 season has brought its challenges so far, but the squad is hopeful that Misano can represent a turning point. The June weather may well play a part as high temperatures often characterize the Emilia Romagna race weekend.

Inaugurated in 1972, the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” as it is now known has staged WorldSBK events since 1991, often during the summertime. Located in the popular tourist area of the Riviera Romagnola, the Italian racetrack has been restructured over the years, particularly in 2006, when it was lengthened, widened and its direction switched from anticlockwise to clockwise. Now measuring 4.226 km, the layout incorporates ten right-hand turns and six left-handers.

Tarran Mackenzie #95

“I’m looking forward to the weekend. The test was a bit difficult, but we were able to try a lot of things, so hopefully that’s put us in a better direction going into the Misano round. I feel good in myself and now just need to focus on finding more feeling. We’ll make a plan on Thursday so that we can hopefully head out of pitlane on Friday with more confidence and be closer to the front.”

Zaqhwan Zaidi #21

“It’s great to be traveling to Misano where for sure I will try my best to achieve better results. Hopefully I can adapt and learn the circuit quickly because I missed the recent test session at this track. Let’s see what the weekend brings and how we can do.”

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 (BMW) 1'32.687 (2024). Superpole – Razgatlioglu (BMW) 1'32.320 (2024).

2024 SBK RESULTS: 

Race 1 - 1. Razgatlioglu (BMW); 2. Bulega (Ducati); 3. Bautista (Ducati)
Superpole race - 1. Razgatlioglu (BMW); 2. Bulega (Ducati); 3. Lowes (Kawasaki)
Race 2 – 1. Razgatlioglu (BMW); 2. Bulega (Ducati); 3. Bautista (Ducati)

Weekend schedule (CET):

Friday
10.35 - 11.20 – SBK Free Practice 1
15.00 – 15.45 – SBK Free Practice 2

Saturday
9.00 – 9.20 – SBK Free Practice 3
11.00 – 11.15 – Superpole
14.00 – SBK Race 1

Sunday
9.00 – 9.10 – SBK Warm-up
11.00 – Superpole race
14.00 – SBK Race 2