After a brief morning warm-up, Mackenzie and Lopes readied themselves for the Superpole race, which got underway at 11am CET in dry conditions. From row eight of the grid, the British rider got away well but unfortunately his race came to a close after just one lap following a crash through turn 2. Fortunately, Tarran was unhurt and able to rejoin the race, but the incident denied him the chance to battle with the rest of the field. Mackenzie completed the race in twenty-third place. Over the course of this ten-lap sprint, substitute rider Lopes did his best to find and maintain a consistent rhythm, despite running a solitary race. Making up three positions in total, Lopes managed the situation to the best of his ability and crossed the line twenty-second. 

Superbike Race 2 also ran in warm, dry conditions in the early afternoon. Mackenzie made another good start and worked to get into a good rhythm through the first laps. The Brit held twenty-first for a good number of laps, but it wasn’t his day today, the rider suffering a crash at turn 10 on lap nine, with the incident unfortunately putting an end to his race. Lopes did much as he had in the Superpole race, working hard to set consistent lap times. This time, the Portuguese rider was able to stick with the rider immediately ahead and use him as a reference. Crossing the line less than a second from his closest rival, Lopes completed the weekend’s final race in twentieth position. 

After the ninth of twelve championship rounds, Mackenzie lies twenty-third in the general classification with seven points. The PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team will be back on track already next weekend (27-29 September), for round ten of the 2024 Superbike World Championship at Motorland Aragón, when it is hoped that Adam Norrodin will rejoin the team. 

 Tarran Mackenzie 

“After struggling to ride the bike for most of the weekend, we went back to a normal setting today. We’d been trying something different since I came back from injury, but in going back to my ‘base’ setting this morning we were already able to take a step during warm-up. In the Superpole race, I had a little crash but got back on and was still able to ride with reasonable lap times despite bent handlebars. And the same again in Race 2 really, I felt I was having a better race but after I lost the front and went down, I couldn’t continue as there was too much damage to the bike. One of the toughest weekends I’ve ever had, to be honest, but it wasn’t for lack of trying. Thanks to the team for working so hard to repair my bike and now we look ahead to Aragón.” 

Ivo Lopes 

“Overall, I felt we took a step forward with each session and with each race this weekend, so that’s a good thing. It was harder to maintain a rhythm in the Superpole race after I lost contact with those in front, but in today’s long race I was able to remain closer to the group, which helped, and I felt better than I did in yesterday’s race 1. I’ve enjoyed the weekend anyway and know that we worked hard, regardless of the race results. I want to thank the team for giving me another opportunity and the chance to race at another new track. Hopefully I have made a useful contribution.”