Just a few days after its latest tests at Jerez, the PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team has been out at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in Portugal, taking part in another important pre-season test session with rider Tarran Mackenzie.

Conditions unfortunately proved to be as unstable as they were last week in Spain, but the team was nevertheless able to complete a good deal of work on Tuesday 28 January. The asphalt was wet as the session got underway, but it soon began to dry, with Mackenzie able to make a first exit by mid-morning. The British rider and his technicians essentially picked up from where they had left off at Jerez, continuing to test, analyse and build feeling with a series of new components, as well as understand the behaviour of the CBR1000RR-R at a track very different to Jerez. The plan was to carry on in the same way on Wednesday, but intermittent rain showers ultimately meant that Tarran did not take to the track. Despite the disappointing lack of track time on day two, Mackenzie was able to put in a total of 53 laps on Tuesday, which makes for a significant amount of data that the team will analyse and harness moving forward.

With its European winter testing program now complete, the PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team prepares to travel to Australia, where it will take part in final tests at Phillip Island on 17-18 February, before taking on the 2025 Superbike World Championship season-opener at the same Australian circuit on 21-23 February.

Tarran Mackenzie

“We didn’t ride today in the end, but we got a lot done on Tuesday at least. We had a few issues to work out, but we worked hard and were able to find a good direction towards the end of the day that allowed me to feel a lot more comfortable. The idea was to roll out with that bike again this morning and continue to take steps, but the rain thwarted that plan. We had four days’ testing planned between here and Jerez, but the weather has meant we’ve only really had two useful days, which is a little frustrating. Hopefully we can use the Phillip Island tests to find better feeling and get more comfortable ahead of the first race weekend.”