Mackenzie and Lopes kick off WorldSBK Round 9 at Cremona

The Cremona Circuit in Italy is hosting the production-derived championship for the first time this weekend. The action got underway this morning, when the Superbike field headed out for the first free practice on a track that was still damp. Considering the conditions, and the fact that riders expected dry weather for the rest of the weekend, many riders, Tarran Mackenzie included, elected not to ride. Standing in for injured Adam Norrodin and having had no chance to test at Cremona, Ivo Lopes meanwhile used the session to at least get to grips with the layout.

The track had fully dried in time for the afternoon’s FP2, allowing Mackenzie and Lopes to fully exploit the session, although they had their work cut out after essentially ‘losing’ the morning’s session due to the mixed conditions. Both riders put in the effort with their respective teams as they started to adapt the setup of their CBR1000RR-R bikes, but there is still work to be done. Mackenzie rounded out Friday with a time of 1’31.709, making a good step in the final stages to position twentieth in the combined standings, ahead of Lopes, twenty-fifth (1’32.747).

Tarran Mackenzie

“We didn’t go out this morning as there was no real point in the damp conditions. When FP2 got underway, I didn’t have good feeling at all, and the track was pretty dirty too which didn’t help. We made a slight change to our plan, and I was able to improve and then make another step at the end. I don’t think we’re far from where we were during testing here, so if we can get back to that level and find a bit more front-end feeling then I think we can do more tomorrow. Not ideal conditions for day one anyway, but I’m confident we can improve tomorrow, and the track should be in better shape too.”

 Ivo Lopes

“FP1 wasn’t particularly useful as the track conditions were mixed, not full wet and not dry either. But I used that session to understand the layout at least, as it’s my first time here. We had a small issue in FP2, which caused us to lose some time, and the track didn’t offer much grip either, but at least I now have some data and some references on which to build and improve tomorrow. So not a negative first day at all, but we can clearly do more. I will keep pushing and we’ll see what we can do in tomorrow’s FP3 to prepare for Superpole and Race 1.”

Cremona proves a challenge for Mackenzie and Lopes

Early in the day, the two PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda riders were on track for a final free practice, followed by the all-important Superpole qualifying session. FP3 ran in cool, dry conditions which allowed almost the entire SBK field to improve on Friday’s references. Tarran and Ivo immediately lowered their times and then continued to make progress during the course of this brief 20-minute phase. Mackenzie put in a best of 1’30.560 in the closing stages to improve on his overall position, the British rider placing nineteenth in the combined standings. Although maintaining twenty-first place overall, Ivo did well to improve on his best of yesterday by well over a second, setting a 1’31.408.

The Superpole unfortunately failed to bring the desired results. Although Mackenzie was able to put in his quickest lap of the weekend so far, he fell a little short of the kind of times he was aiming for, based on his performance over the practice sessions. A best of 1’30.243 put him in twenty-second position at the session’s end, while Lopes’ best, a 1’30.853, saw him qualify twenty-fifth, the Portuguese rider having shaved another six tenths of his earlier reference.

The qualifying results meant that the PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda riders lined up on the eighth and ninth rows of the grid for the 23-lap Superbike race that ran in the afternoon. Making a good start, Tarran was lying nineteenth. On lap nine, the Brit ran off track but was able to return to the track, albeit in last position. He continued to compete until lap sixteen, before electing to pit just minutes before the race was red-flagged (on lap seventeen), due to a lack of feeling. Ivo positioned twenty-fourth through the early stages but was able to climb to twentieth by the mid-race point. Doing his best to maintain a consistent pace and avoid any mistakes, the Portuguese rider completed the red-flagged race in nineteenth position.

Ivo Lopes P19

“Superpole went quite well, and I was able to do better than I had in practice as I’m gradually understanding more about the bike. So when I started the race, I had an idea as to the kind of lap times I thought I’d be able to set. But the feeling wasn’t quite the same in the race and there was less grip early on, maybe because the track temperature was higher. I did my best though, and was able to pick up my pace as the race went on. I’m just sorry there was a red flag as I think I might have been able to do a little more in the final stages but anyway, we finished the race and will now see what we can do to remedy the grip situation for tomorrow’s races.”

Tarran Mackenzie DNF

“Things went a little bit better in FP3 after we made a change to the bike last night. Superpole was good too, and I was able to set my quickest ever time around this track. I thought I might have been able to do a little more in terms of lap time, but I couldn’t quite put it together. For the race, we made another change which kind of worked, but the race was difficult. At one point I ran off track, which caused me to lose contact with the riders ahead, and after that I lost the rhythm. I just didn’t have good feeling and eventually elected to pit. Hopefully we can put together something better tomorrow.”

Mackenzie unlucky on Sunday, Lopes finishes P20

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.”