#Petronas MIE Racing Honda Team

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If they don’t send Mie’s team principal to the podium I’ll go mad

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Honda CBR1000 RR-R / Hafizh Syahrin / MAS / PETRONAS MIE Racing HONDA Team by Artes Max Via Flickr: Prosecco DOC Catalunya WorldSBK 2023 / Circuit de Barcelona

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Mackenzie masterclass: Honda's triumph in unpredictable Race 2

In a thrilling and unpredictable WorldSSP Race 2 at Autodrom Most, Tarran Mackenzie (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team) emerged as the unexpected hero. As rain showers swept the circuit, the race became a battle of strategy and nerves. Mackenzie's decision not to pit for wet tires when the rain began proved to be a game-changer. Starting from 22nd on the grid, he showcased his skill on slicks, gaining significant time on his rivals and securing his first-ever WorldSSP victory, as Honda celebrated their first WorldSSP victory since 2016. Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse also on slicks, finished in second place, while his teammate Bahattin Sofuoglu demonstrated resilience, recovering from a mid-race crash and a Long Lap Penalty to take the final spot on the podium.

John McPhee's (Vince64 by Puccetti Racing) bold tire strategy paid off as well, earning him a strong fourth-place finish, while Adam Norrodin (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team) showcased Honda's potential with an impressive fifth position. Making a remarkable return to the Championship as a wildcard rider, Thomas Gradinger (Eder Racing) secured a top-six finish. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team)'s 16th place finish and Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha)'s unfortunate retirement marked a challenging race for both title contenders.

WorldSSP Race 2 Results 1. Tarran Mackenzie (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team) 2. Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) +2.037s 3. Bahattin Sofuoglu (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) +18.857s 4. John McPhee (Vince64 by Puccetti Racing) +21.046s 5. Adam Norrodin (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team) +22.206s 6. Thomas Gradinger (Eder Racing) +38.970s WorldSSP Championship standings 1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) 308 points 2. Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) 262 points 3. Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) 214 points

P1 | Tarran Mackenzie | PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team "It's such a special day for me and also for all of the team and everybody involved. I have to thank Midori and the whole of the Petronas team. It's been a very difficult season, not just for me, but for the whole team. We expected the package to be maybe a little bit stronger than it is, but every weekend we're improving. This weekend, we actually made a small step which allowed us to fight a little bit more. Obviously starting P21 or 22, I did not expect to be near the front and when I saw the rain, I thought this was my chance to maybe get some points, not nearly a win, just some points. When I got into the lead, I just had to focus and count the laps and to win. The decision to not pit wasn't difficult because my mechanic told me, "just please don't come and just keep riding around very much like the WorldSSP300 race yesterday." So, I had this on my mind the whole time and I just kept going and pretended like there was no rain. And the gap went to maybe 8 seconds at one point, and it was just hard to believe. I didn't know what was going on. It was crazy, and to win was amazing!" For more info checkout our dedicated World Supersport News page superbike-news.co.uk/world-supersport/ Or visit the official World Superbike website worldsbk.com Read the full article

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Misano hosts two-day WorldSBK Supported Test, Bautista fastest on Day 1

Just a few days after Round 4 at Barcelona, WorldSBK is already back testing at Misano as the 2023 grid gets ready for the Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round. Championship leader Alvaro Bautista topped the timesheet at the end of day one. The Ducati rider completed 87 laps over the day. He was on a lap record pace setting a fastest lap of 1’33.035s, 0.510s quicker than Razgatlioglu. Toprak Razgatlioglu was the second fastest rider with a best time of 1’33.545s. He is the rider who completed more laps on Thursday with 92 laps. Having completed 90 laps over the day, Ducati’s Michael Ruben Rinaldi was third overall, 0.673s behind his teammate. Xavi Vierge was the lead Honda rider in fourth with a fastest time of 1’34.043s. Teammate Iker Lecuona ended the day in eighth place. Garrett Gerloff was fifth for BMW, 1.310s off Bautista’s best time. Stepping in to replace injured Michael van der Mark for BMW, Tom Sykes was seventh. Tarran Mackenzie tested for the PETRONAS MIE Racing HONDA Team, making his return to WorldSBK. The first of two days of testing for the majority of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship field concluded with rain interrupting the final part of the day at the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli”. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) was under lap record pace in the morning as he used Pirelli’s SCQ tyre to edge closer to the 1’32s bracket, with Bautista finishing ahead of Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) whose day was disrupted by a Turn 3 crash in the morning session.

Reigning Champion Bautista led the way on Day 1 as he set a lap time faster than the existing all-time lap record after posting a 1’33.035s in the closing stages of the morning session while using Pirelli’s SCQ tyre, with his time around three tenths faster than his own lap record set in last year’s Tissot Superpole session. Bautista’s opening day, where he completed 87 laps including 64 in the morning, was spent working on the bike with new their rpm limit as well as looking ahead to the Emilia-Romagna Round. Teammate Michael Ruben Rinaldi took third spot on Day 1, 0.673s behind his teammate, as he worked on a setup comparison using setups from Mandalika and Barcelona as he completed 90 laps.

Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) took second spot after posting a 1’33.545s in the morning session on the SCX tyre, around half-a-second down on Bautista. Razgatlioglu had a small crash at Turn 3 in the morning on old tyres, but returned to the pits on his bike, while he had a focus on swingarms and linkage that had already been tested before but with modifications. He completed 92 laps on Day 1.

The Misano test is an important one for Team HRC with riders Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge testing two variations of a new swingarm in order to test the direction. Vierge was the fastest rider on Day 1 out of the two after he completed 87 laps and took fourth place with a 1’34.043s, when he used the SCQ tyre, while Lecuona completed 65 laps. His best time was a 1’34.602s to put him in eighth place, ensuring both Hondas finished in the top ten. The headline at BMW was the return of Tom Sykes (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) to BMW to temporarily replace injured BMW rider Michael van der Mark. His programme did not involve new parts but running the bike he finished the 2021 campaign with to compare it to the 2023 machine. Sykes was seventh at the end of the day after setting a 1’34.416s and completing 61 laps. For more info checkout our dedicated World Superbike News page World Superbike News Or visit the official World Superbike website WorldSBK.com Read the full article

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Ninth win of 2023 in Catalunya for Alvaro Bautista

Championship leader Alvaro Bautista extended his lead with his Race 1 win, as he finished 8.864s ahead of Toprak Razgatlioglu. He now has 199 points in the standings. Toprak Razgatlioglu took second place, claiming his 91st podium and getting Yamaha closer to its 400th podium finish. Jonathan Rea was third in Race 1, just 0.063s behind Razgatlioglu. Andrea Locatelli was the best of the rest in fourth place, while Aegerter was fifth meaning there were three Yamaha riders in the top five. The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship’s opening race of the Prosecco DOC Catalunya Round at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya was a dramatic affair as Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) claimed his fourth consecutive win in Barcelona to extend his Championship lead in Race 1, while there was a fierce battle for second with several riders at different points. The race was run over a 17-lap distance following a red flag on Lap 4 of the initial race, with Bautista winning the shortened race by 8.8 seconds. The race was red flagged on Lap 4 of 20 after an incident on the exit of Turn 11 and the entrance of Turn 12 involving Eric Granado (PETRONAS MIE Racing HONDA Team). The Brazilian rider was conscious and taken to the medical centre for a check-up following the crash. Granado was declared unfit following the crash with concussion and he was transported to hospital for further assessments. The riders took to the grid for the restarted race based on their positions at the last completed time-keeping point for each rider, meaning Bautista took the front row ahead of teammate Michael Ruben Rinaldi and Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK).

The new race was restarted over a 17-lap distance with Bautista able to once again stay ahead from the front while his rivals squabbled behind him. Axel Bassani (Motocorsa Racing) moved from fifth to third, and then ahead of Rinaldi into second, before the factory Ducati barged his way through at Turn 3. They were still side by side through Turn 10 and into Turn 11. The pair made contact with Rinaldi retiring from the race and Bassani continuing; the incident was investigated by the FIM WorldSBK Stewards. Bassani was given a Long Lap Penalty for his role in the incident which he took instantly on Lap 6, dropping him from second to fifth. Bassani’s penalty promoted Rea and Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) into second and third place and the pair were battling it out for second place as Bautista pulled out a gap over Rea and Razgatlioglu. Razgatlioglu was consistently putting Rea under pressure but, despite the 2021 Champion looking to make a move into Turn 1, he made the move on the final lap at Turn 1 despite being massively out of shape in the braking zone. WorldSBK action resumes on Sunday from 09:00 (Local Time) with the Warm-Up, followed by Tissot Superpole Race at 11:00 and Race 2 at 14:00.

WorldSBK Race 1 Results 1. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 2. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) +8.864s 3. Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) +8.927s 4. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) +13.992s 5. Dominique Aegerter (GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team) +14.206s 6. Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) +15.809s WorldSBK Championship standings 1. Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) 199 points 2. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) 138 points 3. Andrea Locatelli (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) 117 points WorldSBK Tissot Superpole Results 1. Alvaro Bautista | Ducati | 1’40.264s 2. Dominique Aegerter | Yamaha | +0.473s 3. Jonathan Rea |Kawasaki | +0.497s

P1 | Alvaro Bautista | Aruba.it Racing - Ducati “I’m so happy to win here in Barcelona especially after today’s Superpole. I was fast and had a good feeling with the bike. In the race, it was different as we have to manage the tyre consumption, especially in the first laps. Honestly, I was surprised with the lap time because I was not forcing too much on the tyres, but I saw the time which was quite fast. The feeling with the bike was amazing, and for me that’s the most important. I try to stay focused, to push to the maximum that the tyre allows me to. I’m very happy with the feeling, and to win here in front of my friends and family, and the Spanish fans.” For more info checkout our dedicated World Superbike News page World Superbike News Or visit the official World Superbike website WorldSBK.com Read the full article

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Bulega takes maiden victory in shortened rain-marred Race 1

Bulega took his first ever win in WorldSSP in red-flagged Race 1 ending Ducati’s win drought with their last win coming in 2005. Nicholas Spinelli claimed his first podium in World Supersport with a last lap overtake on McPhee. John McPhee was third for his first ever WorldSSP race finishing 2.965s behind Spinelli. Tarran Mackenzie claimed fifth spot on his debut and Honda’s return to WorldSSP; Honda’s points remain provisional due to the pending homologation of the bike. It was a dramatic opening race of the 2023 FIM Supersport World Championship with red flags and wet weather making Race 1 at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit during the Grand Ridge Brewery Australian Round as Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) claimed his first WorldSSP victory after mastering the wet-weather conditions in Australia. His victory also returned to Ducati to the top step of the WorldSSP podium for the first time since Imola in 2005.

With the red flag delay, rain started to fall as the riders prepared to restart the race and a further delay ensued, with a mixed tyre selection on the grid. Those who opted for intermediate or wet tyres quickly pulled away, including Bulega. Bulega was able to hold on to claim victory after moving into the lead of the race on the opening lap of the restarted race to claim his first victory in any class since he won in Moto3™ CEV at Jerez in 2015. It also ended Ducati’s drought that runs back to Imola in 2005, when Gianluca Nannelli claimed victory.

Bulega’s victory of margin was just under a second ahead of rookie Nicholas Spinelli (VFT Racing Yamaha) after a late charge form the Italian to take second spot on his first appearance with the team. John McPhee (Vince64 by Puccetti Racing) claimed a debut third place despite starting 20th on the original grid. McPhee was running third when the red flags were deployed and he, with Bulega and Spinelli, all on full wet tyres.

WorldSSP Race 1 Results 1. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) 2. Nicholas Spinelli (VFT Racing Yamaha) +0.942s 3. John McPhee (Vince64 by Puccetti Racing) +2.965s 4. Niki Tuuli (Dynavolt Triumph) +11.624s 5. Tarran Mackenzie (PETRONAS MIE MS Racing HONDA Team) +15.838s 6. Stefano Manzi (Ten Kate Racing Yamaha) +19.700s WorldSSP Tissot Superpole Top 3 1. Stefano Manzi / Yamaha / 1’32.814 2. Can Oncu / Kawasaki / +0.244s 3. Yari Montella / Ducati / +0.262s

P1 | Nicolo Bulega | Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team “It was one of the strangest races in all my life. It was very difficult… I think we made the start three or four times. I don’t know why but my third start was really bad. It started to rain, and I didn’t have any feeling with the bike, and I was down to 19th position. But then when we restarted and I decided to put rain tyre, it was the opposite, my feeling with the bike was incredible. I chose to put the rain tyre and at the end it was the correct choice. I’m also very happy to bring back the win to Ducati. It’s also my first win so it’s been an incredible Saturday.” For more info checkout our dedicated World Supersport News page superbike-news.co.uk/world-supersport/ Or visit the official World Superbike website worldsbk.com Read the full article