A determined Mackenzie and Zaidi exploit Friday’s track time at Assen

The historic Assen Circuit in The Netherlands is the stage for this weekend’s third round of the 2025 Superbike World Championship. Friday brought stable, dry conditions, which allowed PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda riders Zaqhwan Zaidi and Tarran Mackenzie to make constructive use of both the day’s free practices.

Mid-morning, in cool conditions, the squad set to work during FP1. Mackenzie made a confident start to the weekend, moving up inside the top ten in the initial stages of this first practice. Looking comfortable on his CBR1000RR-R the British rider put in a steady performance before taking a step during the final minutes, putting in a best of 1’35.637 to close sixteenth. Rookie Zaidi is again tasked with learning a new circuit and so used FP1 to familiarise himself with the track layout while starting to work on the setup of his Honda together with his crew. Setting an initial time of 1’40.003 during this phase, the Malaysian will adopt the same strategy he used at Portimão, aiming to work methodically and improve on his references in every session.

Temperatures rose a little for the afternoon’s second practice, another 40-minute stint in which Zaidi and Mackenzie continued to gain ground. Tarran was able to improve both his lap times and his overall performance, completing an encouraging and consistent session that augers well for the weekend’s races. A fastest time of 1’34.787 put him sixteenth in the day’s combined standings. On the other side of the garage, a determined Zaqhwan kept his head down and continued to work hard during FP2. Building both his knowledge of the track and his confidence with the bike with every exit made, the Malaysian took almost one second off his morning’s best. A 1’39.152 set towards the end of the session saw Zaidi round out day one in twenty-third position.

Tarran Mackenzie #95

“In terms of bike setup, we went back to where we were on Friday at Portimão and immediately felt good chassis-wise. We didn’t change a lot and just focused on trying to fine tune the electronics really. But it was nice to head out and feel more competitive straight away. To be 1.1 seconds from the front is pretty good, so I’m quite happy – I think this has been one of my better Fridays. Now we just need to keep the ball rolling for tomorrow really and see what we can do, but I’m feeling good, in myself and on the bike, and am pleased with how today went.”

Zaqhwan Zaidi #21

“Today’s practices were for sure a little tough for me, as this is my first time at the Assen track. So I need to learn fast, adapt to the track and try to set good lap times. We’ve improved lap by lap but it’s still not enough of course. We have another chance to improve in tomorrow’s FP3, when we’ll do our best to prepare for Superpole. Hopefully we can make good progress, and I will be doing all I can to score a better result. A big thanks to the team for all their hard work today, and now we look forward to tomorrow’s race.”

Mackenzie boosts his points tally, finishing SBK race 1 in twelfth position

As usual, the SBK field benefitted from a final early morning practice, a session that ran in rather chilly conditions at Assen. Despite the low temperatures, the PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team and riders Tarran Mackenzie and Zaqhwan Zaidi focused on the task ahead, namely preparing their CBR1000RR-R machines for the subsequent Superpole and first race. Malaysian Zaqhwan was able to put in his quickest time of the weekend so far, lapping over a second faster than he had in Friday’s FP2. Tarran took off another tenth with respect to his best of Friday, which meant that he finished this session in sixteenth position.

Conditions were already warmer for the 11am Superpole (air temp. 16°C, track temp. 18°C), a 15-minute phase in which the Brit and the Malaysian went all out to set a good qualifying time. Immediately putting in a 1’34.0, Mackenzie continued to push but it was with his last lap, completed in 1’33.539, that the Brit secured a spot on the fifth row of the grid, in fifteenth. Today’s classification was extremely tight, with the first sixteen riders all closing within one second of each other. With little time to get to grips with what is another new track, rookie Zaidi set a best of 1’37.256. Easily his best lap of the weekend, this reference meant that he qualified twenty-third for Race 1.

Race 1 ran at 2pm local time over a distance of 21 laps. Fifteenth on the grid, Mackenzie hesitated off the line and slipped to the back of the field. The Brit was then handed a double long lap penalty for having made a jump start. This penalty caused him to lose the little ground he had begun to make up but undeterred, Tarran fought harder than ever to set a strong pace and was up into the points zone with a third of the race still to run. Holding firm in fifteenth, Mackenzie made up three more positions in the final stages to conclude twelfth and earn himself four more championship points. Team-mate Zaidi held twenty-second through the initial stages, doing his best to establish a consistent rhythm around this tricky track. Keeping a cool head despite accidents for a number of his rivals, the Malaysian gradually made up places, running a steady race and finding himself eighteenth at the mid-race point. The rookie earned one more position later on, crossing the line in seventeenth place.

Saddened to learn of the passing of long-time WorldSBK Race Director, Gian Franco Carloia, the PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team extends its deepest condolences to his loved ones.

Tarran Mackenzie #95

“Mixed emotions to be honest, as it was probably one of the best rides I’ve had but I stalled the bike on the grid, which resulted in a double lap penalty. To lose all that time and then come through and catch a few guys for twelfth, the pace I had was probably the best I’ve ever had, with really strong lap times. So I’m really happy about that, and the bike felt good, it was just all ruined by the start, which was totally my fault. Quite annoying, but hopefully we can try and improve on that tomorrow. I don’t know what the weather will do, but we’ll be prepared for either scenario, wet or dry.” 

Zaqhwan Zaidi #21

“I think today’s race went quite well. I learned a lot, that’s for sure. This circuit is quite unique and difficult too with its high-speed turns, but I think we’ve made good progress, lap by lap. In the race I tried to just focus on myself and control the pace, finishing seventeenth. I’m very happy with the team and thank everyone for their hard work. I really enjoyed riding today actually and hopefully tomorrow we can make a few adjustments in the areas where we need to improve and be prepared for Race 2. We don’t know whether the weather conditions will change, but we’ll try to be ready. And a big thanks again to the team!”

A SBK career best of ninth for Mackenzie in the Assen Superpole race

The third Superbike World Championship round at the TT Circuit Assen concludes positively for the PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team, with Tarran Mackenzie ninth and fourteenth in Sunday’s races and Zaqhwan Zaidi making further progress in what is his rookie WorldSBK season.

First up on Sunday morning was the brief warm-up session, which ran in wet conditions. While Mackenzie completed a handful of laps, Zaidi elected not to do so, not wanting to take any unnecessary risks. Although the rain then gave way to sunshine, the track remained wet for the ten-lap Superpole race, which got underway later in the morning. Both riders opted for rain tyres given the soaking asphalt. From fifteenth, Mackenzie immediately made good inroads, appearing confident despite the precarious conditions. Upping his pace lap by lap, the British rider passed both Alex Lowes and Bassani on lap four to move into ninth place. Passed in turn by Redding, Tarran was not about to give in. Continuing to work hard to secure a top ten finish, the PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda rider crossed the line ninth, his best SBK result to date and particularly useful in that this result meant a third row start for Race 2. Team-mate Zaidi was able to move into eighteenth early on and maintain that position for a good part of this ten-lap sprint. The Malaysian ran a clean race, avoiding mistakes in what was his first wet SBK race, to cross the line nineteenth.

Both Mackenzie and Zaidi set out to improve on their race 1 results in the second 21-lap Superbike race, which ran in dry conditions. The British rider benefitted from a third-row start, ninth thanks to his Superpole race result, while the Malaysian rookie again lined up in twenty-third. Mackenzie got off the line quick, momentarily sixth before traffic saw him slip to tenth. Unable to match the rapid pace of his closest rivals in the early stages, Tarran nevertheless held his own inside the points zone, fifteenth at the mid-race point. Passing Gerloff in the second half of the race, the British rider assured himself of another points finish, fourteenth across the line. Zaidi ran a clean but solitary race, holding his starting position for almost the entire race to cross the line twenty-second as he continues his apprenticeship in the competitive WorldSBK class.

Mackenzie moves up to eighteenth in the general standings, with nine points, while rookie Zaidi is yet to get points on the board. The PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team will now focus on preparing for WorldSBK round four, taking place at the Cremona Circuit in Italy over the weekend of 2-4 May.

Tarran Mackenzie #95

“Probably my best day and weekend to date in WorldSBK, qualifying under a second off pole, scoring points in race 1 despite some drama, finishing ninth in the Superpole race and then starting row three for Race 2 and again scoring points. In the last race I felt quite good once I got into a rhythm. I was quite close to the group in front but couldn’t quite get on to the back of them. I struggled a little in the final laps but was able to bring it home and score points. I’m over the moon with this weekend and want to say a big thank you to the team for all their help and hard work. I’m looking forward to Cremona.”

Zaqhwan Zaidi #21

“Today’s races went quite well, and the pace was a bit better than yesterday. I just had a little issue with the bike setup but I did my best and finished where I finished. I just need to continue to work hard to improve and become a better rider. The team has helped me a lot this weekend, so many thanks to them, and we now look ahead to Cremona, where we’ll push again. I’m happy with the way we’re working as a team, and I will continue to try my best. Thanks again to everybody for their precious support.”