WorldSBK Practice

Competing in round six of the Superbike World Championship at Autodrom Most as substitute riders, Leandro ‘Tati’ Mercado and Hayden Gillim and placed twenty-second and twenty-third in Friday’s free practices.

With PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda riders Tarran Mackenzie and Adam Norrodin unfit to compete in the sixth WorldSBK round in the Czech Republic, it was replacement riders Hayden Gillim and Tati Mercado who took to the track for the day’s two free practice sessions.

Mercado has previous track knowledge, having raced at Most in 2022, and knows the CBR1000RR-R but is working with a new team this weekend. Tati was able to harness his experience and take a step already during FP1, systematically improving on his times, particularly in the latter stages, to close twenty-second with a best of 1’34.772. American Gillim has never visited the Most circuit before, and so he largely used this first day to familiarise with the track, but also with the bike, team and tyres, all new to a rider more familiar with the MotoAmerica series. Like Tati, Hayden made the most of the dry, sunny conditions, gradually lowering his lap times as he began to get to grips with both bike and track. Setting a 1’35.726 in the final stages, he placed twenty-third.

During the afternoon’s second practice and despite hotter conditions (air temp. 29°C, track temp. 44°C), the PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda duo continued to work hard in preparation for the weekend’s three races. Mercado’s best reference, a 1’33.933, saw him consolidate twenty-second in the day’s aggregate standings while Gillim continued to move in the right direction, taking well over a second off his best of FP1 to close in twenty-third place (1’34.350), just a few tenths from his team-mate. Both riders are confident that there is room for improvement in tomorrow’s final practice before they head back out on track for the Superpole session and the first of the weekend’s races.

Leandro ‘Tati’ Mercado

“Honestly, I achieved what I set out to do, which was to adapt to the bike and improve with every exit. We took a step in FP2 but there is more to do of course. I want to improve my feeling particularly on corner entry and with the rear grip, but we’re working hard and hopefully we can make another step tomorrow that allows us to lap consistently in tomorrow’s race. It’s a very different bike to what I’m used to and so I need to adapt to it and set it up to suit my characteristics. We’ve only had two sessions but hopefully we can continue in a positive way tomorrow.”

Hayden Gillim

“Today was a great day. I’ve really enjoyed riding a WorldSBK spec bike for the first time, working with the team, and learning the Most track. It’s a tough one, where it’s important to get your lines right, but we’ve made big improvements every time we have gone out. I have some things to work on so that I can ride the bike better and the crew is working hard to make me more comfortable. Thanks to the team and all the fans for the support; I’m already looking forward to getting back to work in the morning.”

Superbike Race One

The first WorldSBK race at Most sees PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda replacement riders Leandro ‘Tati’ Mercado and Hayden Gillim cross the line twentieth and twenty-first.

The PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team continues its work at the Most Circuit, with Hayden Gillim and Tati Mercado standing in for full-time riders Tarran Mackenzie and Adam Norrodin this weekend. Saturday began with a final free practice in which the American and Argentinian made final refinements with their technicians ahead of Superpole, with a determined Mercado finding another half second with respect to his best time of Friday.

Superpole got underway at 11am local time (CET) and it was a baptism by fire for Gillim who knows nothing of this qualifying format. With each rider able to lower their times by a fraction of a second in the limited time available, Mercado qualified twenty-second with a 1’32.961, Gillim behind him in twenty-third thanks to a time of 1’33.756.

The PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda riders started the first of the weekend’s 22-lap SBK races from the eighth row of the grid. Mercado got away well when the lights went out and immediately set to work to get into a rhythm. Unfortunately, a technical issue prevented Tati from racing as he would have liked, but he managed the situation and was able to reach the finish line. Aware that his first ever WorldSBK race would be something of an uphill climb, Gillim meanwhile did his best to keep pace with team-mate Mercado through the opening laps. The American’s lap times remained in line with those of the Argentinian for the best part of the race, though unfortunately neither was able to prevent a significant gap from opening up ahead of them. Mercado ultimately crossed the line twentieth, followed by Gillim in twenty-first place.

Leandro ‘Tati’ Mercado P20

“It was a difficult race, harder than I expected actually, because right from lap one I had issues shifting gear. It meant I ran long a few times. I found a way to ride and thought it important to complete the race and increase my understanding so that we can find a way for tomorrow. It was a pity about how it went but I wanted to collect as much useful data as possible ahead of the next races. We’ll do our best to take another step tomorrow, just as we’ve done in every session until now.”

Hayden Gillim P21

“I had no expectations heading into my first WorldSBK race other than to bring the bike back in one piece. I got off to a good start and was on the back of the group. I ran wide at turn one which began a bit of a lonely race for me on lap 2. I made some more little mistakes throughout the first quarter of the race before I was able to get my head straight and start being consistent. Leandro had some issues that allowed me to close in on him and with six laps to go I was right on him, but again ran wide through turn 1. After that mistake I decided it was time to call it a day and bring the bike home safe. I feel like I learned a lot and was able to get a decent first race under my belt. I’m excited to see what we can improve on for tomorrow. A big thanks to the team for working so hard!”

Superpole and Race Two

Competing for the PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team at Most, Leandro ‘Tati’ Mercado and Hayden Gillim complete a faster Race 2 to cross the line seventeenth and eighteenth respectively.

The PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team has completed WorldSBK round six at the Most Circuit with riders Hayden Gillim and Tati Mercado, who have stood in for full-time entries Tarran Mackenzie and Adam Norrodin this weekend.

The day began with a brief warm-up session in which Mercado and Gillim made some final modifications and checks ahead of the ten-lap Superpole race. Out at 11am CET for the short sprint, the riders again lined up on row eight of the starting grid. Mercado got away well and demonstrated consistent pace over the course of the ten-lap race, concluding in nineteenth place. Gillim did his best to harness yesterday’s race experience as he headed into only his second ever SBK race. The American worked hard to keep with his team-mate, his rhythm increasing as the race went on. Hayden completed the ten-lap sprint in twentieth position.

The weekend’s final race ran according to schedule at 2pm. Through the opening laps, Mercado was lying nineteenth, followed by Gillim, twentieth. The riders were able to lap with similar pace to each other although had difficulty finding the kind of pace that would allow them to really fight with the group ahead. The duo ultimately placed seventeenth and eighteenth, having both succeeded in reducing the gap to the front with respect to Race 1.

The PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team will not prepare for WorldSBK round seven, taking place at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in Portugal on 9-11 August. It is hoped that Mackenzie and Norrodin will be fit to compete at that round.

Leandro ‘Tati’ Mercado

“Race 2 was a little quicker than race 1, so that was positive. We made some modifications for the second long-race, particularly to the electronics, to find a little more traction and have a more stable bike. But it was still a difficult race. I tried to follow the group, but that wasn’t possible sadly. So I focused on maintaining my pace because it was important to run a consistent race so that the team have more useful data. Not an easy weekend, but the positives are that we finished every race and improved with each session. I think we also tried a few things that might serve the team moving forward. I hope I’ve been helpful anyway, and I want to thank Midori Moriwaki and the PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team once again for giving me the opportunity to race in WorldSBK. I also wish Adam a speedy recovery.”

Hayden Gillim

“Today was definitely the most comfortable I’ve felt with the bike. I got going pretty good in the Superpole race and was able to run a clean race without many mistakes. That meant I was feeling pretty good heading into race two. I got a good start, but I am just lacking the experience to be able to throw down fast laps early on. The overall pace for me was consistent and around 10 seconds faster than race one. I am very happy about that. I had an incredible weekend with the team and the fans. Thank you to everybody for making my debut in World Superbike so special.”