Whilst there’s an abundance of headlines at the front of the 2024 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship field, Tarran Mackenzie (PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda) took a best finish of the year in 11^th at Assen, a circuit he knows well. Race 2 saw him fight tooth and nail with factory counterpart Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) and followed him home, just missing out on a first top ten by just 0.103s. However, despite not being able to lay claim to top Honda honours, both he and crew chief Mick Shanley spoke of the work done to be in the position to fight for such positions.

“IT WAS REALLY POSITIVE” – the #95 shows strength and potential

Giving an overview of Assen, Mackenzie stated: “It was a stronger weekend overall and the wet sessions just helped me build confidence and it was more of a level playing field. I had some good results, was a bit better in Superpole and closer to the guys in front. In the Superpole Race, I felt like I messed up a little bit; I felt like I could have been stronger in the opening laps but I was determined to have a good start. It made such a difference getting dragged round with the likes of Garrett and Xavi. It was cool from that side; we caught Rinaldi and then it was us three towards the end. I tried my best to pass them both but couldn’t do it; Garrett ran wide and then I managed to get by so to finish right behind Xavi is great, as well as being in the mix and scoring points. It was really positive.”

Detailing the difficulties of 2024, Mackenzie explained how important this result is for him and the team: “It was a struggle for sure and in Australia, we had no testing really compared to anyone else. We didn’t have the bike we’re riding now until the Tuesday before Australia, then I crashed, the weather didn’t help and it was just a bit of a struggle. Having Mick in my corner from the Barcelona test onwards, I made a big step and was a bit closer to the factory guys in Barcelona and had a bit of a better race there. Then, we made another step here even if it was hard. We didn’t get many dry laps so we went back to base setting from Barcelona. In the rain, we were a lot stronger so it was nice to see some light at the end of the tunnel and a bit more positivity lifts the whole morale of the team.

“Everyone’s working hard and trying their best with the package we’ve got. We’re always trying to think of new things and in the wet and dry, try to be quite competitive. OK, it’s not top ten and at the front but I think with what we’ve got, we’re doing a pretty good job. We’ve scored an 11th so for sure, the next goal is the top ten.”

“IT’S GOOD TO CHALLENGE THE RED BIKE!” – Shanley talks of fighting with factory Honda at Assen

Crew chief Mick Shanley also spoke of Mackenzie’s progress as he got nearer to Xavi Vierge: “I’m really happy for us; we made a bit of a step in Barcelona and we wanted to continue that here. It’s been tricky with the weather when it’s cold, wet and dry but Tarran handled it really well. It was the first time he had ridden the bike with traction control in the wet so there was a lot for him to learn and take on board. Things came together in Race 2 in the dry and he rode really well all the way through; just trying to judge and understand, setting off higher up the grid with a better Superpole starting place. It’s good for him to see that he can ride with these people and be in the mix to gain confidence from it. If we can keep making steps forwards in each race, it’s good to challenge the red bike!”

Speaking about the belief that Tarran could fight in the P10 to P15 battle, Shanley believes this result is confirmation of that potential: “I kept trying to tell him that and he’s not been so sure but fair play to him, he got a better Superpole with the wet session and it’s shown him that he can be in that group. We’ve gained a lot more data to be running faster for longer so we’ll see what we can learn before next time out. We have two tests – Cremona and Misano – so it’s a chance to have a play with a few things and hopefully make some steps forward.”

“HE FULLY DESERVES TO BE OUT THERE RACING WITH THESE GUYS” – Mackenzie earning his stripes

“I’ve got to take my hat off to him; he fully deserves to be out there racing with these guys and we know he can race inside the top ten. I have full belief in him. It’s been impressive and I think people underestimate just how hard this Championship is. You look up and down the grid and there’s a lot of MotoGP race winners, World Champions… it’s incredible. For him to come here in his first season, with a lot of things to learn from the electronics side, we know that as a manufacturer that there’s still work to do. He’s taken it all in his stride and step by step, it’s good to work away for the top ten.”

Finally, detailing how a result like that can help team morale after a difficult period, he said: “Definitely and not only with Tarran but it’s been a good result in WorldSSP with Kaito Toba grabbing P7. Overall, as a team, it’s good to see everyone packing up with a smile on their face and we can see the progress! Everyone’s always pushing so hard so it’s good for everyone to see a result for all their efforts.”

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The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship’s latest visit to the TT Circuit Assen created history, with Nicholas Spinelli (Barni Spark Racing Team) claimed a shock win in Race 1 – his first WorldSBK race. The Italian added his name to an illustrious list of riders who won on their debut, bringing the total to nine. Here, we look at the nine history makers who stunned the field as their WorldSBK career started.

WORLD SUPERBIKE BEGINS: Tardozzi becomes the first WorldSBK winner, Donington Park, 1988

The first WorldSBK race took part at Donington Park in 1988 and that meant someone had to win and start this list. That rider was Davide Tardozzi on his Bimota machine, winning a 30-lap race ahead of Marco Lucchinelli by just over a second. Tardozzi would go on to win five races in 75 attempts, as well as 11 podiums, before taking on several off-track roles at both Ducati and BMW, becoming a key figure in the former’s success in both WorldSBK and MotoGP™.

PERFECT POLEN: American star moves to P1 at Sugo in 1989

Doug Polen’s WorldSBK debut came in 1989 at Sugo and he wasted no time in showing his potential, taking victory in Japan by more than seven seconds ahead of Michael Dowson, with American star Polen on Suzuki machinery. Polen would go on to win 27 races and take 40 podiums, as well as claiming two titles – in 1991 and 1992.

GODDARD ON HOME SOIL: Australian wins at Oran Park in 1989

Peter Goddard made his debut at Oran Park in November 1989, and he showed exactly what he could do. On Yamaha machinery, Goddard not just won, he wiped the floor with his opposition. He finished the 39-lap race 56 seconds clear of Robert Phillis in second, and 70 seconds ahead of Fabrizio Pirovano who completed the podium. In fact, Goddard lapped everyone except those in second, third and fourth.

MISANO THE VENUE: Kocinski takes debut win in Italy in 1996

John Kocinski followed in Doug Polen’s footsteps when he made his WorldSBK debut in 1996 at the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli”. Like Polen, the Arkansas-born Kocinski fended off his rivals albeit with a closer margin, coming home just over a second ahead of Troy Corser with Pierfrancesco Chili in third in a Ducati 1-2-3 on their home soil.

TAKEDA ON TOP: more history created at Sugo with Takeda in 1996

Although it wasn’t his first round – he competed at Sugo in 1989 although he didn’t start a race – Yuichi Takeda took victory in his first race he started. It was a thrilling battle in Japan with Noriyuki Haga, with 0.086s separating the two Japanese riders after 25 laps. Takeda came out on top ahead on his Honda, with Haga having to settle for second.

BRILLIANT BIAGGI: a seamless shift from MotoGP™ to WorldSBK

Max Biaggi made his WorldSBK debut in Qatar in 2007 after many successful years in the MotoGP™ paddock, including four 250cc World Championship titles and was instantly a hit. Racing for Suzuki, the Italian beat James Toseland by 1.4 seconds over the 18-lap race at Lusail for his first of 21 wins; he’d go on to claim two WorldSBK titles in 2010 and 2012.

THE PERFECT START: Bautista’s WorldSBK career starts with P1 in Australia, 2019

After Biaggi, it would be 12 years before a rider who won on debut, with Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) claiming victory in at Phillip Island in 2019 following his move across from MotoGP™. It was the first of 11 consecutive wins for the Spaniard to start the 2019 season before a series of crashes cost him the title. Two years at Honda were a struggle before a return to Ducati in 2022, winning the titles in that year and 2023.

FOLLOWING IN HIS TEAMMATE’S FOOTSTEPS: same venue, five years on, for Bulega

They had a different path to WorldSBK, and are at different stages at their career, but their first World Superbike race had a similar outcome. Nicolo Bulega (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) entered WorldSBK on the back off a WorldSSP title and he soon became a race winner in the premier class. A 2.2 second win over Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) started his career in style.

SPINELLI SURPRISES: tyre gamble pays off for the substitute rider

Nicholas Spinelli (Barni Spark Racing Team) stepped in as Danilo Petrucci’s replacement with the #9 injured for the Dutch Round. 11^th in the Tissot Superpole session was impressive, and what happened in the race was even more so. Opting for an all-intermediate tyre combination, the only rider on the grid, stormed into a 25-second lead over the first few laps. As the track dried, the gap closed rapidly, but a fortunately timed red flag, in Spinelli’s eyes, meant he claimed his, and Barni Ducati’s, first WorldSBK win.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS: impressing even without victory

Several riders have made a mark without climbing to the top step. Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) claimed fourth in his first Race 1 when on Honda machinery, and the late Marco Simoncelli rocked up to WorldSBK in 2009 at Imola and claimed a third-place finish in Race 2 for Aprilia, beating teammate Biaggi. Ben Spies, in 2009, started with 16^th in Race 1 in Australia but Race 2 kickstarted his season as he claimed victory.

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Iker Lecuona and Team HRC have taken to social media to give an update on the #7 after his crash during the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship last week. With WorldSBK visiting the TT Circuit Assen, Lecuona crashed at Turn 16 in Saturday morning’s Free Practice 3 session and was subsequently declared unfit, first for Saturday’s action and then for the remainder of the weekend on Sunday morning, with a right knee contusion and functional impairment.

In the days after the round, the one-time podium finisher had more checks completed on the knee which showed nothing broken but still some inflammation to the ligaments and muscle as well as swelling in the meniscus. Despite the injury still lingering, Lecuona set out his goal to be back on the CBR1000RR-R towards the end of May, with private tests scheduled.

On Team HRC’s Instagram account, Lecuona is quoted as saying: “I’ve had some additional checks done at home which confirmed that, fortunately, nothing is broken in my knee. However, the ligaments and muscles are still inflamed, and there’s a significant edema in the meniscus. The pain persists, especially in the morning. It’s just a matter of giving it time to heal, taking things easy, and starting a gentle training regimen as soon as possible. My goal is to be back on my bike for the testing sessions at the end of May.”

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It’s been a mega start to the 2024 FIM Supersport 300 World Championship season and the TT Circuit Assen hosted the first double winner of the season with Daniel Mogeda (Team#109 Retro Traffic Kawasaki). The Spaniard, who had never won a race but come close on numerous occasions before Assen, executed two perfect races to lead at crucial moments, becoming the new Championship leader. However, it wasn’t an easy weekend for the team, with Paul Tobin’s outfit suffering mechanical issues of their own on the way to the round, making Mogeda’s victories even sweeter for the Irish team.

In Race 1, it was the usual fight at the front in WorldSSP300 but a red flag for a crash involving Jeffrey Buis (Freudenberg KTM-Paligo Racing) and Julio Garcia (KOVE Racing Team) at the final chicane halted action. On the restart, Mogeda was a key feature inside the leading group and pounced in the final sector of the last lap, having previously led the way halfway through the lap. In the second race, strategy was pivotal and Mogeda went wide at Turn 10 from the lead so he could slipstream into the final corners. He made it into P2 with Kove’s Julio Garcia leading but he went wide and lost speed at the chicane. This allowed Mogeda to come through on the run to the line for a memorable victory.

MOGEDA WINS: “The only thing I have in my mind are my team, family and friends”

Speaking after Race 2 on Sunday afternoon, the #88 said: “It was a very difficult weekend but it’s great to be where we are! I only have happy words and that’s it! On the last lap, it was crazy, like all WorldSSP300 races! This one is crazier because it’s my victory; there were a lot of riders with a lot of fighting but finally, we can win. I don’t have words to explain but the only thing I have in my mind are my team, my family and friends, who all stayed with me in the bad moments. I feel very good but the Championship is long and we have many races to go.”

TEAM MANAGER TOBIN: “All the bad luck was out of the way before we got on track!”

In terms of getting to Assen, drama had already started for the MotorLand Aragon-based outfit as team manager Paul Tobin explained: “When we loaded the truck, it wouldn’t start so I got a mechanic out and then, we needed a part but that was on Saturday and by Monday, the part didn’t arrive. We needed two vans, couldn’t find any big enough in the area, so we had to go Zaragoza! That left there early on Monday morning and the second one on Monday afternoon, which then had a problem, so then we had to get another van, unload the old one on the side of the road and repack again. We got to Assen on Thursday morning; not the greatest start but all the bad luck was out of the way before we got on track!”

Talking about the races themselves, Tobin spoke of Race 1: “In Race 1, the quick shifter was cutting the bike and he actually had his hand up on the main straight on the start. He was going to pull in at the end of Lap 2 but it came good; he was dead last! He’s started to catch the group pretty fast and when the red flag came out, he was on the back of the main group. In the pitlane, he told us what we problem was and changed the quick shifter during the red flag and he was good to go then. I said to him it’s a five lap sprint so he can’t hang about but he was confident with the bike handling really well. He rode an incredible race with incredible courage, knowing it was raining! The way he took Ramshoek and the chicane, we knew he’d be OK. It was really, really emotional when he crossed the line with the history and the team and what not. Myself and Scott Thompson, his crew chief, were crying like babies in pitlane. It was an incredible win and an unbelievable moment for the team.”

In Race 2, it was all about strategy: “He got into Turn 1 first but made a mistake at Turn 11, missing a gear, so then the group caught up with him but it’s almost impossible to breakaway in WorldSSP300! He stayed inside the top four or five for more or less the whole race and you could see him working out where he needed to be in the last three or so laps. On the penultimate lap, he made a mistake at Turn 4 but he did this in Barcelona where he ran wide at Turn 11 so riders could get under him to not get caught on the straight which was amazing race craft from him. Coming down into the last sector, he said he was exactly where he needed to be but surprised that Garcia was leading. However, he could see Julio missed his braking marker by about 10 metres, so all he needed to do was take his proper line through the chicane and he had a chance. He leant on Loris Veneman going through the chicane but Dani got it.

STICKING WITH MOGEDA: “If you give up on a rider then, his career is finished”

Talking about why Mogeda is special for the team, Tobin commented: “He’s grown massively as a rider in the last 12 months. He’s a special rider for us as he filled in for us at Magny-Cours in 2021; he’d never met the team or seen Magny-Cours, the bike and got a P5. At the end of the season, he was involved in the incident with Dean Berta Vinales and in 2022, we’d signed him for the full season and he was nowhere. Starting from the back of the grid, looking over his shoulder, he was very badly affected about what happened to him at Jerez – even if he said to us he wasn’t, we knew he was. The team helped him through that period because if you give up on a rider then, his career is finished. We stuck with him and I think he feels he owes us something back. He’s now 18, so he’s a young man now and not a 16-year-old kid. He’s grown into a very respectful, decent young man as well as a very, very good racer.”

The story of the team is also remarkable: “Sean Hurley got me into racing, he was a good friend of mine and we used to do track days together. He started racing and in his second year, he asked me to go racing and I did. He went on to win the Irish Supersport championship in 2011 but in November that year, he left his house in Cork on a bad, stormy night. His car aquaplaned, spun, hit a tree and he tragically died. Before he passed away, he spoke to his mum and set out life goals for himself, things like run a marathon, do more education, ride trials, win a World Superbike race, mad stuff like run a pub! We did that stuff, set-up a fundraiser for riders in Ireland and we have the #109 award which is still going. Then, instead of funding, we decided to buy a bike and things and have a team!”

“THE WORK STARTS AND WE HAVE TO STAY THERE” – title ambitions for the rest of 2024

Speaking of whether or not they can fight for the title, Tobin said: “We do a video call meeting with the team and I said that we’ve made it to the top with the incredible results this weekend but now the work starts and we need to stay there. We have to push, as much as we can, to try and win this. Dani came to the team knowing that the bike and team were good. He knew us before and feels comfortable; it’s like a family to him and when a rider is like that, it gives so much confidence. I’ve seen a lot of Champions in the class and he’s riding as well as any. We have a chance!”

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Whilst WorldSBK may have taken many of the headlines during the Pirelli Dutch Round, the FIM Supersport World Championship was also full of major stories and emotions as for the first time in ten years, a Dutch rider won with a Dutch team at Assen, the stuff of childhood dreams. Glenn van Straalen (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) rode a magnificent flag-to-flag race to come surging through the field, taking a career-first win to the delight of over 56,000 Dutch fans.

After a promising weekend right the way through and narrowly missing out on the podium in Race 1, van Straalen pitted a lap later than Race 1 winner Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team). He was sixth by the time the field had shaken itself out before picking his way through the field. Long-time race leader Nikki Tuuli (EAB Racing Team) was out front and enjoying his best showing aboard Ducati machinery before van Straalen came though on Lap 15 and began to break clear. Huertas was likewise charging through the order and with a lap and a half to go, got into P2, demoting Finnish star Tuuli to the final place on the rostrum. Heading onto the final lap, 1.796s split van Straalen and Huertas and despite closing in, the #28 held on for a memorable career-first win, much to the appreciation of a noisy home crowd, his home team and the media centre.

NERVOUS THOUGHTS: “I started to think about whether or not I would win today!”

Speaking in his post-race interview, the 23-year-old was overwhelmed: “I followed the guys into the pitlane to make a pitstop as I thought the last sector would be dry but, then it was so wet so I thought that the grip in the rain tyre would be really good. I had a good rhythm in the rain and it was just incredible to do good lap times, close the big gap down but in P1, it wasn’t easy! I started to think about whether or not I would win today! I focused on the race and corner by corner, I made it to the finish line. It’s amazing to do it here in these colours and with all the fans is brilliant.”

When all the rain tyre-shod riders were in the leading positions, the #28 was 10.135s back at one stage, a remarkable effort to come back through the field. He spoke of how special it was to win for the team too: “It feels really good and it gave a lot of adrenalin because I was on slicks to start! Then, the public enjoyed it because I was catching up and they wondered if I’d make up the time or not but, in the end, it happened!

Speaking about how important his good friend Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) has been in helping his career, van Straalen was appreciative: “Michael’s been really important and I see him a couple of times a week, training together and for sure, he’s important for this result. It’s for sure a dream to win here.”

DREAMS DO COME TRUE: “I was freaking out basically… the party’s going to be quite big”

After van Straalen’s post-race emotions, we caught up with team manager Kervin Bos outside an absolutely electric Ten Kate Racing hospitality and it’s fair to say he was more than delighted with the result: “It’s really, really unbelievable; when I started in Ten Kate 15 years ago and then joined the team in 2018, I said to Ronald and Gerrit Ten Kate, the owners, ‘the big dream is to win a race with a Dutch guy at Assen.’ Now, we’re in 2024 and we’ve won with Glenn van Straalen, at Assen – in orange, the national colour and the branding of the tulips, the Dutch flower – with all the fans going crazy and our hospitality… it’s a dream coming true like a kid. The young boy was dreaming to win a WorldSSP race at home and Glenn did it.

“That’s why it is even more special; there are some big contenders that also made mistakes but he was there and won the race, it’s just unbelievable. He came into the pits one lap later than Adrian Huertas, so after that, I was quite confident that he would be able to catch up as he was so fast on all the tyres. Then, he put the hammer down in the last five laps and I was really impressed because it wasn’t necessary to go so fast! I was freaking out basically! I can be quite calm normally but this is so special because it’s been quite mixed. The Championship leader, Manzi, chose a different pit window which was completely the wrong choice, so one side of the box was amazing and the other one was disappointed. What a day!”

Speaking about the celebrations prior to the real partying, Bos was in the mood to really enjoy one of the most special moments of his career in the Ten Kate Racing family: “I’ve already been 90 days sober but now I will quit it this evening! The party is going to be quite big, so I hope for a good headache on Monday!” We’ll catch up with Bos next time out at Misano to see how big the party was.

VAN DER MARK ELATED FOR VAN STRAALEN: “I’m very proud of him; It’s magic, they’ll never take away this win”

Meanwhile, Michael van der Mark likewise praised fellow countryman van Straalen, who replicated what the #60 managed to do for Ten Kate ten years ago: “I had to cry! It’s fantastic to see how he managed the race; he’s always very calm but when he’s on the bike he isn’t! He showed he could stay calm and it’s well-deserved. He put a lot of effort in to getting this seat with Ten Kate with his sponsors, so for him to do it at his home race, I’m very proud of him. It’s magic and they’ll never take away this win.”

DOSOLI ON DUTCH PROWESS: “I’m sure this result will give him extra self-confidence and motivation!”

Likewise sharing a moment to congratulate the #28, Yamaha Motor Europe road racing manager said: “The Result of Race 2 almost reset the classification; it’s almost like starting from zero, there are four riders within two points! It was really nice to celebrate in the best possible way the special livery launched by Pata Yamaha Ten Kate for van Straalen for their home race. To see the orange R6 cross the line was a huge boost for the Dutch fans! After a difficult start to the season, I am sure this result will give him extra self-confidence and motivation for the rest of the season.”

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The FIM Supersport World Championship’s visit to the TT Circuit Assen was an unpredictable weekend thanks to rain falling at different moments, with Adrian Huertas (Aruba.it Racing WorldSSP Team) one of the riders who mastered the conditions to claim a win in Race 1 and a podium in Race 2. The results meant the #99 stormed into the Championship lead, although it’s very tight at the top of the World Supersport standings.

Huertas claimed a front row start for Race 1 with third in Friday’s Tissot Superpole session, lapping around a second away from polesitter Stefano Manzi’s (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) time when he posted a 1’46.251s. In Saturday’s Race 1, a pre-race downpour made tyre choice and strategy crucial. Both Huertas and Manzi started on slick tyres on the quick-drying track, with the Ducati rider coming out on top by just over eight seconds ahead of the #62 despite dropping all the way down to 20^th at the end of Lap 2.

Looking back on Race 1, the Madrid-born star said: “It was an incredible race because, at the beginning, there were really difficult conditions. I was not aiming for the win at the start, I was just trying to stay calm on the bike and then suddenly I was feeling better and starting to recover and then I was P6, P3 and then P2… I saw Valentin in front, I said, ‘Ok, this is my day!’. I tried to pass him, finally managed to be first. I’m incredibly happy.”

Race 2 was a similar affair, with the track left soaked by a shower before lights out but when riders were on the grid, coming in to change tyres would prove beneficial after everyone started on slicks. Huertas came in at the end of Lap 2, title rival Yari Montella (Barni Spark Racing Team) at the end of the next lap and Manzi at the end of Lap 5. That gave Huertas the advantage over two of his rivals and he capitalised to claim second place, with Glenn van Straalen (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) – who pitted on the same lap as Huertas – claiming an emotional home win.

Explaining his tyre strategy for Race 2, Huertas said: “I think we were just trying to push at the beginning. I saw the heavy rain coming. I had a big moment at Turn 1 but then I kept pushing, I was comfortable, but I saw a lot of rain coming. The weather predictions weren’t what we were expecting. I decided to enter. My team did an incredible job changing the tyres, they were really calm and that gave me a lot of extra power for the second half of the race. In the wet, I needed to get used to these conditions. The track started to dry, and I started to get faster, but I was not fast enough to win. We were close but we needed more laps.”

With the results of the weekend, including Manzi’s non-score in Race 2, Huertas moved into the lead of the Championship. He’s one points clear of Montella in second and Manzi in third – both on 85 points – while Marcel Schroetter (MV Agusta Reparto Corse) is fourth on 84 points with an incredibly tight Championship in store this season.

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