Reigning Bennetts British Superbike king Tarran Mackenzie has been confirmed as a wildcard at the Assen WorldSBK round next month.
It will be the McAMS Yamaha man’s debut in the series and he will, crucially, run a full WorldSBK-spec R1 at the event.
“I am very excited to make my debut in the WorldSBK championship at Assen and it will be quite special to do it with my McAMS Yamaha team as I’ve been with them for the last five years and together we have come a long way,” said Mackenzie.
“Obviously there is a lot for me to learn with the engine and electronics, but I know the chassis well as my BSB bike is very similar. Assen is a circuit I love riding, the first time I rode a superbike there in 2018 I finished on the podium.
“The level in World Championship is really high and I’m looking forward to getting out on track and giving it our all. I have to say a huge thanks to Steve and the McAMS Yamaha team, as well as Andrea and everyone at Yamaha Racing for making this possible.”
While the 26-year-old will have to quickly familiarise himself with diffefrent-spec engine and Magneti Marelli electronics, the chassis of his BSB R1 is almost identical to that of the official WorldSBK teams and both he and McAMS Yamaha have experience of racing at Assen in the British Championship. One of Mackenzie’s first British Superbike podium finishes came at the venue back in his rookie campaign in 2018.
“Our bikes are already very close to world championship specification. The engine and electronics will be very different and the whole team will have to work hard to get used to those in a short space of time, but we have some very talented people on board including people who have recently worked in World Superbikes. There is no pressure or expectation from our side, we’ll just go and see what we can do,” said team boss Steve Rodgers.
Mackenzie and the team will be officially supported by Yamaha Europe with the full backing of race chief Andrea Dosoli.
“We are looking forward to supporting Tarran and the McAMS Yamaha Team as they make their WorldSBK debut with a wildcard appearance in Assen, after what was an incredibly successful 2021 season for them in the British Superbike Championship.
“We have enjoyed a long and fruitful working relationship with the McAMS team and their two riders, with a real two-way collaboration bringing benefits for all. We are delighted to see Tarran and McAMS step up onto the world stage in Assen, as this fits perfectly with Yamaha’s racing philosophy of offering opportunities to the best riders and teams worldwide.”
Mackenzie's team will ship out straight after the Silverstone BSB opener to Yamaha's European headquarters to marry a BSB-spec chassis to engine and electronics supplied by the factory.
