Tarran Mackenzie was able to enjoy riding his bike and get his smile back after his first weekend with the MGM Bonovo squad.

After missing the United Kingdom World Superbike Round due to parting ways with his old team, Tarran Mackenzie was back on track for the Hungarian World Superbike Round.

However, Mackenzie had a lot to learn with his new team, new Ducati Panigale V4 R and the new Balaton Park Circuit.

But the 2021 British Superbike Champion's main goal for the weekend was to enjoy his riding again.

"Honestly, I had a lot thrown at me this weekend with the new track, and new bike," Mackenzie told WorldSBK.com.

"Also, with the conditions, it was hot yesterday [Saturday], then there was rain this morning [Sunday], then we had slicks on a wet track.

"The main goal for me this weekend was to enjoy riding again and to have a smile on my face. I felt like I did that on Friday, and we just kept progressing, stayed on two wheels, and I just stayed calm.

"I am just really happy to end the weekend like this for myself and the team."

'I knew some riders on intermediates would come back to me.'

The 1000th World Superbike race took place on Sunday morning with the Superpole Race at the Balaton Park Circuit.

However, before the race, there had been rain overnight, and the track was still drying. But Mackenzie was confident in his decision to go for a dry setup and slick tyres, which worked out as he finished in eighth place.

"I came to the grid and said slicks straight away," he explained when asked about his tyre choice for the Superpole Race.

"Sometimes when there is no rain coming, you sit on the grid for 15 or 20 minutes, which is a long time for the track to dry.

"By the time we completed the Warm-Up Lap, the track had dried out a little bit more. Then, as the race went on, the track soon dried.

"It was tricky on the first couple of laps, but I stayed patient. I knew some riders were on intermediates, so they would end up coming back.

"I ended up in a really good position, my best ever in World Superbikes, so that was a really good way to start my Sunday."

'I was just enjoying riding the bike a lot.'

In the final race of the weekend, Mackenzie was able to claim his best full race distance result in World Superbikes as he crossed the line in 11th.

The British rider would have had a top ten finish, but made a mistake on the final lap of the 21-lap race.

"In the last race, I felt like I had learnt a lot," he stated.

"My pace was in the high 1:41s, but when Dominique Aegerter came by, I started to ride the bike a bit differently.

"It started to come to me a bit better, and I started to do high 1:40s. I was just enjoying it a lot, and I did not have much of a gap to Yari Montella behind me, so there was a lot of pressure.

"I just kept trying really, really hard. I made a mistake at Turn One on the last lap, and Montella passed me. But P11 is my best result in full dry conditions, so to do that in the first weekend is really good.

"The last four rounds will be at tracks I know, with a bike I now know, and a team I know, so hopefully it should come a bit better."