Tarran Mackenzie says he is steadily finding his groove on Superbike machinery again after formally completing his 2023 on-track commitments with a fresh test aboard the MIE Honda CBR1000RR-R he’ll race in the 2024 WorldSBK Championship.

MIE Racing were one of a handful of teams to venture back to Jerez to complete its final miles of year ahead of the winter break, with Mackenzie being joined in Spain by fellow WorldSSP graduating team-mate Adam Norrodin.

Having spent the past 12 months adapting back to Supersport machinery after five years racing a Yamaha R1 in the British Superbike Championship, Mackenzie admits he is still getting to grips with the demands of his new Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade.

“Day 2 [of the test] was good; the conditions were a little bit better. It helped me a lot, I improved a little bit and had some more understanding,” said Mackenzie, a podium winner at the Suzuka 8 Hours this year as part of the factory-nominated FCC TSR Honda EWC team.

“There are still some things I need to learn but we are on the old bike; hopefully, for the next test, we have the new bike which will change some things. 

“I haven’t had so much time on a Superbike with traction control, only really at the Suzuka 8 Hours, so it was nice just to understand that side of it. 

“I still need to understand and learn a lot, but the lap time was a little bit better. It was the last test of the year, but hopefully at the Portimao test in January we can make a step.”

First WorldSBK touch for Adam Norrodin

For ex-GP rider Norrodin, the two-day outing in Spain was his first opportunity to sample the MIE Honda for the first time, the Malaysian rider having been sidelined through injury during the lattermost rounds of the season.

“Unfortunately, I am still not 100% fit and so I wasn’t totally comfortable with my shoulder while riding,” he told WorldSBK.com 

“The target for the test was to build feeling with the bike, which we did, but my physical condition limited how many laps we could complete as I have little power in my arm and get fatigued after only a short run. 

“I’m continuing with physio and rehab, but it’s going to be a long process, so now I want to visit my doctors back in Malaysia to see what else we can do to speed up the recovery process. 

“A big thank you to the team anyway, as they’ve worked really hard this week. My focus over the next weeks is my physical recovery – I want to do all I can to better prepared for our next test in January.”