WorldSBK Donington: ‘Bike was totally different than expected’ - Mackenzie

Tarran MacKenzie got his first taste of WorldSBK action as a wildcard at Donington Park, and it was a busy weekend in all ways. And yet for the man himself, also less frenetic than a BSB race also.

He finished 14 - DNF -15 - after taking 13th place in Superpole. At his home WorldSBK race, with his McAMS Yamaha team receiving lots of help from Yamaha Europe. But with only two 45-minute practice session in which to get his head and very different fly-by-wire throttle hand around before having to qualify and race, it was a lot to ask.

“It was different to what I thought it would be,” said the 2021 BSB Champion. “I had an expectation of what the bike was going to be like, and it was completely different.

“I thought it would feel similar to what I’m riding now. I was kind of watching onboard of Toprak and Canepa and even van der Mark for a few years ago. When I got on it, it just felt different. The throttle felt a lot different.

“I think that was the biggest thing. I had an expectation of what it was going to be like, and it wasn’t like that, bike-wise.”

More difficult?

“Yeah. I think you can do so much more with the electronics and stuff,” said Mackenzie. “Our electronics guy, Tim… I felt sorry for him because some things, just little niggles that you have in practice, like wheelie or traction control. He’s on the laptop trying to learn and figure it out himself.

“We had basically two, 45-minute sessions on Friday and we probably did a handful of laps because he was trying to understand it, I was trying to understand it. I felt like something wasn’t right. So, we’d try and learn and try and fix it.

I thought coming here that we’ll go from a base setting of Locatelli or Gerloff or Toprak, and I’d just go out and ride it and