Petronas MIE Racing Honda Team Concludes Portimão Test 

Mackenzie and Zaidi demonstrated resolute performance during a two-day testing session at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve.

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Two weeks after the season opener at Phillip Island, the Petronas MIE Racing Honda Team returned to the track for a crucial two-day test at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in Portimão, Portugal. Despite challenging weather conditions, riders Tarran Mackenzie and rookie Zaqhwan Zaidi made the most of limited dry track time to prepare for the upcoming Portuguese Round of the 2025 Superbike World Championship.

The test, held on Friday, March 14, and Saturday, March 15, was heavily affected by rain, with little to no track action on Friday morning and Saturday afternoon. However, the team capitalized on the dry sessions on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning to gather valuable data and make progress with their Honda CBR1000RR-R machines.

Tarran Mackenzie: Building on Phillip Island Progress

Mackenzie, who faced challenges during the opening round in Australia, focused on refining the bike’s setup to address those issues. On Friday, the team worked on suspension and electronics, while Saturday’s session was dedicated to chassis setup. Despite the weather interruptions, Mackenzie completed 74 laps over the two days and expressed satisfaction with the progress made.

“Yesterday I felt a bit better in myself, riding-wise, using the base setting from Phillip Island, and we already made a bit of progress by the end of the day,” Mackenzie said. “Today we’ve not done so many laps; we had big plans, but a few changes took longer than expected, and then it started raining. We finally got some dry time in the final 50 minutes, and that was good—we improved our times and the feeling was better. I feel good in myself, which is the main thing, and I think we’ve found a better direction for the races here in a couple of weeks.”

Zaqhwan Zaidi: Gaining Confidence on the CBR1000RR-R

For rookie Zaqhwan Zaidi, the test was an opportunity to continue adapting to the Honda CBR1000RR-R and the demands of WorldSBK. The Malaysian rider, who had never ridden the bike before Phillip Island, completed 78 laps and made significant strides in understanding the machine, Pirelli tyres, and the team’s working methods.

“My first time here at Portimão, and it’s not easy—another new challenge for me,” Zaidi said. “But I’m quite happy with what we’ve done here; we’ve seen progress. I didn’t have the confidence with the bike at Phillip Island, but now I’m understanding more about the bike and how to work with my crew chief. For sure, we still need to improve some points, but I believe I can be better. It’ll take time to get where we want to be, but I’ll keep working as hard as I can.”

Looking Ahead to the Portuguese Round

The Petronas MIE Racing Honda Team will return to Portimão for the second round of the 2025 Superbike World Championship, scheduled for March 28-30. The test provided crucial insights and setup improvements, giving both riders a stronger foundation to build on as they aim for better results in the upcoming race weekend.