Tito Rabat Locked In as Petronas Mie Racing Honda Heads to Historic Round at Balaton Park

Tito Rabat confirmed for the remainder of the 2025 season as the team prepares to tackle the newly debuted Balaton Park Circuit in Hungary.

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The PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda Team is gearing up for Round 8 of the 2025 FIM Superbike World Championship, which will unfold this weekend at the newly completed Balaton Park Circuit in Hungary, a significant milestone as the venue hosts its first-ever international motorsport event, including the championship’s 1000th race.

As part of its preparations, the team has officially confirmed that Spanish rider Tito Rabat will remain with the squad for the remainder of the 2025 season. Rabat, who made his team debut at Donington Park, joins Malaysian rider Zaqhwan Zaidi to complete the team’s two-rider lineup for the final five rounds.

Rabat had his first taste of the Honda CBR1000RR-R during the UK round, where he began building familiarity with both the bike and the PETRONAS MIE Racing outfit. He also got an early look at Balaton Park last month during a private session on a standard-spec machine.

“Donington gave me a first opportunity to work with the team and the bike, but I think Balaton might be a track that better suits the Honda style. I had a chance to ride there with the standard bike last month and I think it can be good for us, as it involves lots of hard braking and stop-starts,” said Rabat. 

“Hopefully they’ve resurfaced a few of the chicanes, or it might be a problem this weekend; we’ll see. But I think we can do a good job from here until the end of the season and I’m confident that we’ll see an upgrade already this weekend in Hungary,” he added. 

Teammate Zaqhwan Zaidi returns to the grid after missing the Donington round, with renewed focus and motivation to improve his form in the second half of his rookie season. While he didn’t participate in the June test at Balaton, the team will be using Rabat’s data as a baseline heading into Friday practice.

“I’m looking forward to getting back on my bike, and this time it’s at a track where nobody has yet raced,” said Zaidi. “I’ve been training hard and feel ready for this next challenge. I haven’t tested at Balaton, while most of the SBK field was there for a test last month, so that means I’ll have more to do on Friday as I work to understand the track as quickly as possible. I’ll do my best as always, and we’ll see what we can do.”

This weekend’s event marks a historic moment as the circuit not only welcomes WorldSBK for the first time but also hosts the 1000th race in WorldSBK history, a landmark that will be commemorated during Sunday’s Superpole Race.

With a new track, new lineup stability, and a major milestone on the horizon, PETRONAS MIE Racing Honda heads into Hungary with a renewed sense of purpose and high hopes for a breakthrough performance.