Tough time for Tarran
Superbike star Tarran Mackenzie is already keen to move on from a tough weekend at Oulton Park.
The Stirling-born Mcams Yamaha rider went into the event on a high after taking his first win of the season at Silverstone last time out, however a nightmare qualifying session left him 16th on the grid for the weekend’s opening race.
He did recover, eventually finishing ninth, before a sixth place finish in the second race of the weekend and another ninth in the final outing left Mackenzie frustrated he didn’t make more of the weekend.
Taz commented:“it’s been tough compared to Silverstone, we didn’t really change anything from qualifying to the race, aside from taking a bit of power out to make the bike a bit more rider friendly.
“I’m really happy with the race, it was probably one of the strongest races I’ve had around Oulton on a superbike despite finishing ninth.
“I struggled in the second race. After an OK start I got knocked back a bit and then had strong mid-race pace and came back through, I was quite happy with sixth place.
“We made a couple of changes for the final race which helped in some areas but affected me in others, which we aren’t too sure why, so it was nothing to write home about. I’m happy to leave Oulton Park in one piece and get ready for Donington Park in two weeks’time.”
Team owner Steve Rodgers added:“it’s been a tough weekend for Taz, he showed good pace in the first race and made progress in the second, but for whatever reason it didn’t come together in the final race for him.
“He’s still sixth in the championship and in a decent position heading into the final rounds, so we’ll see if we can get him back on the box where we know he should be.”
It was another challenging weekend for Tarran’s brother Taylor meanwhile, as the Synetiq BMW rider continues his recovery from a knee injury that threatened to rule him out of action for the season.
A 16th place finish in the first race of the weekend was the best the 27-year-old could manage as he continues to build his fitness.