Munich (DE), 26th September 2016. It was the biggest success in his
career so far: at the penultimate round of the 2016 British Superbike
Championship (BSB) at Donington (GB), Taylor Mackenzie (GB) celebrated
an early title win in the Superstock class (BSB STK). In this closely
fought series, Mackenzie claimed six wins on his Buildbase BMW
Motorrad BMW S 1000 RR. He now has an advantage of 32 points over
second placed Ian Hutchinson (GB / Tyco BMW).
The BMW S 1000 RR is the dominant bike in the BSB STK this season.
In the 11 races contested so far, victory went to a BMW Motorrad
Motorsport racer on nine occasions. Six times it was Mackenzie who
stepped onto the top step of the podium, Hutchinson won twice and
Joshua Elliott (GB / Tyco BMW) once. In addition, the BMW riders
shared most podium places among them and claimed two
top-five-lockouts and two one-two-three results for the RR.
Champion Mackenzie comes from a racing family. His father Niall
Mackenzie (GB) was crowned British Superbike champion three times,
raced in the Motorcycle World Championship and in the Superbike
World Championship. Twenty-three-year old Taylor competed in the
British Supersport Championship, and contested one season in the BSB
Superbike class before joining Buildbase BMW Motorrad for the 2016
season in the Superstock class.
In an interview, Mackenzie speaks about his title win and his
successful season. He explains why the BMW S 1000 RR is his most
favourite motorcycle and talks about the BMW Motorrad Race Trophy.
Taylor, congratulations on winning the title. Being Champion
in the Superstock class of the BSB – what does this mean to you?
Taylor Mackenzie: “It is a very proud moment for me. Racing is a
big part of my family life and we work incredibly hard as a family
to be as successful as we can be, so when the dream you’ve been
working towards all year finally comes true it’s an unbelievable feeling.”
You have won six races so far this season and celebrated an
early title win. What is the secret of your success? It is an
extremely closely fought series…
Mackenzie: “It’s been a very difficult year, I have personally
prepared myself as best I can and also my team has done a great job
preparing my bike this season. We have done a lot of testing,
practicing and racing this year, and all of it seems to have paid off.”
It is your first season on the BMW S 1000 RR. How do you
like the bike?
Mackenzie: “It is by far and away my favourite motorcycle ever.
From the first lap I rode the bike it just felt exactly like what I
needed, the first thing I noticed was the power, as it is very fast,
but it’s also very nimble and easy to ride, which makes it very good
for racing on the British circuits.”
Are the strengths of the bike also the reason why the RR is
so dominant in the BSB Superstock class?
Mackenzie: “It definitely is, and I think when everyone could see
how we dominated the first few races then they wanted to buy one.”
How important is the experience of your team, Buildbase BMW
Motorrad, and the support of BMW Motorrad Motorsport?
Mackenzie: “It is very important. We haven’t had to second guess
anything this year, as the team knew exactly what to do with the
gearing and suspension before we got to each track, which made it
very easy to go fast straight away. The BMW Motorrad Motorsport
package was also very good, which definitely gave us an advantage
over other manufacturers.”
What has been your best moment on the BMW S 1000 RR so far?
Mackenzie: “Winning my first race of the season was great, as it
was my first win in five years. Crossing the finishing line to win
the championship was also a very special moment for me too, as it
was my first British Championship.”
You are in the top positions in the BMW Motorrad Race Trophy
– and have already secured the championship bonus for you as the
rider and for the team. Do you like the concept of this special
BMW competition?
Mackenzie: “The BMW Motorrad Race Trophy is incredible for all
riders. It is very generous of BMW to support the riders and teams
so well and I am very grateful for it.”
What goals have you set yourself for your racing future?
Mackenzie: “I have been that focused on winning the title this year
I haven’t really had time to think about the future! But I would
love to be competitive in the Superbike class of British Superbikes.”