Thursday, January 5 2012
The 2012 British Supersport Championship will see the debut of young rider, Taylor Mackenzie. At just 18 years old, the Scottish rider this year progresses from the British 125GP class, up to the Supersport class, where he will join Jack Kennedy in the Mar-Train Racing team, based in Northern Ireland.
As the son of Niall Mackenzie, former Grand Prix rider and three-time British Superbike champion, this just goes to prove that a passion for motorcycle riding and prodigious skill in this area obviously runs in the family. Niall will be working alongside his son as an advisor in the Mar-Train squad, which will be using Yamaha motorbikes.
Further proof that bikes are in the blood- 2012 will also see Taylor’s younger brother, Tarran, in the British Championship paddock as he has recently been confirmed to ride with Redline KTM in the British 125GP Championship.
Taylor Mackenzie: “I’m really excited to be riding in British Supersport this season with Mar-Train. I had a tough season in Grand Prix last year, so it’s nice to have the deal completed and be able to concentrate on my training programme. I was at my limit on the 125 last year size-wise: I was squashed onto it! At times I’d sore knees and was trying to stay as skinny as possible all year, but having ridden an R6 in Spain before the New Year it was so nice and comfortable to ride. The BSB calendar now has so many good tracks to race at and I’ve ridden at Assen this last three years, so that will obviously help. Having Jack in the team next year will be great, as I’ll have someone to learn from. I just need to concentrate on getting stronger now to ride the 600. I can’t wait.”
Team Principal, Tim Martin: “We are really pleased to welcome both Taylor and Niall to the Mar-Train team. We are well aware Taylor has limited experience on four-stroke machinery to date, so it will be a learning year for him, although I do believe Jack Kennedy is the perfect team-mate for him. Add to that the experience his father Niall has in racing and that can only be good for everyone involved at Mar-Train Racing. There will certainly be no pressure on Taylor for results, but take nothing away from him, he has a wealth of experience in British Championship for a young man and I’m sure he’ll make steady progress throughout the season on the R6.”
