WorldSBK 2022
MIE Racing Honda has announced a two-rider line-up for the 2022 Superbike World Championship season.
As well as confirming Argentinean Leandro “Tati” Mercado after their first season together, Team Principal Midori Moriwaki has welcomed Malaysian rider Hafizh Syahrin to the ranks of the MIE Racing Honda Team.
Midori Moriwaki – Team Principal
“We are extremely happy to confirm two strong riders like Leandro Mercado and Hafizh Syahrin, thus doubling up on our line-up for the 2022 World Superbike season. “Tati” has been great this season, always maintaining a positive and determined attitude, despite some challenging moments for the team, and making an important contribution to the solid progress we have made over the year. He is fast, determined, and experienced and, by extending our collaboration, we will bring continuity to our project. We have been following Hafizh’s career over the years, ever since he ran his first wildcard race in the Moto2 World Championship on a Moriwaki bike (Malaysia 2011) at just 16 years of age. He is one of many strong riders to have emerged from the vibrant and competitive racing scene on the Asian continent, where motorcycling is a much-loved and extremely popular sport. Hafizh is very talented and competitive and will be a very valuable addition to our team and the Superbike World Championship.”
27-year old Syahrin, who hails from Selangor district, is about to conclude his sixth season in the Moto2 World Championship and has also completed two seasons in the MotoGP class, in 2018 and 2019. Now set to debut in WorldSBK on a Fireblade, Syahrin will find a strong and experienced team-mate in Mercado, who will embark on his second season with Moriwaki’s squad.
Hafizh Syahrin
“I would like to thank the team, Midori Moriwaki especially, and Honda for the belief and trust they put in me. I am sure we will be able to work well together and hopefully produce good results. I will do my very best as always. This will be a new challenge for me, and I am enthusiastic about getting started! I would like to thank all the sponsors, my family, friends, and the fans as well for their continuous support – I know everyone is as excited as I am! Bring it on! Thank you everyone”.
Mercado has managed to bag 21-points across season 2021 and is currently ranked 21st in the WorldSBK Championship with one round still remaining.
Leandro Mercado
“I am very happy to continue with the MIE Racing Honda Team and with this project in the Superbike World Championship. I think we have done a good job this year and made consistent progress, but we still have more to do and more to give! We can, and must, get better results and for this reason it is important to be able to continue working on this project, which gives me so much motivation. I want to thank Midori Moriwaki for believing in me, the whole team for the great work they do, and the sponsors for their support. For my part, I will give 100% to continue our growth”.
Source: MCNews.com.au