Tarran Mackenzie gets new crew chief in Mick Shanley
Technical Director at PETRONAS MIE Honda, Mick Shanley will keep his current role while also joining Mackenzie’s side of the garage.
Previously working with Loris Baz and Luca Mahias, Mick Shanley’s first day occupying both roles took place on day-one of the Catalunya WorldSBK test.
Mackenzie, who is entering his rookie season, was formerly working with Antonio Puchades.
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“I’ve had a change of crew chief, which has been a major step,” said Mackenzie. “Mick’s now the crew chief. It’s been a step for me, he’s English speaking and I’ve known him for a long time.
“He started on Thursday. That’s been a good thing. It was more a team decision I think, just something that suits me a little bit.
“Speaking the same language helps a lot, Mick’s got a lot of experience, comes from a similar background to me with BSB.
“I’ve known him a long time but also worked with him a bit last year in WorldSSP. It’s been a nice change.”
While Shanley’s experience is vast as a crew chief, the same can be said for the role of technical director.
Speaking about the new role, Shanley said: “I’m kind of in a double role at the moment! We made some decisions in the team to try and help Tarran get a bit more comfortable.
“The communication style was probably a bit more difficult at the start of the season, and I won the job of moving in to help Tarran out and getting him to feel a bit more comfortable and confident.
“I’ve done 12 months out of it, with the overview, but it’s good to have the relationship with HRC and the rider as well; be a bit more in touch, closely, with what’s happening with the bike.
“I’m still Technical Director as the link to HRC, it keeps me hands on in all aspects! It’s busy, very busy, but I’m enjoying it.
“I think, obviously, we don’t want to upset things and to find a good level crew chief at this time of year is difficult.
“It’ll probably be me that’ll handle it for the rest of the season to keep continuity and a stable base and step by step, hopefully, keep growing the performance level.”
