After an amicable split and missing one round, Tarran was back in action over the weekend in round 8 of the World SuperBike Championship, this time with the MGM Bonovo Racing Team. The Balaton Park Circuit in Hungary played host, and a huge challenge lay ahead for Tarran with a new team, new bike, and also a new track to familiarise himself with.

Tarran got his round underway on Friday with the first free practice session of the weekend and a chance to ride the Ducati superbike, as well as look at the new Balaton Park Circuit. Tarran managed to complete 17 laps, with his best lap time of 1’42:417, and placed 21st.

After a short break, it was time for the second free practice session of the round. With temperatures on the track nearing 50°C, Tarran completed 15 laps while shaving off just under a second off of his time to 1’41:676 to again place in 21st.

It was an early start on Saturday for the third and final practice session of the round. With a lot of racing planned for the day, Tarran decided to only complete 9 laps in the session, once again shaving off more time and coming in with a 1’40.343 and jumping up to 18th.

After having a few sessions to get used to the bike and track, it was time for the Superpole race. With the sun once again beaming down on the track, a quick time was out there for Tarran to obtain. With 7 laps completed, Tarran posted a similar time to Friday with a time of 1’40:361, placing in 21st.

The first race with the new team got underway on Saturday afternoon with Tarran getting off to a quick start, jumping up 3 places in the first lap. Tarran maintained his fast pace throughout the race, managing to fight his way up to 14th, but slightly too late to make a real push into the top 10. A 14th-place finish meant 2 championship points to Tarran’s total, and his first since race 2 in Assen back in April.

The first race on Sunday was the Superpole race, a 10-lap sprint race to earn some extra championship points. Once again, Tarran made a lightning fast start, over-taking several riders and crossing the line in a season best of 8th. With it only being a Superpole race, it only earned Tarran another 2 points in the overall standings.

After a short break, the second and final race of the weekend got underway with Tarran hoping and pushing for another scoring finish to make it his best ever World SBK round. Tarran maintained a good pace throughout the 21-lap race and battled it out with other riders from 8th to 13th. With him just out of touching distance of those in the top 10, Tarran crossed the line to come home in 11th. This meant another 5 points to his championship standings, making it his highest scoring weekend in the World SBK. It pushes him up into the top 20, onto 18 points and a real confidence in being able to push on from here.

This is what Tarran had to say on his outstanding weekend:

“Having a new team, new bike and new circuit to contend with all in one weekend was a huge challenge, but I’m pleased with how it all panned out. The Ducati Superbike is so different to any race bike I’ve ever ridden, but my new crew soon got me comfortable as I worked hard to learn the Balaton Circuit.

Over the weekend, I finished 14th, 8th and 11th in the three races and my best ever weekend in the World Superbike Championship. None of this would have been possible without Team owner Michael Galinski giving me this amazing opportunity for which I will be eternally grateful”.

Tarran finished off by saying:

“It’s the perfect way to go into our summer break, but I cannot wait to race again in France in four weeks.

 It’s been a while since I’ve felt this happy and confident, so a huge thanks goes out to those who have supported me along the way”.

As Tarran said, we’ll see him next in just over a month’s time in round 9 of the World Superbike Championship in Magny-Cours, France, where he hopes to carry on from this impressive round.