Taylor Mackenzie Retirement

Taylor Mackenzie Retirement

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Rob 131 Sport

Original Poster:

3,029 posts

58 months

Monday 4th October 2021
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After winning the Superstock race at Donington yesterday Taylor Mackenzie announced that he is retiring at the end of this year.
He is clearly a great talent and at age 28 you can’t help but wonder that retirement is somewhat premature.

trickywoo

12,219 posts

236 months

Monday 4th October 2021
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Rob 131 Sport said:
After winning the Superstock race at Donington yesterday Taylor Mackenzie announced that he is retiring at the end of this year.
He is clearly a great talent and at age 28 you can’t help but wonder that retirement is somewhat premature.
It’s a shame but shows how hard it is to make a living in BSB.

If he could get a consistent paid ride I’m sure he would carry on.

PorkInsider

6,029 posts

147 months

Monday 4th October 2021
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I'm quite surprised, after all the effort he put into even getting on the grid this year. But yes, as above, just goes to to show how much all the work to be there takes out of him.

I really like Taylor and hope he continues his involvement in racing in some way.

For anyone who doesn't follow his YouTube content it's definitely worth checking out.

trickywoo

12,219 posts

236 months

Monday 4th October 2021
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PorkInsider said:
I really like Taylor and hope he continues his involvement in racing in some way.
I think he’ll be Tarran’s Uccio in WSB.

Rob 131 Sport

Original Poster:

3,029 posts

58 months

Monday 4th October 2021
quotequote all
trickywoo said:
PorkInsider said:
I really like Taylor and hope he continues his involvement in racing in some way.
I think he’ll be Tarran’s Uccio in WSB.
Is Tarran going to WSBK. Does anyone know what Leon Haslam is doing next year.

PorkInsider

6,029 posts

147 months

Monday 4th October 2021
quotequote all
Rob 131 Sport said:
trickywoo said:
PorkInsider said:
I really like Taylor and hope he continues his involvement in racing in some way.
I think he’ll be Tarran’s Uccio in WSB.
Is Tarran going to WSBK. Does anyone know what Leon Haslam is doing next year.
The strong rumour (but it's a rumour) is that Go Eleven are switching to Yamaha in WSBK and Tarran is moving there.

Not sure about Haslam. I guess I've heard the same stuff as everyone else - rumours that he's leaving HRC WSBK but nothing more.

Could he be back in BSB with Honda since their Japanese riders aren't up to much this year?

I'd imagine he wants to stay in WSBK, though.

Rob 131 Sport

Original Poster:

3,029 posts

58 months

Monday 4th October 2021
quotequote all
PorkInsider said:
Rob 131 Sport said:
trickywoo said:
PorkInsider said:
I really like Taylor and hope he continues his involvement in racing in some way.
I think he’ll be Tarran’s Uccio in WSB.
Is Tarran going to WSBK. Does anyone know what Leon Haslam is doing next year.
The strong rumour (but it's a rumour) is that Go Eleven are switching to Yamaha in WSBK and Tarran is moving there.

Not sure about Haslam. I guess I've heard the same stuff as everyone else - rumours that he's leaving HRC WSBK but nothing more.

Could he be back in BSB with Honda since their Japanese riders aren't up to much this year?

I'd imagine he wants to stay in WSBK, though.
Leon is a class act. I’d imagine he wants to wins titles before he retires.

Sidecar Man

612 posts

67 months

Monday 4th October 2021
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Rob 131 Sport said:
Leon is a class act. I’d imagine he wants to wins titles before he retires.
The rides he's had if he was a class act he should have won some already!!!!

Rob 131 Sport

Original Poster:

3,029 posts

58 months

Monday 4th October 2021
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Sidecar Man said:
Rob 131 Sport said:
Leon is a class act. I’d imagine he wants to wins titles before he retires.
The rides he's had if he was a class act he should have won some already!!!!
He did win the BSB Title in 2018. He has come extremely close on a number of other occasions at BSB level and at World Level in 2010.

DarthtaterM16

917 posts

108 months

Tuesday 5th October 2021
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I think Haslam has underachieved to be honest.

Not sure if it's a load of bad luck or not quite having the talent that the riders around him have had but he's had his fair share of decent packages.

2fast748

1,135 posts

201 months

Tuesday 5th October 2021
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DarthtaterM16 said:
I think Haslam has underachieved to be honest.

Not sure if it's a load of bad luck or not quite having the talent that the riders around him have had but he's had his fair share of decent packages.
Haslam is talented enough to be in the top half of any (Superbike) grid he's on, but he's had the equivalent of the old school tie getting him there.

LukeBrown66

4,479 posts

52 months

Tuesday 5th October 2021
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Fell a little bit for Taylor, lovely lad, but one of those a bit like Kirkham, and Buchan initially who struggled on a slick tyre, never did as well as you hoped on a Superbike, despite being good in Superstock. There are a lot of them around aswell!

Rob 131 Sport

Original Poster:

3,029 posts

58 months

Tuesday 5th October 2021
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LukeBrown66 said:
Fell a little bit for Taylor, lovely lad, but one of those a bit like Kirkham, and Buchan initially who struggled on a slick tyre, never did as well as you hoped on a Superbike, despite being good in Superstock. There are a lot of them around aswell!
I don’t suppose it’s easy when your Dad was Britain’s Top Rider until Foggy took over in the early 90’s.

FredericRobinson

3,908 posts

238 months

Tuesday 5th October 2021
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2fast748 said:
Haslam is talented enough to be in the top half of any (Superbike) grid he's on, but he's had the equivalent of the old school tie getting him there.
I’m sure it’s helped at times, but no factory WSB teams are going to give him a job because of who is dad is surely

Mr Tidy

23,993 posts

133 months

Tuesday 5th October 2021
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That's a shame, especially on the day his brother got to the top of the BSB Championship!

28 does seem a bit early to retire, but I suppose finding backing can be a major factor.


Rob 131 Sport

Original Poster:

3,029 posts

58 months

Tuesday 5th October 2021
quotequote all
There are a number of really good racers that seem to
retire from the sport prematurely.

Roger Burnett, Alan Carter and Tommy Hill spring to mind.

DarthtaterM16

917 posts

108 months

Wednesday 6th October 2021
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FredericRobinson said:
2fast748 said:
Haslam is talented enough to be in the top half of any (Superbike) grid he's on, but he's had the equivalent of the old school tie getting him there.
I’m sure it’s helped at times, but no factory WSB teams are going to give him a job because of who is dad is surely
Yeah I was just looking back at his past teams and he's had about 8-9 rides for factory teams across WSB & BSB so he's obviously talented. Just never hit the heights he probably should have done for whatever reason.

slopes

39,996 posts

193 months

Wednesday 6th October 2021
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LukeBrown66 said:
Fell a little bit for Taylor, lovely lad, but one of those a bit like Kirkham, and Buchan initially who struggled on a slick tyre, never did as well as you hoped on a Superbike, despite being good in Superstock. There are a lot of them around aswell!
See also Jack Kennedy - outrageous talent on a supersport bike but lacklustre on a superbike compared to others.

anonymous-user

60 months

Wednesday 6th October 2021
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The problem for outsiders looking at bike racers is that we would collectively give our left testes to do what they do and get paid for doing it.

The problem is that they've often been racing for 15 years or more by the time they hit 30 or thereabouts and the excitement of the job has often receded. It doesn't help British riders that they'll often spend much of their career racing in horrible wet conditions and that they are right in the firing line of a nasty life changing injury if they or anyone else makes a mistake.

The other issue for top end racers is the amount of commitment required, you have to remain at absolute peak physical fitness for most of the year and this does affect your private life, which is important for people in their teens and twenties.

slopes

39,996 posts

193 months

Wednesday 6th October 2021
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Newarch said:
The problem for outsiders looking at bike racers is that we would collectively give our left testes to do what they do and get paid for doing it.

The problem is that they've often been racing for 15 years or more by the time they hit 30 or thereabouts and the excitement of the job has often receded. It doesn't help British riders that they'll often spend much of their career racing in horrible wet conditions and that they are right in the firing line of a nasty life changing injury if they or anyone else makes a mistake.

The other issue for top end racers is the amount of commitment required, you have to remain at absolute peak physical fitness for most of the year and this does affect your private life, which is important for people in their teens and twenties.
Undoubtedly, i'd sell my soul for a tenth of the talent of someone like Kennedy, Taylor Mackenzie or any of the lads racing in BSB or the support events