Leandro Denis "Tati" Mercado (born 15 February 1992) is a motorcycle racer from Argentina who competed in the 2022 Superbike World Championship aboard a Honda CBR1000RR for Team MIE Racing. He is best known for winning the National title of the AMA Supersport Championship in 2009 and the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup in 2014.
| Leandro Mercado | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Mercado in 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 15 February 1992 Córdoba, Argentina | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current team | MIE Racing Honda Racing | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bike number | 36 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Career
editJunior career
editAfter finishing third in the Red Bull AMA Rookies Cup in 2008, the following year Mercado achieved the same result in the East division of the AMA Supersport Championship[1] and won the National title in the Shootout race held in Daytona.[2] In 2010 he was seventh in the CIV Stock 600 Championship[3] and contested three races of the European Superstock 600 Championship on a Kawasaki ZX-6R,[4] while in 2011 he finished sixth in the CIV Stock 1000 Championship[3] and sixteenth in the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup on a Kawasaki ZX-10R.[4]
Superstock and Superbike World Championship
editIn 2012 Mercado raced in the Superbike World Championship for eight rounds in the first half of the season, before moving back to the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup. He was twenty-sixth and fifteenth respectively in the standings.[4] For the following two seasons, he continued competing in the Superstock category, finishing fourth in 2013 with Kawasaki machinery, and winning the 2014 title on a Ducati 1199.[4]
For 2015, he returned to the Superbike World Championship full time,[5] finishing eighth in the final standings.[4] In 2016 he once again returned to the Superstock category, where he finished as runner-up.[4] In 2017, he would ride for IodaRacing Project on an Aprilia RSV4 in the Superbike championship, finishing 13th in the championship, with 115 points.
Mercado switched to Kawasaki for the 2018 Superbike World Championship, riding the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R, but only finished 15th at the end of the season, with 70 points. He would stay with Kawasaki for 2019, but the results would remain the same, 80 points and 16th in the standings at the end of the year.
For the 2020 Superbike World Championship, Mercado switched to a Ducati, riding for Motocorsa Racing team, on a Ducati Panigale V4. After missing the opening rounds in Australia, Mercado was also forced to miss time in the middle of the season due to injuries, missing 10 races altogether, and therefore only finished 16th at the end of the year, with 24 points. In 2021, Mercado would switch teams again, this time riding a Honda CBR1000RR, for MIE Racing Honda Team. Once again, injuries plagued Mercado's season, as well as a covid-19 absence from the Czech weekend, leading to a career-low 26 points from him in the season, and 21st in the standings. Nevertheless, Honda announced that he would stay for 2022, partnered by Hafizh Syahrin.[6]
In 2023, Mercado was without a ride so he joined the german IDM Superbike series.
Career statistics
editSuperbike World Championship
editRaces by year
edit(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Bike | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Pos | Pts | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | R1 | R2 | ||||
| 2012 | Kawasaki | AUS | AUS | ITA 14 |
ITA Ret |
NED 10 |
NED 15 |
ITA C |
ITA 16 |
EUR Ret |
EUR Ret |
USA Ret |
USA 17 |
SMR 19 |
SMR 16 |
SPA Ret |
SPA 18 |
CZE Ret |
CZE DNS |
GBR | GBR | RUS | RUS | GER | GER | POR | POR | FRA | FRA | 26th | 9 |
| 2015 | Ducati | AUS 12 |
AUS 11 |
THA 10 |
THA 10 |
SPA 8 |
SPA 7 |
NED 11 |
NED 14 |
ITA 7 |
ITA 8 |
GBR 11 |
GBR 13 |
POR 8 |
POR 9 |
SMR 11 |
SMR Ret |
USA 9 |
USA 9 |
MAL 15 |
MAL 15 |
SPA 14 |
SPA 10 |
FRA 9 |
FRA 12 |
QAT 9 |
QAT 6 |
8th | 142 | ||
| 2017 | Aprilia | AUS | AUS | THA | THA | SPA 7 |
SPA 8 |
NED 9 |
NED 12 |
ITA Ret |
ITA 10 |
GBR 7 |
GBR Ret |
ITA Ret |
ITA 9 |
USA 9 |
USA 7 |
GER 11 |
GER 12 |
POR Ret |
POR 7 |
FRA 7 |
FRA 6 |
SPA 11 |
SPA 9 |
QAT | QAT | 13th | 115 | ||
| 2018 | Kawasaki | AUS 10 |
AUS 12 |
THA 13 |
THA Ret |
SPA Ret |
SPA 13 |
NED 8 |
NED Ret |
ITA 15 |
ITA 10 |
GBR 13 |
GBR 12 |
CZE 12 |
CZE 17 |
USA Ret |
USA 11 |
ITA 10 |
ITA 17 |
POR 11 |
POR 15 |
FRA 14 |
FRA 15 |
ARG Ret |
ARG 12 |
QAT 12 |
QAT C |
15th | 70 | ||
* Season still in progress.
References
edit- ^ "AMA Pro Road Racing Riders – Leandro Mercado Rider Bio". amaproracing.com. American Motorcyclist Association. Archived from the original on 28 March 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
- ^ "AMA SuperSport Shootout Results". motorcycle-usa.com. 19 October 2009. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
- ^ a b "CIV Archive – Rider Profile". storicociv.perugiatiming.com. Perugia Timing. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f "Leandro Mercado". worldsbk.com. Dorna WSBK. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
- ^ "Barni Racing to make WSBK switch with STK1000 winner Mercado". Superbike World Championship. Dorna WSBK. 6 November 2014. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
- ^ "Syahrin joins MIE Honda for 2022 campaign alongside Mercado".
External links
edit- Leandro Mercado at WorldSBK.com