A strong fifth for Vierge and first points of the season for Lecuona in Race 1 at Portimão
Autódromo Internacional do AlgarveA positive Race 1 for Honda HRC factory riders Xavi Vierge and Iker Lecuona in the second WorldSBK round at Portimão, with Vierge securing a strong fifth place and Lecuona completing a sensible race to finish eleventh.
A positive Race 1 for Honda HRC factory riders Xavi Vierge and Iker Lecuona — who makes his return — in the second WorldSBK round at Portimão, with Vierge securing a strong fifth place and Lecuona completing a sensible race to finish eleventh.
The second round of the 2025 Superbike World Championship season is being staged at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in Portugal. The Honda HRC team and riders Vierge and Lecuona made the most of a third and final free practice on Saturday morning, as they made final preparations ahead of the day’s first race. Xavi and Iker put in their quickest times of the weekend up until that point, lapping with very similar references to each other and setting a respective best of 1’41.079 and 1’41.094.
Next up for the SBK field was qualifying, a 15-minute Superpole in which riders go all out to establish the best possible grid position for the races. Vierge’s first lap was immediately quick, the Spaniard ducking under 1’40 for the first time this weekend to set a 1’39.981 and place a temporary third. Saving his best to last, Xavi put in a 1’39.711 in the final stages to conclude sixth, thus ensuring himself of a place on the second row of the grid for the afternoon’s race. On the other side of the garage, Lecuona made two initial laps, the best of which in 1’40.744. His second exit saw him take another seven tenths off this time, a best of 1’40.077 positioning him eleventh. Iker thus qualified on the fourth row of the grid for Race 1.
The first of the 20-lap races making up the Portuguese weekend ran on Saturday afternoon, in sunny conditions (air temp. 26°C, track temp. 41°C). Both Honda HRC riders made a good start from their respective starting positions. Vierge held sixth for the first seven laps before gaining another position.
Showing consistent pace from start to finish, Xavi was able to manage his race well, keen to secure a top five finish at this challenging track. And he did just that, holding firm and crossing the line a strong fifth, a result that bodes well for tomorrow’s Superpole race and second Superbike race.
Lecuona made a clean start and was able to hold his position for the first third of the race. Despite the fact that he is not yet back to full fitness following recent injury, he battled hard as part of the chasing group and made good progress, climbing as high as tenth. Only losing a little ground in the last few laps, Iker completed Race 1 in eleventh position, scoring his first championship points of the season. Iker heads into Sunday keen to build on today’s already encouraging performance.
“I’m really happy with today’s result. We had quite a good pre-season, but as soon as we got to the first race weekend in Australia, we were missing something compared to other riders. It’s true that Australia is a bit of a special track, but we honestly struggled more than expected. Once back in Europe, we had a test here at Portimão and managed to recover some of the good feeling. We’ve worked a lot on the electronics side to try and minimise our weak points – mainly acceleration and drive out of the corners – and we’ve actually found some small improvements. Today, we had a great qualifying and that was crucial to run a solid Race 1. Overall, I’m happy with all of Saturday’s results. I hope we can maintain this level not only tomorrow, but also in the next rounds. Last year we had a strong second half of the season, and the goal now is to build on that. We’ll see, Portimão is also quite a unique track, where a rider can make a bit of a difference. My team is working really hard and doing a great job. I’m honestly very happy with everyone on the squad, so I hope we can keep up the good work and continue to close the gap to the front.”
“I’m really happy with today’s result. We had quite a good pre-season, but as soon as we got to the first race weekend in Australia, we were missing something compared to other riders. It’s true that Australia is a bit of a special track, but we honestly struggled more than expected. Once back in Europe, we had a test here at Portimão and managed to recover some of the good feeling. We’ve worked a lot on the electronics side to try and minimise our weak points – mainly acceleration and drive out of the corners – and we’ve actually found some small improvements. Today, we had a great qualifying and that was crucial to run a solid Race 1. Overall, I’m happy with all of Saturday’s results. I hope we can maintain this level not only tomorrow, but also in the next rounds. Last year we had a strong second half of the season, and the goal now is to build on that. We’ll see, Portimão is also quite a unique track, where a rider can make a bit of a difference. My team is working really hard and doing a great job. I’m honestly very happy with everyone on the squad, so I hope we can keep up the good work and continue to close the gap to the front.”
“Overall, I’m happy considering I haven’t properly ridden a bike since last October, and only for about 10 minutes at a time since then. In Australia I was still feeling some pain here and there and wasn’t in the best shape. So, this was the first time I could ride without pain in any part of my body. Even after a full race I felt okay, just some tiredness and a bit of discomfort in my foot, but generally really good. Of course, I’m still lacking speed, and I could feel that especially in qualifying and in the first half of the race. From mid-race onwards, on used tyres, I felt better and my lap times were more consistent compared to the others. So, finishing eleventh reflects my real position and level here in Portimão, and I say that with no regrets. I’m happy with how I’m managing the weekend mentally. I’m taking things step by step, in a ‘gentle’ way, improving and learning something every time I go out. I worked hard at home to come back with the right mindset. I’m enjoying my comeback so far, and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”
“Overall, I’m happy considering I haven’t properly ridden a bike since last October, and only for about 10 minutes at a time since then. In Australia I was still feeling some pain here and there and wasn’t in the best shape. So, this was the first time I could ride without pain in any part of my body. Even after a full race I felt okay, just some tiredness and a bit of discomfort in my foot, but generally really good. Of course, I’m still lacking speed, and I could feel that especially in qualifying and in the first half of the race. From mid-race onwards, on used tyres, I felt better and my lap times were more consistent compared to the others. So, finishing eleventh reflects my real position and level here in Portimão, and I say that with no regrets. I’m happy with how I’m managing the weekend mentally. I’m taking things step by step, in a ‘gentle’ way, improving and learning something every time I go out. I worked hard at home to come back with the right mindset. I’m enjoying my comeback so far, and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”
