An unlucky race incident compromises Team HRC’s final race day at Jerez
Circuito de Jerez - Angel NietoAn unlucky end to the WorldSBK season for Team HRC rider Iker Lecuona, who has fractured his left toe after a crash involving team-mate Xavi Vierge. While Lecuona was unfit to compete in Race 2, Vierge placed P13 in the season’s final race after serving a long lap penalty for the race incident that involved his teammate.
Out on track at Jerez this morning for warm-up, the factory riders used the time to ensure everything was in order for the day’s races. A short time later and positioning fifth and seventh on the grid for the ten-lap Superpole race, Iker and Xavi both made a strong start when the lights went out, lying sixth and seventh on lap one. Unfortunately, their race was over almost as soon as it began, the riders coming into contact with each other on the very next lap, through turn 6, and both crashing as a result. While Vierge was unhurt, Lecuona was taken to the medical centre, where doctors diagnosed a displaced fracture of the fifth metatarsal bone in his left foot. The Spaniard was unfortunately deemed unfit to compete in the final race of the season, a disappointing end for Iker who had showed very strong pace to close P5 yesterday and was fighting, along with team-mate Xavi, for a top ten championship finish.
Having not completed the Superpole Race, Vierge lined up in tenth place on the Race 2 grid. He was also given a long lap penalty for the Race 1 incident. Thirteenth through the opening stages, Xavi then completed the long lap which caused him to slip to seventeenth. With significant ground to make up, the Spaniard quickly got to work, climbing up into the points zone during the first half of the race. Up into fourteenth by lap eleven, Vierge continued to push but could do no more than thirteenth position today.
In the final 2024 championship standings, Vierge finishes just three points outside the top ten, placing eleventh overall with 137 points while Lecuona positions twelfth with a tally of 134. Team HRC and Xavi Vierge will remain at the Jerez track to take part in the first of the winter tests, scheduled for Tuesday 22 and Wednesday 23 October, while Iker Lecuona will travel to Valencia for further medical checks ahead of a likely surgical procedure to reduce his foot fracture.
First of all, I wish Iker a speedy recovery. I hope he can come back as soon as possible because we need him on the team to continue growing. It’s disappointing to end the season this way, especially after we were able to turn things around mid-season and finish with some very strong races. Here at Jerez, we had the chance to finish in the top ten of the championship, but with the incident in Superpole and the penalty I received—undeserved, in my opinion—it completely affected my chances. I tried to recover as much as possible, but I destroyed the tyres in the process. It’s a real pity. That said, we need to focus on the positives. I want to thank Honda, HRC, and the entire team for their hard work. The start of the season was incredibly tough for everyone, but no one gave up. They put in maximum effort, and we’ve shown, for the first time since I joined the team, that we were able to end a season on a positive note, definitely stronger than how we started. This gives us a real boost, as we head into the winter break, to work even harder and close the gap to the front-runners with the aim of regularly fighting for the podium, which is what everyone on this team deserves.
First of all, I wish Iker a speedy recovery. I hope he can come back as soon as possible because we need him on the team to continue growing. It’s disappointing to end the season this way, especially after we were able to turn things around mid-season and finish with some very strong races. Here at Jerez, we had the chance to finish in the top ten of the championship, but with the incident in Superpole and the penalty I received—undeserved, in my opinion—it completely affected my chances. I tried to recover as much as possible, but I destroyed the tyres in the process. It’s a real pity. That said, we need to focus on the positives. I want to thank Honda, HRC, and the entire team for their hard work. The start of the season was incredibly tough for everyone, but no one gave up. They put in maximum effort, and we’ve shown, for the first time since I joined the team, that we were able to end a season on a positive note, definitely stronger than how we started. This gives us a real boost, as we head into the winter break, to work even harder and close the gap to the front-runners with the aim of regularly fighting for the podium, which is what everyone on this team deserves.
I’m obviously very disappointed with how the season is ending, especially right before two important days of testing. Now we’ll immediately undergo all the necessary medical examinations to understand the best way forward so that I can be back in action as soon as possible. I leave Jerez with the knowledge that we were fast at this track too, and more than capable of fighting at the front, just as we’ve been able to do in all the recent races. We were not only able to reach the podium at Estoril but have also had many good results and good feelings. Now, the focus is on recovering as quickly as possible. A huge thank you to everyone on the team for all their hard work this year.
I’m obviously very disappointed with how the season is ending, especially right before two important days of testing. Now we’ll immediately undergo all the necessary medical examinations to understand the best way forward so that I can be back in action as soon as possible. I leave Jerez with the knowledge that we were fast at this track too, and more than capable of fighting at the front, just as we’ve been able to do in all the recent races. We were not only able to reach the podium at Estoril but have also had many good results and good feelings. Now, the focus is on recovering as quickly as possible. A huge thank you to everyone on the team for all their hard work this year.
