Great Czech-xpectations for Team HRC at Most
Autodrom Most
Autodrom Most in the Czech Republic is the stage for this week’s eighth round of the 2023 Superbike World Championship. This event will be followed by a six-week summer break for the championship, although before enjoying some well-deserved downtime, Team HRC riders Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge will compete, respectively, in the British MotoGP round and the Suzuka 8 Hours, with both events taking place on 4-6 August.
The Team HRC duo was at Imola for the Italian WorldSBK round seven just ten days ago. The event proved challenging for the official riders, and the rest of the field too, due to extremely high temperatures and challenging track conditions.
Vierge showed grit and determination in race 1, going from last on the grid to twelfth across the line.
Conditioned by a crash during qualifying, which meant he started the races from further back on the grid, Lecuona did well to secure a top ten finish in race 2.
The entire Superbike field hopes for less extreme conditions in the Czech Republic. At last year’s edition, Lecuona scored a best of seventh in the Superpole race, while team-mate Vierge placed seventh in Sunday’s second Superbike race.
Located in the north-west of the Czech Republic, Autodrom Most lies close to the town of Most, and roughly 100 km from Prague. Built in the 1980s, the circuit featured on the WorldSBK calendar for the first time in 2021. The track currently measures 4.212 km in length and is made up of a real variety of turns, 21 in all.
Weekend schedule Central Europe Summer Time (CEST):
Friday
10.30 – 11.15 – SBK Free Practice 1
15.00 – 15.45 – SBK Free Practice 2
Saturday
9.00 – 9.30 – SBK Free Practice 3
11.10 – 11.25 – Superpole
14.00 – SBK Race 1
Sunday
9.00 – 9.15 – SBK Warm-up
11.00 – Superpole race
14.00 – SBK Race 2
Most is another “special” track, let’s say, one that poses several challenges, especially for us but at least the grip is good and that’s something that usually helps us. We also have the experience of last year’s event so we can made use of the data to adapt and try and be faster compared to the last two rounds. The target is to be back battling for the positions we know are within our reach and that we have already fought for this year.
We’re coming from what was a rather tough Imola weekend, though things went better on Sunday which meant I rounded out the day with a better feeling and mood. And one week’s rest following a very busy period has also helped me to come to Most recharged and ready to get back to work. Last year’s Most round was just so so, and the track itself is not among my favorites, but we will start with an open mind, knowing that if we work well we can overcome any challenge.