Lecuona sixth and seventh in Sunday’s WorldSBK races at Most; an unlucky Vierge knocked out of Race 2
Autodrom MostHonda HRC rounds out the Most SBK round with two results into the top seven for Lecuona, while an unlucky Vierge is forced to retire from Race 2 after a strong comeback from 13th to eighth in the Superpole Race
In light of the damp conditions this morning, almost the entire SBK field, Honda HRC included, elected to sit out the warm-up. Two hours later, it was time for the Superpole race, which began on a dry track, although the conditions remained very cool all day.
Getting away from fifth on the grid, Lecuona was lying seventh through lap one. Passing Bautista to move sixth on the very next lap, the Spaniard set his sights on fifth-placed Alex Lowes, running just half a second ahead of him. Reaching and passing him on lap seven, a determined Lecuona did his best to hold fifth to the line but was just pipped to the post in the final seconds. He nevertheless closed a positive sixth, meaning another second row start for the afternoon’s race 2.
Teammate Vierge was one of only three riders to opt for the soft SC0 rear tyre. He started strong, making up two positions during the course of lap one. Lying ninth by the mid-race point, the Spaniard was able to execute another pass in the latter stages to cross the line a strong eighth and significantly improve on his grid position for the final race of the weekend.
Highly motivated by their positive performance in the morning race, Lecuona and Vierge lined up on the second and third row of the grid for Superbike Race 2, which took place in dry but cloudy conditions. Unfortunately, Xavi’s race came to a premature end when he was taken out by another rider at turn 1, through no fault of his own. The Spaniard was checked at the Medical Centre, where doctors diagnosed a suspected fracture of the tarsus in his right foot. Xavi will undergo further examination immediately upon his return to Barcelona (Spain) tomorrow.
Left to fly the Honda HRC flag alone, Lecuona oscillated between eighth and ninth through the initial laps. Once able to establish a rhythm, Iker set about hunting down Locatelli, immediately ahead of him. Moving into seventh place on lap 12, the Spaniard rode a consistent final stint, lapping with a pace similar to the riders ahead which prevented him from further improving his position. He nevertheless scored another nine valuable points with today’s seventh-place finish.
Five rounds into the 2025 championship and Vierge places seventh in the standings with 71 points, Lecuona lies ninth on 66 points. The Honda HRC team will back in action during a test session on 27-28 May at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli in Italy, before returning to that same track on 13-15 June for round six of the championship.
Overall, I’m really happy with the job we’ve done; I think we’ve had a good weekend here at Most. Yesterday we put in a strong performance, and again this morning in the Superpole race. We were close to the podium fight and for a moment I thought we could get there, but it wasn’t to be. The tyre dropped off basically within a lap, and from that point on I could only try to hold my position. I eventually finished P6 after Alvaro passed me, but considering we had four Ducatis and Toprak ahead of us, it was still a positive result for us. In Race 2 I struggled quite a lot with my arm, but I’m still happy because I was able to maintain good pace. I had a small issue with the bike, when downshifting, which was difficult and cost me a bit of time. But honestly, I’m satisfied. I had some nice battles, I saved a huge moment in the last corner of lap three and managed to avoid a crash, so yeah, overall, really happy. Let’s see what happens next time. And last but not least, I hope Xavi makes a speedy recovery.
Overall, I’m really happy with the job we’ve done; I think we’ve had a good weekend here at Most. Yesterday we put in a strong performance, and again this morning in the Superpole race. We were close to the podium fight and for a moment I thought we could get there, but it wasn’t to be. The tyre dropped off basically within a lap, and from that point on I could only try to hold my position. I eventually finished P6 after Alvaro passed me, but considering we had four Ducatis and Toprak ahead of us, it was still a positive result for us. In Race 2 I struggled quite a lot with my arm, but I’m still happy because I was able to maintain good pace. I had a small issue with the bike, when downshifting, which was difficult and cost me a bit of time. But honestly, I’m satisfied. I had some nice battles, I saved a huge moment in the last corner of lap three and managed to avoid a crash, so yeah, overall, really happy. Let’s see what happens next time. And last but not least, I hope Xavi makes a speedy recovery.
Our day didn’t end as we expected after a very positive morning. The first goal was to finish the Superpole race inside the top nine, and we achieved that, showing very good pace and making a strong comeback to finish eighth. With that result, and considering our performance yesterday, we knew we had the potential to run another good Race 2. Unfortunately, my race ended almost immediately. Due to a mistake by another rider, I was hit at turn one and suffered a big highside. It looks like there’s something broken in my right foot, and tomorrow morning, I’ll go to see Dr. Mir in Barcelona for more comprehensive checks. Once again, I want to thank the team, we had another solid weekend, worked really well together, and both of us riders were competitive. That’s something very positive that we need to keep in mind. Now I’m just looking forward to understanding the situation and starting my recovery as soon as possible.
Our day didn’t end as we expected after a very positive morning. The first goal was to finish the Superpole race inside the top nine, and we achieved that, showing very good pace and making a strong comeback to finish eighth. With that result, and considering our performance yesterday, we knew we had the potential to run another good Race 2. Unfortunately, my race ended almost immediately. Due to a mistake by another rider, I was hit at turn one and suffered a big highside. It looks like there’s something broken in my right foot, and tomorrow morning, I’ll go to see Dr. Mir in Barcelona for more comprehensive checks. Once again, I want to thank the team, we had another solid weekend, worked really well together, and both of us riders were competitive. That’s something very positive that we need to keep in mind. Now I’m just looking forward to understanding the situation and starting my recovery as soon as possible.
