Team HRC again concludes its strongest SBK weekend of the season
Cremona CircuitTeam HRC concludes the Italian WorldSBK round at Cremona with very positive results, Lecuona fifth in the Superpole Race and sixth in Race 2, and Vierge placing a very close eighth in both of the day’s races.
Team HRC concludes the Italian WorldSBK round at Cremona with very positive results, Lecuona fifth in the Superpole Race and sixth in Race 2, and Vierge placing a very close eighth in both of the day’s races.
Following a constructive morning warm-up, Vierge and Lecuona prepared for the 11am Superpole race. Seventh and eighth on the grid for this ten-lap sprint, both riders made a spirited start. One lap in, and Xavi was lying eighth with Iker right behind him in ninth. Pushing hard within a group that also comprised fellow Spaniards Rabat and Bautista, Vierge was able to progress to sixth on lap five. Lecuona immediately followed his team-mate’s lead, passing both Rabat and Ray to take seventh. Seizing the opportunity to also pass Xavi, Iker was up into sixth on lap seven. In the final stages, the two Team HRC team-mates continued to push hard to secure the best possible race result, with Lecuona securing a strong fifth place finish after passing Locatelli in the final stages, and Vierge, who was struggling with a lack of grip, conceding just one position to conclude P8.
The Superpole race results meant that the Team HRC riders had new grid positions for the afternoon’s second and final 23-lap race, with Iker starting from the second row, in fifth, and Xavi right behind him on row three. In a race that ran in hotter conditions with respect to Race 1, both riders again got away well, with Lecuona initially placing sixth and Vierge eighth. Although the two Spaniards were able to maintain a very strong pace throughout the race, it was more challenging to execute passes and make up any positions. Lying just a couple of tenths from sixth until lap ten, Iker then dropped a position. Not for long though, as the Team HRC rider was able to move back into sixth a few laps later and defend this position all the way to the line. Ninth for a good part of the race, like his team-mate Xavi never stopped pushing, determined to bank as many points as possible in today’s race. Moving into eighth on lap fourteen, the Spaniard effectively managed the final stages of the race to again place P8.
The weekend’s positive results mean that both riders have boosted their points tally at Cremona. Vierge now lies eleventh in the general standings with 89 points while Lecuona positions thirteenth with a tally of 84. Team HRC will now travel directly to Motorland Aragón in Spain, the stage for next weekend’s tenth championship round (27-29 September).
A fourth, fifth, and sixth place finish in this weekend’s three races makes me happy. And it’s not just the results, but that fact I could fight at the front, very close to the podium. This gives me and my team a good feeling and a real boost. Right now, I feel like I'm the fastest of the second group or the last of the first group, so I'm enjoying this progress. Today in the Superpole race, we decided to go with the rear SCX-A instead of the Q, like many others in the field, because I felt the softer tyre was at its limit in the conditions. I was confident I could manage it during the first five laps, even though it required more effort to stay with the front group, before exploiting it in the second part of the sprint. Our final target was not to lose our grid position for race 2, and we achieved that, even moving up a row in fact. In race 2, we finished sixth but not far from the podium fight, with good enough rhythm to stick very close to the top riders. This, on the other hand, allowed me to see that to consistently fight at the top, we need to take more steps, which mainly involve making the bike turn naturally and improving drive. These are the points that can really make a difference for us, but for now, I want to enjoy the progress made during these last rounds, as Xavi's strong races also demonstrate.
A fourth, fifth, and sixth place finish in this weekend’s three races makes me happy. And it’s not just the results, but that fact I could fight at the front, very close to the podium. This gives me and my team a good feeling and a real boost. Right now, I feel like I'm the fastest of the second group or the last of the first group, so I'm enjoying this progress. Today in the Superpole race, we decided to go with the rear SCX-A instead of the Q, like many others in the field, because I felt the softer tyre was at its limit in the conditions. I was confident I could manage it during the first five laps, even though it required more effort to stay with the front group, before exploiting it in the second part of the sprint. Our final target was not to lose our grid position for race 2, and we achieved that, even moving up a row in fact. In race 2, we finished sixth but not far from the podium fight, with good enough rhythm to stick very close to the top riders. This, on the other hand, allowed me to see that to consistently fight at the top, we need to take more steps, which mainly involve making the bike turn naturally and improving drive. These are the points that can really make a difference for us, but for now, I want to enjoy the progress made during these last rounds, as Xavi's strong races also demonstrate.
Another solid weekend with good speed, but we were lacking some rear grip in every session. The team worked really hard, and we made several adjustments to the bike setup to try and resolve it, but we were unable to find any real improvement. In the Superpole race, we chose the Q tyre, and I think it was the right choice, as the goal was to be fast and gain some positions at the beginning, and then manage the tyre drop at the end. Unfortunately, I made a mistake at the start, in turn 2, making contact with another rider and losing ground. So I had to push too much at the beginning, which meant that the tyre drop was then greater than expected. Anyway, all in all, we had three good races and collected valuable points to improve our championship standing. Iker also had a very good weekend, showing more speed, which is great because we can analyze the data and compare it to try and improve for Aragon.
Another solid weekend with good speed, but we were lacking some rear grip in every session. The team worked really hard, and we made several adjustments to the bike setup to try and resolve it, but we were unable to find any real improvement. In the Superpole race, we chose the Q tyre, and I think it was the right choice, as the goal was to be fast and gain some positions at the beginning, and then manage the tyre drop at the end. Unfortunately, I made a mistake at the start, in turn 2, making contact with another rider and losing ground. So I had to push too much at the beginning, which meant that the tyre drop was then greater than expected. Anyway, all in all, we had three good races and collected valuable points to improve our championship standing. Iker also had a very good weekend, showing more speed, which is great because we can analyze the data and compare it to try and improve for Aragon.
