Team HRC riders Lecuona and Vierge again place top ten in all the weekend’s races
MotorLand AragónTeam HRC banks more important points as the tenth WorldSBK round concludes at Motorland Aragón, with riders Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge completing both the day’s races, and now three rounds in a row, inside the top ten.
Team HRC banks more important points as the tenth WorldSBK round concludes at Motorland Aragón, with riders Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge completing both the day’s races, and now three rounds in a row, inside the top ten.
Eighth and eleventh on the grid for Sunday’s ten-lap Superpole race, Lecuona and Vierge were eager for more strong results. The race ran in cool, dry conditions (16°C air temp., 22° track temp.), with both riders getting away well when the lights went out. Ninth through lap one, Iker passed Locatelli and soon moved up into seventh. With two riders ahead of him in the same chasing group, Lecuona worked hard to move in on his closest rivals, but with the limited number of laps available, he was unable to improve any further on his position and crossed the line seventh. When the race began, Xavi tucked in behind his team-mate and way lying tenth through the first corners. Passing Rinaldi to progress to ninth on lap three, Vierge held that position for the best part of the race. Able to close in on, and pass, Locatelli on lap eight, the Spaniard battled van der Mark in the final stages, ultimately completing today’s sprint in ninth place.
The second of the weekend’s 18-lap Superbike races began in the early afternoon. Thanks to their Superpole race results, Lecuona and Vierge started this final (dry) race from seventh and ninth position. The Team HRC duo oscillated between eighth and eleventh in the initial stages as they worked to get into a rhythm. Lying ninth on lap five, Iker worked to pass Locatelli over the course of the next few laps. That done, the Spaniard held eighth all the way to the line to score more important championship points. Tenth for a good part of the race and setting almost identical times to those immediately ahead, Vierge meanwhile ran a consistent second half of the race to also secure a top ten finish.
As this tenth round of the 2024 championship concludes, Lecuona positions eleventh in the general standings with a total of 105 points, with Vierge just one point behind (104) in twelfth place. Team HRC will be back on track for round eleven, the penultimate race weekend of the 2024 season, taking place on 11-13 October at the Estoril Circuit in Portugal.
I can say that I’m pleased with the weekend because it was solid in many ways. We found a good base on Friday afternoon, and from that moment on, we made zero changes to the bike, aside from slightly adjusting the electronics to suit the daily track and weather conditions. This makes me happy because it shows we have a base that works and that allows me to tap into the bike's full potential. We struggled in some sectors of the track but were among the strongest in those sections without any long straights or lengthy corners. We’re aware of the bike’s weak points, but we’re satisfied with how we are maximising our current situation. Both races today were very close, with many fast riders, but we managed to stay in the mix. This morning, we had good pace, finishing seventh in the sprint, and we maintained even better pace in race 2, although we finished one place back. I had fun chasing Van der Mark at speed, and I was so focused on sticking with him that I was almost surprised when I saw the chequered flag—I thought I had two laps still to go! Anyway, as I said, I leave Aragón happy with the team's work and pleased to have found a setup that makes me comfortable on the bike. Let’s see how the next races go.
I can say that I’m pleased with the weekend because it was solid in many ways. We found a good base on Friday afternoon, and from that moment on, we made zero changes to the bike, aside from slightly adjusting the electronics to suit the daily track and weather conditions. This makes me happy because it shows we have a base that works and that allows me to tap into the bike's full potential. We struggled in some sectors of the track but were among the strongest in those sections without any long straights or lengthy corners. We’re aware of the bike’s weak points, but we’re satisfied with how we are maximising our current situation. Both races today were very close, with many fast riders, but we managed to stay in the mix. This morning, we had good pace, finishing seventh in the sprint, and we maintained even better pace in race 2, although we finished one place back. I had fun chasing Van der Mark at speed, and I was so focused on sticking with him that I was almost surprised when I saw the chequered flag—I thought I had two laps still to go! Anyway, as I said, I leave Aragón happy with the team's work and pleased to have found a setup that makes me comfortable on the bike. Let’s see how the next races go.
I can be happy enough with our Sunday. Yesterday we finished very close to the front in Race 1, and we were also fast during morning warmup today, in cooler conditions. In the Superpole race, the others made another little step compared to us, and I had the same feeling in Race 2 in fact. Of course, after making a step, you’re always hungry to do more and more, but we must keep working because even though we’ve had three strong races this weekend, it’s not yet enough for us to be able to reach our goal. We’re eager to continue in this way and try to improve on our weak points. Next up is Estoril, a track that I love and where we also had a test this summer, so let’s see if we will be able to complete some more strong races.
I can be happy enough with our Sunday. Yesterday we finished very close to the front in Race 1, and we were also fast during morning warmup today, in cooler conditions. In the Superpole race, the others made another little step compared to us, and I had the same feeling in Race 2 in fact. Of course, after making a step, you’re always hungry to do more and more, but we must keep working because even though we’ve had three strong races this weekend, it’s not yet enough for us to be able to reach our goal. We’re eager to continue in this way and try to improve on our weak points. Next up is Estoril, a track that I love and where we also had a test this summer, so let’s see if we will be able to complete some more strong races.
