Two top tens on Sunday for Vierge at Aragón, though Honda HRC seeks more
MotorLand AragónThe factory Honda HRC Team wrapped up the Aragón round of the 2025 Superbike World Championship with Xavi Vierge securing a pair of top-ten finishes in Sunday’s races, while stand-in rider Tommy Bridewell crossed the line 18th in both. Solid results for Vierge, but ones that still leave both him and Honda HRC hungry for more.
After a brief warmup in which the two riders made a few final tweaks and adjustments, it was time for the Superpole sprint. From twelfth on the grid, Vierge made a decent start, making up a position and pushing to close in on the top ten. Able to up his pace over the final few laps, he passed Bassani on lap seven. The Spaniard and the Italian continued to battle over the last three laps, but it was the home rider who came out on top, tenth across the line.
As he continued to build experience at this track, a new one for him, Bridewell was lying nineteenth through the opening stages of this ten-lapper. Lapping within half a second of the rider immediately ahead over the first half of the race, the British rider kept his focus, and, making up one position over the course of this sprint, finished P18.
The weekend’s final race ran in the early afternoon and in dry conditions, despite the threat of rain. From thirteenth, Vierge pushed to make his presence felt within a tightly packed group of riders. Holding the same position throughout the first half of the race, Xavi gained some ground in the latter stages, reaching the top ten and scoring another six championship points. Bridewell, twenty-second off the line, moved up one position and then tried to maintain a slightly quicker rhythm with respect to his Race 1 pace. Managing to set some faster lap times in today’s final race, the Brit was lying within a few tenths of Rinaldi mid-race. After the Italian entered the pit lane on lap eleven, Tommy lapped alone in the final stages, gaining another couple of places to again cross the line eighteenth.
Having collated more championship points on Spanish soil this weekend, Vierge lies eighth in the general standings with 129 points, while absent Lecuona lies fourteenth with 90. The Honda HRC team now looks ahead to round eleven, taking place at Portugal’s Estoril Circuit on 10-12 October, which will be immediately followed by the twelfth and final round at Jerez Circuit in Spain (17-19 October).
We are disappointed with the weekend, honestly. The test here went very well, we were strong, and our pace was good. But when we arrived here for the race weekend, we realized we were lacking on the acceleration side. We worked well with the team yesterday though and made some changes to the bike’s setup that felt a little better. We also tried something with the electronics to improve acceleration, but unfortunately, we couldn’t really find what we needed in that area. My pace was good in both races, but it was very difficult to move forward. I found myself battling with riders who were actually slower than me, but each time I overtook them, they would get past me again, which made it really hard to progress. This was our Sunday – frustrating, yes, but at the same time I know the team is giving everything and I also did my best. In the end, we did a good job as a team, so I have no regrets. We just need to keep working for the final two rounds, and I believe both tracks will suit us better. We’ll do our best to finish the season in the best possible way.
We are disappointed with the weekend, honestly. The test here went very well, we were strong, and our pace was good. But when we arrived here for the race weekend, we realized we were lacking on the acceleration side. We worked well with the team yesterday though and made some changes to the bike’s setup that felt a little better. We also tried something with the electronics to improve acceleration, but unfortunately, we couldn’t really find what we needed in that area. My pace was good in both races, but it was very difficult to move forward. I found myself battling with riders who were actually slower than me, but each time I overtook them, they would get past me again, which made it really hard to progress. This was our Sunday – frustrating, yes, but at the same time I know the team is giving everything and I also did my best. In the end, we did a good job as a team, so I have no regrets. We just need to keep working for the final two rounds, and I believe both tracks will suit us better. We’ll do our best to finish the season in the best possible way.
What a fantastic experience for me to be able to represent the official factory Honda HRC team in WorldSBK. It’s a real privilege and, as I said before, this weekend was all about learning and understanding the bike. We improved with every race – both the feeling and the lap times – and made a big step forward. There were still some points where I struggled a bit with sensation and feedback, but overall, we avoided mistakes and gathered a lot of valuable data with different components on the bike. I’m really proud to have contributed to that. My role is to generate information, and a full race weekend really pushes you to do that. We now have three good, long races of feedback, which is crucial for all the technicians both in Japan and Europe. We have to take the positives from this weekend, keep improving the bike, and move forward from here.
What a fantastic experience for me to be able to represent the official factory Honda HRC team in WorldSBK. It’s a real privilege and, as I said before, this weekend was all about learning and understanding the bike. We improved with every race – both the feeling and the lap times – and made a big step forward. There were still some points where I struggled a bit with sensation and feedback, but overall, we avoided mistakes and gathered a lot of valuable data with different components on the bike. I’m really proud to have contributed to that. My role is to generate information, and a full race weekend really pushes you to do that. We now have three good, long races of feedback, which is crucial for all the technicians both in Japan and Europe. We have to take the positives from this weekend, keep improving the bike, and move forward from here.
