Vierge top 5 in SBK Race 1 at Cremona, Lecuona crashes out from fourth
Cremona CircuitHonda HRC rider Vierge matches his best result of the season so far, crossing the line fifth at Cremona, while a crash puts paid to Lecuona’s hard work, denying him a likely top four finish.
Slightly cooler conditions for Saturday morning’s FP3 brought quicker lap times with respect to Friday, with both Lecuona and Vierge improving on their previous performance as they made final preparations for the Superpole. The 15-minute Superpole phase brought more positive results for the factory squad. Already inside the top ten with the times set during their first exit, Lecuona and Vierge further improved in the later stages, with the qualifying tyre. A best of 1’28.495 for Vierge put him up into a strong fifth, ensuring him of a spot on the second row of the grid for the first SBK race. Less than a tenth slower, Lecuona qualified ninth with a time of 1’28.564, before a penalty handed to another rider ultimately promoted him to eighth on the grid.
Race 1 ran at 2pm (CET) in hotter conditions with respect to the morning sessions. As the lights went out, Lecuona made a fast start and was soon up into seventh, tucked in behind Vierge, sixth. The two Spaniards battled during the opening laps before Iker passed his teammate and, shortly after, overtook Gardner to move into the top five, with Vierge just two tenths behind the Australian. Feeling comfortable on his CBR1000RR-R and eager for more, Lecuona immediately turned his attention to local rider Iannone. Having got the better of the Italian, the Honda HRC rider continued to push hard in fourth but unfortunately did a little too much, a small mistake causing him to crash at Turn 3 on lap 15. An unfortunate end to a race in which he had worked so hard to move up the field.
Sixth at the mid-race point, Xavi was able to close in on, and pass Gardner for fifth in the final stages. Defending that position to the line, a strong Vierge finished top five for the second time this season.
I’m happy with today, I think we put together a very solid Saturday. Already this morning, compared to yesterday, we found a good direction with the setup and I felt really good on the bike. Our first goal was to set a strong lap in qualifying, and we managed to do that. I think we were fast, not on the same level as the top three, but quite strong overall, and starting from the second row always helps for the race. I made a decent start and stuck with the second group. I felt like I had a bit more pace than I was able to show, but we struggled a little with acceleration out of the corners, which made overtaking very difficult, so I decided to manage the tyres, especially the front, and wait until the final laps to see if I could make some moves once tyre wear came into play. At that point, Iker attacked and we had a good battle, and we’ll check the data to see if we can learn something from that, because in a few corners through the third sector he was slightly better than me. Anyway, I stuck to my strategy, which worked to a certain extent, in that I was able to pass Remy, but on the last lap I made a small mistake and lost the chance to attack Iannone and fight for fourth. Still, I think we were quite strong today. We had good pace during the race and better understood where we are still lacking. Tomorrow we’ll try to improve, not solve the problem entirely, as it will still be there, but reduce it as much as possible, and then we’ll see what the day brings, also in terms of temperature and track conditions.
I’m happy with today, I think we put together a very solid Saturday. Already this morning, compared to yesterday, we found a good direction with the setup and I felt really good on the bike. Our first goal was to set a strong lap in qualifying, and we managed to do that. I think we were fast, not on the same level as the top three, but quite strong overall, and starting from the second row always helps for the race. I made a decent start and stuck with the second group. I felt like I had a bit more pace than I was able to show, but we struggled a little with acceleration out of the corners, which made overtaking very difficult, so I decided to manage the tyres, especially the front, and wait until the final laps to see if I could make some moves once tyre wear came into play. At that point, Iker attacked and we had a good battle, and we’ll check the data to see if we can learn something from that, because in a few corners through the third sector he was slightly better than me. Anyway, I stuck to my strategy, which worked to a certain extent, in that I was able to pass Remy, but on the last lap I made a small mistake and lost the chance to attack Iannone and fight for fourth. Still, I think we were quite strong today. We had good pace during the race and better understood where we are still lacking. Tomorrow we’ll try to improve, not solve the problem entirely, as it will still be there, but reduce it as much as possible, and then we’ll see what the day brings, also in terms of temperature and track conditions.
Overall, it was a good day, despite the crash. In FP3, I felt comfortable on used tyres. Then we tried a "Q" spec and I didn’t feel so good anymore, so we made a few small adjustments, just a couple of clicks, to improve the balance. Then the temperature started to rise and the track got much hotter, which made things a bit more difficult, honestly. There was a big group of guys fighting for top positions, and just a few tenths could really make a difference in the standings. I ended up P9 in qualifying, which became P8 following a penalty for another rider, so not too bad in the end. I made a decent start to the race and didn’t lose any positions, which was already positive. My goal was to begin overtaking the riders ahead, but Xavi was right in front of me and I wanted to be safe, you know. I felt I had more speed than the group, but Alvaro was already ahead, and I knew I couldn’t pass everyone quickly without taking risks or damaging the tyres. So I tried to manage the situation, staying behind or in the middle of the group, waiting for the right moment to make a move. At one point I started overheating the front because I was trying to save the rear, so I was pushing more with the front. I tried to balance that and when I finally felt ready, I began overtaking. I had a small battle with Xavi, then passed Remy quite easily. Iannone was a bit trickier, but within one lap I managed to open a small gap. I was really feeling good on the bike, confident and comfortable, when I made a very small mistake in Turn 3. We checked the data—the speed was the same as the lap before, the braking point was almost identical—but I leaned just two degrees more into the corner, trying to carry more speed, and I lost the front. Honestly, I didn’t expect the crash because I was feeling so good. I was enjoying the race. So yeah, I’m frustrated, because that P4 was in my hands, and I want to apologise to the team, as this result was important for us. Anyway, the key thing is that we have the speed, the performance is there. Let’s see tomorrow if we can make a small step to improve the front feeling and get closer to the podium. Physically, I’m fine, I didn’t suffer any consequences and feel perfect.
Overall, it was a good day, despite the crash. In FP3, I felt comfortable on used tyres. Then we tried a "Q" spec and I didn’t feel so good anymore, so we made a few small adjustments, just a couple of clicks, to improve the balance. Then the temperature started to rise and the track got much hotter, which made things a bit more difficult, honestly. There was a big group of guys fighting for top positions, and just a few tenths could really make a difference in the standings. I ended up P9 in qualifying, which became P8 following a penalty for another rider, so not too bad in the end. I made a decent start to the race and didn’t lose any positions, which was already positive. My goal was to begin overtaking the riders ahead, but Xavi was right in front of me and I wanted to be safe, you know. I felt I had more speed than the group, but Alvaro was already ahead, and I knew I couldn’t pass everyone quickly without taking risks or damaging the tyres. So I tried to manage the situation, staying behind or in the middle of the group, waiting for the right moment to make a move. At one point I started overheating the front because I was trying to save the rear, so I was pushing more with the front. I tried to balance that and when I finally felt ready, I began overtaking. I had a small battle with Xavi, then passed Remy quite easily. Iannone was a bit trickier, but within one lap I managed to open a small gap. I was really feeling good on the bike, confident and comfortable, when I made a very small mistake in Turn 3. We checked the data—the speed was the same as the lap before, the braking point was almost identical—but I leaned just two degrees more into the corner, trying to carry more speed, and I lost the front. Honestly, I didn’t expect the crash because I was feeling so good. I was enjoying the race. So yeah, I’m frustrated, because that P4 was in my hands, and I want to apologise to the team, as this result was important for us. Anyway, the key thing is that we have the speed, the performance is there. Let’s see tomorrow if we can make a small step to improve the front feeling and get closer to the podium. Physically, I’m fine, I didn’t suffer any consequences and feel perfect.
