Team HRC and its riders Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge have concluded the final pre-season test at Philip Island, Australia, as they prepare for the 2023 Superbike World Championship opening round weekend.
On track on both Monday 20 and Tuesday 21 February, Team HRC tested alongside the rest of the WorldSBK field, exploiting two sessions of two hours each on both days and blessed by hot and sunny conditions, something the two factory riders particularly appreciated having not often experienced this at Phillip Island during their time in the MotoGP championship.
WSBK
Nevertheless, Iker and Xavi experienced some ups and downs as they worked tirelessly with their respective teams to iron out the details of their world championship preparation.
Two crashes, on Monday and Tuesday morning, complicated things a bit more for Vierge, but he suffered no physical consequences and could further improve times. Lecuona traced a more linear path, progressing gradually in every session, especially regarding his race pace on used tyres. There is nevertheless still room to improve when it comes to exploiting the new tyres.
The Team HRC engineers now have two days in which all the data is collated and make final preparations for round one, with the first practice sessions of the season set to kick off on Friday morning.
In last season’s Australian finale, Vierge scored the best result of eighth in the races. At the same time, Lecuona was prevented from competing after having sustained an injury at the previous Indonesian round. The factory riders will be looking to start 2023 with a bang, fully fit and encouraged by the experience gained during 2022, their ‘rookie’ season.
The Phillip Island, Grand Prix Circuit, is located in Victoria, south of Melbourne. Officially inaugurated in 1956, it is located on the coast, making for a spectacular backdrop. One of the riders’ favourite circuits, the track measures 4.445k and comprises twelve turns – 7 left-hand corners and 5 right-handers. Last year it was the stage for the final championship round, and so 2023 quite literally begins where 2022 left off.
Iker Lecuona 7
“We ended this two-day test with mixed feelings because we closed P8 but didn’t understand why we couldn’t be faster. I felt good on the bike and thought it had good balance, but the reality is that we dropped tenths here and there and especially on new tyres. On used tyres, we took a big step compared to last year because I now feel good on them and can ride consistently – this is important as we’ve resolved something critical for me and my riding style, and that was causing me to struggle in the second part of the races.
So we’ve made a step there, and that has us feeling that there is still more we can do with the bike setup, but our expectations were much higher going into this test, particularly here at a track I adore. We now have two days in which the electronics and data to understand what’s happening with the bike and decide how to approach the first race.”
Xavi Vierge 97
“Firstly, I want to say sorry, and a huge thank you to the team because I had two crashes which meant the guys had to work so hard to make the repairs. They did a fantastic job as always and provided me a perfect bike for the final afternoon session. And luckily, I suffered no physical consequences at all.
The less positive aspect is that we struggled a lot; much was expected, despite improving a little overall. Generally speaking, we’ve improved our race pace during the pre-season but cannot yet exploit the fresh tyres. Nevertheless, we start the season fully fit and ready to give it our all – we will keep working hard just as we are used to doing.”
Source: Press Release WSBK
