Vierge and Lecuona fit and ready for Emilia-Romagna WorldSBK round
After a particularly long break between rounds, the 2024 Superbike World Championship gets set to resume this weekend at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli in Italy.
Team HRC and its riders Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge are more than ready for this fourth round of the season, coming almost two months ago after round 3, which played out in cold and wet conditions at the TT Circuit Assen. While Vierge was able to secure two top ten finishes despite the challenges the weekend brought, Lecuona was less fortunate, sustaining injury in a crash during FP3 that ruled him out of the subsequent races. Iker has worked hard in recent weeks to recuperate and return to his previous form in time for the upcoming round. Team HRC also completed two tests during May, at Cremona and Misano, which gave them an opportunity to work on setup and prepare for the upcoming rounds at those particular tracks.
As for Misano, Vierge has some positive recent memories of the Emilia-Romagna circuit, having scored a fifth-place finish in Race 2 in 2023, and a fourth place in the sprint in 2022. Lecuona was unlucky to suffer a crash in last year’s sprint that ruled him out of the second race, but the Spaniard did finish top five in 2022.
Inaugurated in 1972, the facility was originally known as the Circuito Internazionale Santamonica, and first featured on the WorldSBK calendar back in 1991. Becoming the Misano World Circuit in 2007, the track was renamed once again in 2011, in memory of the late Marco Simoncelli. Located in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, the many local fans welcome the production-derived championship each year, often during the summer season. Having undergone different modifications over the years, the track currently measures 4226 metres in length and incorporates 10 right-hand turns and 6 left-handers.
Weekend schedule (CEST):
Friday
10.20 – 11.05 – SBK Free Practice 1
15.00 – 15.45 – SBK Free Practice 2
Saturday
9.00 – 9.20 – SBK Free Practice 3
11.00 – 11.15 – Superpole
14.00 – SBK Race 1
Sunday
9.00 – 9.10 – SBK Warm-up
11.00 – Superpole race
14.00 – SBK Race 2
Xavi Vierge 97
“Finally, we are back after almost two months without racing. We have now arrived at the Misano round, a track that I love and really enjoy, and one that is normally quite good for us. I am very excited to start the race weekend. The last four days of testing, at Cremona and Misano, have been extremely important for us. The whole team worked very hard, and after the last day at Misano, they continued working diligently to analyse all the data gathered and to prepare the best plan so that we can begin the weekend with a solid base. I can’t wait to start enjoying my bike again and to see if we are able to make a step forward to be closer to the top guys.”
Iker Lecuona 7
"We arrive at Misano with mixed feelings, coming from a test that was not bad overall but left us wanting more. This was partly due to the fluctuating weather conditions, which affected the testing schedule, and also because, despite some objective improvements, we are not yet where we want to be. Having said that, we have a base setup for this track, and the team has continued working tirelessly since the Misano test. So, let’s wait and see what conditions we will find this week and if we will be able to reap the benefits of the work completed during the test."
Location Information
Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” Via Daijiro Kato, 10 47843 Misano Adriatico (RN) – Italy Misanocircuit.com
| POLE POSITION | RIGHT |
| LENGTH | 4.226 Km |
| CORNERS | 16 |
| RIGHT CORNERS | 10 |
| LEFT CORNERS | 6 |
Records
| Pole Record | 1'32.320 (164,792 Km/h) T. Razgatlioglu (BMW M 1000 RR, 2024) |
| Race Record (SPRC) | 1'32.687 (164,140 Km/h) T. Razgatlioglu (BMW M 1000 RR, 2024 SPRC) |
| All Time Record | 1'32.320 (164,792 Km/h) T. Razgatlioglu (BMW M 1000 RR, 2024) |
| 2024 Race 1 Winner | T. Razgatlioglu (BMW M 1000 RR) |
| 2024 Superpole Race Winner | T. Razgatlioglu (BMW M 1000 RR) |
| 2024 Race 2 Winner | T. Razgatlioglu (BMW M 1000 RR) |
