Team HRC aims to maintain momentum at Jerez WorldSBK season finale
With eleven Superbike World Championship rounds now done and dusted, Team HRC gears up for the 2024 season finale, taking place this weekend at the Circuito de Jerez – Ángel Nieto in Spain.
Factory riders Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge were last on track just a few days ago for the Portuguese round at Estoril Circuit. It was a particularly positive weekend for Lecuona, who celebrated his first podium of the season after crossing the line third in Race 1. On the other side of the garage, Vierge currently boasts the longest active points-scoring streak of any rider on the grid (16 races), as well as the longest active top ten finishing streak (14 races).
As for the Jerez Circuit, Lecuona and Vierge achieved a best of ninth and tenth in race 1 during last year’s WorldSBK round, but the team has come a long way since then, obtaining increasingly positive results over the second half of this 2024 season, culminating with Iker’s podium on Portuguese soil last weekend. The two Spaniards are therefore confident that they can continue this trend at their home track of Jerez and round out the championship on a high.
The Andalusian Circuito de Jerez opened in 1985 and staged its first international motorcycle events the following year. The circuit was renamed in 2018 in tribute to the late Ángel Nieto. The Spanish track first hosted WorldSBK in 1990, with the production-derived championship having been a regular fixture on the calendar since 2013. The track currently measures 4.423 km in length and features eight right-hand turns and five left-handers.
Weekend schedule (CET):
Friday
10.35 – 11.20 – SBK Free Practice 1
15.00 – 15.45 – SBK Free Practice 2
Saturday
9.15 – 9.35 – SBK Free Practice 3
11.00 – 11.15 – Superpole
14.00 – SBK Race 1
Sunday
9.15 – 9.25 – SBK Warm-up
11.00 – Superpole race
14.00 – SBK Race 2
Xavi Vierge 97
"We have some clear ideas about where we need to focus and which areas of the bike setup we want to improve at Jerez. I’m really looking forward to the weekend, at a track I truly love. But it’s also a track that many other riders love too, and where many have logged a lot of laps. There will be plenty of fast, highly competitive riders, so we’ll need to work precisely and effectively from Friday onward. Our goal is to consistently place among the top riders, put together a solid weekend, and finish the season with good results and positive momentum that we can carry into 2025."
Iker Lecuona 7
“We're coming off a strong weekend with a podium, a solid sprint race, and another shot at the podium that didn’t end as we’d hoped. Now, as we head into the final round of the season at Jerez, we’re hoping to maintain this level, but we’ll have to see how things go. I prefer to stay grounded because, even though I like the track, we've struggled there in the past. On the other hand, this year we’ve been strong at tracks that are usually tricky for us, like Most and Magny-Cours, so let’s see. Team spirit is good, and the determination to do well is high.”
Location Information
Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto Carretera Jerez-Arcos, km 10 – Apdo de Correos 35 11592 Jerez de la Frontera (Cádiz) – Spain circuitodejerez.com
| POLE POSITION | RIGHT |
| LENGTH | 4.423 Km |
| CORNERS | 13 |
| RIGHT CORNERS | 8 |
| LEFT CORNERS | 5 |
Records
| Pole Record | 1'38.247 (162,07 Km/h) J.Rea (Kawasaki ZX-10RR, 2019) |
| Race Record | 1'39.004 (160,83 Km/h) A.Bautista (Ducati Panigale V4 R, 2019) |
| All Time Record | 1'38.247 (162,07 Km/h) J.Rea (Kawasaki ZX-10RR, 2019) |
| 2023 Race 1 Winner | A.Bautista (Ducati Panigale V4 R) |
| 2023 Superpole Race Winner | A.Bautista (Ducati Panigale V4 R) |
| 2023 Race 2 Winner | A.Bautista (Ducati Panigale V4 R) |
