Lecuona and Vierge reunite for WorldSBK Round 2 at Portimão
The Honda HRC team and riders Xavi Vierge and Iker Lecuona are in Portimão, Portugal, for Round 2 of the 2025 Superbike World Championship, set to take place this weekend at the spectacular Autódromo Internacional do Algarve.
Following the opening round in Australia, the team made the most of the four-week break to carry out two days of testing at the Portimão circuit on March 14–15. With Lecuona sidelined due to injury — he sustained a fracture to the fourth metatarsal bone in his left foot during qualifying at Phillip Island — the test involved Xavi Vierge, HRC test rider Tetsuta Nagashima, Spanish rider Borja Gómez, and Brit Tommy Bridewell, with the latter two stepping in for Iker on the first and second day, respectively.
Despite some unstable weather limiting track time, the team adapted its schedule and successfully completed a productive testing programme, collecting valuable data for development and race preparation. Vierge completed over 100 laps over the two days, working with his crew on various electronic solutions and making some progress in the cool conditions. He is now eager to see if the same can be achieved in the warmer conditions expected for the race weekend.
Lecuona, meanwhile, has worked hard to recover over the last month, completing a comprehensive rehabilitation programme comprising physiotherapy, hyperbaric chamber therapy, and physical training. Now back with the team in Portugal, the Spanish rider will need to undergo a medical check to receive clearance to compete before joining his teammate on track on Friday morning, when Free Practice 1 gets underway at 10:35 local time (CET -1).
At last year’s Portuguese round, held in August in hot and sunny conditions, Vierge showed solid pace, finishing seventh in the Superpole race and ninth in Race 2, while Lecuona, hindered by qualifying setbacks, scored a best of twelfth in Race 1.
A favourite among riders thanks to its technical, undulating layout and 15 corners — nine right-handers and six left-handers — the Portuguese track has been a regular fixture on the calendar since its 2008 debut and is sure to provide another weekend of thrilling action.
Weekend schedule (CET -1):
Friday
10.35 – 11.20 – 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
“I’m really looking forward to Round 2 of the WorldSBK season. Portimão is always an amazing track to ride, and we’ve had several productive test days here, both recently and in the past, so we have a lot of data to rely on as we prepare for the race weekend. We’ve been fast at this track on several occasions, which gives us extra motivation to try and achieve that again, no matter what weather conditions we find. It looks like it will be warmer than it was for the test two weeks ago, so we’ll see if we can feel as good as we usually do in cooler conditions. The team is ready to work hard, analyze the information we collected during the test, and build the best possible base setup so we can start the weekend in the right way. It’s also great to have Iker back with us; with both of us on track, we’ll have even more data to compare and hopefully make good progress together over the weekend.”
Iker Lecuona 7
“I’m really happy to be back in Portimão. Honestly, I can say that both physically and mentally I feel better than I did before the first round. Over the past four weeks, I’ve had the chance to recover not only from the foot injury I sustained in Australia, but also from my other issues, like my ribs and shoulder, which weren’t yet 100% a month ago. The doctors are also pleased with how the bone’s recovering and with my overall condition. That has helped me feel much better mentally too, because I now feel physically better than I have in months. That said, I’ve had very little time on the bike over the winter. In Australia, it was basically the first time I really rode, and I’d just started to find my speed again before the crash in qualifying. So, I know I’ll need time to fully regain that speed and the feeling with the bike and that’s the real challenge now. As for the track, I really like Portimão. It’s a fun circuit that has given us some decent races and good pace in the past. Let’s see how it goes, I’m feeling good and ready to get back.”
Location Information
Autódromo Internacional do Algarve Sitio do Escampadinho, Mexilhoeira Grande, 8500-148 Portimão, Portugal autodromodoalgarve.com
| Pole Position | Right |
| Length | 4.592 Km |
| Corners | 15 |
| Right Corners | 9 |
| Left Corners | 6 |
Records
| Pole Record | 1'39.081 (166,845 Km/h) T.Razgatlioglu (BMW M1000RR, 2025) |
| Race Record | 1'39.441 (166,241 Km/h) T.Razgatlioglu (BMW M1000RR, 2025 - SPRC) |
| All Time Record | 1'39.081 (166,845 Km/h) T.Razgatlioglu (BMW M1000RR, 2025) |
| 2025 Race 1 Winner | T.Razgatlioglu (BMW M 1000 RR) |
| 2025 Superpole Race Winner | T.Razgatlioglu (BMW M 1000 RR) |
| 2025 Race 2 Winner | T.Razgatlioglu (BMW M 1000 RR) |
