Honda HRC hopes to be back to full ranks for the Emilia Romagna SBK round
After a three-week break, the 2025 Superbike World Championship moves on to the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” in Italy, the stage for what promises to be an exciting sixth round.
The Honda HRC team and rider Iker Lecuona prepared for the upcoming race weekend by taking part in a two-day test at the same Italian track at the end of May. Still recovering from surgery, team-mate Xavi Vierge was unfortunately unable to test. Having worked hard on his recovery and with encouraging results following his final scan on Tuesday, the Spaniard has flown to Italy and will now need to be cleared by the circuit medical team on Thursday. If passed fit, he will get back on his bike and try to do his best, depending on his current stage of recovery.
Incident aside, the Czech round brought solid results for the factory team, which demonstrated strong pace with both riders. Lecuona put in an impressive qualifying performance, and both he and Vierge were able to push hard in the races.
In terms of their previous form on Italian soil, the 2024 Emilia Romagna round brought mixed results but, as this season’s championship reaches the mid-way point, Vierge and Lecuona are in a different position now, placing seventh and ninth respectively in the standings. Both will be out to boost their points tally already this weekend.
The track originally known as Circuito Internazionale Santamonica took the name of Misano World Circuit in 2007. Located in the Emilia Romagna region of Italy on the Adriatic coast, the circuit often hosts the production-derived championship during the summer season, the high temperatures posing an added challenge to riders. Various modifications have been made to the track since its inauguration in 1972. It now measures 4226 metres in length and incorporates 10 right-hand turns and 6 left-handers.
Weekend schedule (CET):
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 very happy to be back in Misano because the doctors’ initial feedback was not promising. The original prognosis was four weeks without putting my feet on the ground and without moving. So initially, the plan was to be ready for Donington, but after surgery, which went very well, we realized there was a real possibility of making it to Misano. I’ve worked for many hours each day to be as fit as possible, and the commitment has paid off. If I pass the medical check, I will try to ride on Friday. At the very least I will be able to properly assess my physical condition. Just being in Misano and trying on Friday would already be super positive for me. I want to say thank you so much to the doctors. It’s also a positive that the team has already tested at Misano, so we have some data before the weekend starts. It will be challenging because I definitely won’t be 100% of course, and everyone else has been testing so they’ll be fast already, but I'm looking forward to getting back to work with my team after all their precious support during these tough times.”
Iker Lecuona 7
“We had two positive days of testing at Misano in May and were able to work well on our base setup. It was the first time this year I could consistently focus on the base, and we took some useful steps. That gave me a good feeling, but now it’s time to see how everything works in race conditions. Physically, I feel good, and mentally I’m ready. What we don’t know, of course, is how much the weather conditions will change things with respect to the test. During the test, we had stable grip and good temperatures, and while that gave us the chance to work effectively, it didn’t allow us to fully understand how things might go in hotter conditions. If it’s hot like we expect and the grip becomes tricky, the level will be very different, and for sure we’ll struggle more. But not just us, everybody, so let’s just see how it goes. I think we’re ready, but we’ll only really understand our potential once we’re on track.”
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) |
