Team HRC and factory riders Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge have concluded round 2 of the 2024 Superbike World Championship at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya with the sensation that the final results fell short of expectations.

Although the track was damp for morning warm-up, meaning that most riders elected not to ride, conditions had fortunately improved by 11am (CET) when the lights went out on the morning’s ten-lap Superpole race. Lecuona was lying sixteenth through the opening stages having started the race from the sixth row of the grid, while Vierge found himself in twentieth position. Putting in some strong initial laps, Xavi soon made up three positions and moved ahead of his team-mate, who lost a little ground throughout the second half of this short sprint race, the Spaniard having also opted for a different tyre with respect to his fellow Honda riders. While Vierge gained further ground in the last laps to conclude the Superpole race in fifteenth, team-mate Lecuona crossed the line twenty-first.

Back out early afternoon for the second and final Superbike race, the factory duo was keen to improve on their race 1 performance. Xavi placed fourteenth and Iker fifteenth through the first turns. Unfortunately lap three brought an incident for Lecuona, when Ray made contact and caused them both to crash. Iker was fortunately unhurt, but unable to continue with his race. Xavi moved into thirteenth on lap three and from there battled with a group of riders, oscillating between thirteenth and fifteenth position throughout the central phase but unable to make any real inroads on the group ahead considering the very similar lap times. Vierge finished this final race of the weekend in the points, in fourteenth position.

As round two draws to a close, Vierge lies fifteenth in the championship standings with 13 points, Lecuona eighteenth with 3 points. Next up for Team HRC is the Dutch WorldSBK round at Assen, set to run over the weekend of 19-21 April.

Xavi Vierge 97

14th

"I’m really disappointed with our weekend. This should have been one of our 'good' tracks, so to speak, but we’ve struggled incredibly. We need to analyze everything very carefully because we absolutely have to find a way to solve our biggest problem. As soon as we open the throttle, the bike suffers a lot of spin, and no matter how we try to manage the gas, whether we open it a little or a lot, the effect is the same. This means that, not only do we lose ground, but we also destroy the tyres because we aren't using them properly. The feeling on the bike during braking, going into the corners, and even when we start cornering without throttle, is really good, especially compared to others, I think. But as soon as we open the throttle, we're finished. It’s crystal clear, and similar to last year, but even worse. So we must understand the way forward to try and overcome this as soon as possible, otherwise, we cannot fight."

Iker Lecuona 7

DNF

"Our race ended too soon. Ray hit me through turn one and we both ended up in the gravel. He apologized after the race, no problem, it was nothing more than a racing incident. I wasn't expecting the collision, of course, and I crashed quite hard on the right side, so I feel sore, but I'm fine, nothing broken. It's frustrating, very frustrating because we worked well today, trying to adjust the electronics and even using the SCX in the Superpole race to prepare for race 2. The bike was at an 'okay' level and I think we had the pace to fight for the top ten, so it's a real pity we couldn't try and demonstrate that. Not the best way to end a tough weekend but it is what it is. Thanks to the team and everyone at HRC because they continue to believe and work very hard. Now it's time to go back home, recover, rethink the weekend with a clear mind, and then focus on the next one."

WorldSBK 2024
Race Round 02   Catalunya

Results Tissot Superpole Race

Dry
Humidity
77%
Track Temp
22°C
Air Temp
14°C
Pos. Rider Num Nation Points Team Constructor Time/Gap
1 Razgatlioglu Toprak 54 TUR 12 ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team BMW Time of Race 16'58.029
2 Iannone Andrea 29 ITA 9 Team GOELEVEN Ducati 0.075
3 Bautista Alvaro 1 SPA 7 ARUBA Racing - Ducati Ducati 0.260
4 Bulega Nicolò 11 ITA 6 ARUBA Racing - Ducati Ducati 0.411
5 Lowes Alex 22 GBR 5 Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK Kawasaki 1.611
6 van der Mark Michael 60 NDL 4 ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team BMW 2.634
7 Petrucci Danilo 9 ITA 3 BARNI Spark Racing Team Ducati 4.249
8 Locatelli Andrea 55 ITA 2 PATA PROMETEON YAMAHA Yamaha 4.354
9 Gardner Remy 87 AUS 1 GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team Yamaha 5.196
10 Aegerter Dominique 77 SWI 0 GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team Yamaha 5.269
11 Lowes Sam 14 GBR 0 ELF Marc VDS Racing Team Ducati 6.831
12 Redding Scott 45 GBR 0 Bonovo Action BMW BMW 7.338
13 Rea Jonathan 65 GBR 0 PATA PROMETEON YAMAHA Yamaha 7.435
14 Bassani Axel 47 ITA 0 Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK Kawasaki 7.891
15 Vierge Xavi 97 SPA 0 Team HRC Honda 10.288
16 Rabat Tito 53 SPA 0 Kawasaki Puccetti Racing Kawasaki 11.060
17 Gerloff Garrett 31 USA 0 Bonovo Action BMW BMW 11.864
18 Rinaldi Michael Ruben 21 ITA 0 Motocorsa Racing Ducati 11.937
19 Öttl Philipp 5 GER 0 GMT94 Yamaha Yamaha 16.125
20 Mackenzie Tarran 95 GBR 0 PETRONAS MIE Racing HONDA Team Honda 16.300
21 Lecuona Iker 7 SPA 0 Team HRC Honda 16.901
22 Ray Bradley 28 GBR 0 Yamaha MotoxRacing WorldSBK Team Yamaha 19.389
23 Norrodin Adam 27 MAL 0 PETRONAS MIE Racing HONDA Team Honda 1 Lap
WorldSBK 2024
Race Round 02   Catalunya

Results Race 2

Dry
Humidity
69%
Track Temp
28°C
Air Temp
15°C
Pos. Rider Num Nation Points Team Constructor Time/Gap
1 Bautista Alvaro 1 SPA 25 ARUBA Racing - Ducati Ducati Time of Race 34'12.160
2 Bulega Nicolò 11 ITA 20 ARUBA Racing - Ducati Ducati 2.041
3 Razgatlioglu Toprak 54 TUR 16 ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team BMW 7.005
4 van der Mark Michael 60 NDL 13 ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team BMW 12.452
5 Petrucci Danilo 9 ITA 11 BARNI Spark Racing Team Ducati 15.076
6 Lowes Alex 22 GBR 10 Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK Kawasaki 15.285
7 Gardner Remy 87 AUS 9 GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team Yamaha 16.000
8 Rea Jonathan 65 GBR 8 PATA PROMETEON YAMAHA Yamaha 16.963
9 Aegerter Dominique 77 SWI 7 GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team Yamaha 19.849
10 Gerloff Garrett 31 USA 6 Bonovo Action BMW BMW 21.644
11 Redding Scott 45 GBR 5 Bonovo Action BMW BMW 22.108
12 Lowes Sam 14 GBR 4 ELF Marc VDS Racing Team Ducati 24.985
13 Locatelli Andrea 55 ITA 3 PATA PROMETEON YAMAHA Yamaha 26.329
14 Vierge Xavi 97 SPA 2 Team HRC Honda 26.452
15 Rabat Tito 53 SPA 1 Kawasaki Puccetti Racing Kawasaki 34.445
16 Öttl Philipp 5 GER 0 GMT94 Yamaha Yamaha 36.522
17 Mackenzie Tarran 95 GBR 0 PETRONAS MIE Racing HONDA Team Honda 46.934
18 Norrodin Adam 27 MAL 0 PETRONAS MIE Racing HONDA Team Honda 1'07.842
19 Iannone Andrea 29 ITA 0 Team GOELEVEN Ducati 8 Laps
20 Lecuona Iker 7 SPA 0 Team HRC Honda 18 Laps
21 Ray Bradley 28 GBR 0 Yamaha MotoxRacing WorldSBK Team Yamaha 18 Laps
22 Bassani Axel 47 ITA DNF Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK Kawasaki
23 Rinaldi Michael Ruben 21 ITA DNF Motocorsa Racing Ducati
Location Information

Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya Carrer Mas Moreneta, 08160 Montmeló, Barcelona, Spain Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya

POLE POSITION Right
LENGHT 4.627 Km
CORNERS 14
RIGHT CORNERS 8
LEFT CORNERS 6

Records

Pole Record 1'39.489 (168,513 Km/h) T.Razgatlioglu (BMW M 1000 RR, 2024)
Race Record 1'40.955 (166,066 Km/h) N. Bulega (Ducati V4 R, 2024, SPRC)
All Time Record 1'39.489 (168,513 Km/h) T.Razgatlioglu (BMW M 1000 RR, 2024)
2024 Race 1 Winner T.Razgatlioglu (BMW M 1000 RR)
2024 Superpole Winner T.Razgatlioglu (BMW M 1000 RR)
2024 Race 2 Winner A. Bautista (Ducati V4 R)