With the summer break now over, Team HRC is already setting up at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours in France, where round seven of the 2022 Superbike World Championship is set to play out this weekend.

SBK rookie Iker Lecuona heads into this second half of the championship lying sixth in the general standings, just seven points from fifth, having achieved a top ten finish in every race (including a podium in the second race at Assen), except for Race2 in the Czech Republic, where he had to retire through no fault of his own. Despite a couple of crashes and resulting injuries affecting some of his races and tests, Xavi Vierge currently places tenth in what is a similarly impressive rookie season, a close fourth-place finish in the Misano Superpole Race his best result to date.

With six rounds still to run, the Spanish duo have ample opportunity to build on such encouraging results. The work has continued throughout the summer, with Team HRC very eager to keep the momentum going. The riders have also kept busy, with a very positive two-day testing session in Barcelona on 20-21 August following on from an unforgettable race week in Japan for Lecuona in early August. Iker went so far as to score an historic victory in the Suzuka 8 Hours endurance race aboard the CBR1000RR-R SP, alongside fast and experienced team-mates Tetsuta Nagashima and Takumi Takahashi. Honda’s 28th success in one of the world’s most iconic race was also the factory’s first win since 2014, and a major achievement for the Spanish rider at just 22 years of age.

Located close to the towns of Magny-Cours and Nevers in the Burgundy region of France, the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours was constructed in 1960. A regular fixture on the Superbike calendar, the circuit has been hosting the production-derived championship since 2003 but has also staged MotoGP and F1 races in the past. Measuring 4.411 kilometres in length, the track incorporates seventeen turns and runs in a clockwise direction.

Schedule (CEST)

Friday

10.30 – 11.15 – SBK Free Practice 1

15.00 – 15.45 – SBK Free Practice 2

Saturday

9.00 – 9.30 – SBK Free Practice 3

11.10 – 11.25 – Superpole

14.00 – SBK Race 1

 Sunday

9.00 – 9.15 – SBK Warm-up

11.00 – Superpole race

14.00 – SBK Race 2

Iker Lecuona 7

“I am happy to get back to work! The summer break allowed us to recharge our batteries, though for me it was a mixture of rest and work. First, I had a great experience at the Suzuka 8 Hours, my first ever endurance race, not just in terms of the racing but also sharing the garage and the action with my teammates. Then we had a positive test in Catalunya where we not only continued the development work, but I was also able to regain the feeling with my bike, with my position in the saddle and with the tyres, after the Suzuka experience. Now we go Magny-Cours, yet another track that is completely new to me this year and of which I know absolutely nothing. I've only watched a few videos of past races, but essentially it will be important to learn the layout on day one and then I think the work will proceed as usual."

Xavi Vierge 97

“Magny-Cours is another new track for us, but we are getting used to this kind of situation this year, so we have prepared for the weekend just as we always do. We arrive in France with added motivation, for several reasons. Over the past weeks we’ve been able to recharge the batteries after the first half of the season and we also benefitted from two very positive days of testing in Catalunya in the middle of the summer break. I particularly enjoyed those two days, because I had a first opportunity to work calmly and methodically on the bike set-up after missing the previous team tests due to injury. So now I’m looking forward to being back on my bike and with my team and feel ready to discover a new track and enjoy the racing.”

WorldSBK 2022

Rider standings

Pos. Rider Num Nation Points Team Constructor
1 Bautista Alvaro 19 SPA 298 ARUBA Racing - Ducati Ducati
2 Rea Jonathan 65 GBR 267 Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK Kawasaki
3 Razgatlioglu Toprak 1 TUR 260 PATA YAMAHA with BRIXX WorldSBK Yamaha
4 Locatelli Andrea 55 ITA 148 PATA YAMAHA with BRIXX WorldSBK Yamaha
5 Rinaldi Michael Ruben 21 ITA 134 ARUBA Racing - Ducati Ducati
6 Lecuona Iker 7 SPA 127 Team HRC Honda
7 Bassani Alex 47 ITA 115 Motocorsa Racing Ducati
8 Lowes Alex 22 GBR 113 Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK Kawasaki
9 Redding Scott 45 GBR 110 BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team BMW
10 Vierge Xavi 97 SPA 79 Team HRC Honda
11 Baz Loris 76 FRA 65 Bonovo Action BMW BMW
12 Gerloff Garrett 31 USA 55 GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Yamaha
13 Öttl Philipp 5 GER 40 Team GOELEVEN Ducati
14 Mahias Lucas 44 FRA 31 Kawasaki Puccetti Racing Kawasaki
15 Bernardi Luca 29 ITA 23 BARNI Spark Racing Team Ducati
16 Tamburini Roberto 2 ITA 23 Yamaha MotoxRacing WorldSBK Team Yamaha
17 Laverty Eugene 50 IRE 18 Bonovo Action BMW BMW
18 Fores Xavi 15 SPA 12 Team GOELEVEN Ducati
19 Nozane Kohta 3 JPN 12 GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Yamaha
20 van der Mark Michael 60 NDL 11 BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team BMW
21 Mykhalchyk Illia 37 UKR 10 BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team BMW
22 Ponsson Christophe 23 FRA 8 Team Gil Motor Sport Yamaha
23 Syahrin Hafizh 35 MAL 4 MIE Racing HONDA Team Honda
24 Haslam Leon 91 GBR 4 TPR Team Pedercini Racing Kawasaki
25 Mackenzie Tarran 95 GBR 3 McAMS Yamaha Yamaha
26 Hickman Peter 10 GBR 2 FHO Racing BMW
27 Mercado Leandro 36 ARG 2 MIE Racing HONDA Team Honda
28 Vinales Isaac 32 SPA 0 Yamaha MotoxRacing WorldSBK Team Yamaha
29 Rabat Tito 53 SPA 0 Kawasaki Puccetti Racing Kawasaki
30 Marvin Fritz 17 GER 0 Yamaha MotoxRacing WorldSBK Team Yamaha
31 Ruiu Gabriele 16 ITA 0 B-Max Racing Team BMW
32 Konig Oliver 52 CZE 0 ORELAC Racing VERDNATURA Kawasaki
33 Vickers Ryan James 77 GBR 0 TPR Team Pedercini Racing Kawasaki
34 Delbianco Alessandro 25 ITA 0 TPR Team Pedercini Racing Kawasaki
35 Cresson Loris 84 BEL 0 TPR Team Pedercini Racing Kawasaki
Location Information

Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours Technopole – 58470 Magny-Cours – France Magny Cours

POLE POSITION RIGHT
LENGTH 4.411 Km
CORNERS 17
RIGHT CORNERS 9
LEFT CORNERS 8

Records

Pole Record 1'35.453 (166,360 Km/h) G.Gerloff (BMW M1000 RR 2023)
Race Record 1'36.084 (165,268 Km/h) A.Bautista (SPRC) (Ducati V4R 2023)
All Time Record 1'35.453 (166,360 Km/h) G.Gerloff (BMW M1000 RR 2023)
2023 Race 1 Winner T.Razgatlioglu (Yamaha YZF R1)
2023 Superpole Race Winner T.Razgatlioglu (Yamaha YZF R1)
2023 Race 2 Winner A.Bautista ((Ducati V4R)