Honda HRC team rounds out a constructive test at Jerez

The Honda HRC team completes an important WorldSBK test session at Jerez Circuit with factory rider Xavi Vierge.

Returning to the racetrack for the first time after the winter break, the Honda HRC team has made the most of a test session at Jerez in Spain. On track with Xavi Vierge, the factory team worked hard over the course of Wednesday 22 and half of Thursday 23 January. Vierge was supported by Honda test rider Tetsuta Nagashima, and replacement rider Borja Gómez, who stands in for an injured Iker Lecuona this week. Lecuona was nevertheless on site for the duration of the test, following the action with the team in the garage.

Having not tested since November last year, the squad used these days on Spanish soil to carry out a general shakedown of the CBR1000RR-R machines, with Vierge, Nagashima and Gómez all able to provide the technicians in the garage with valuable feedback as the factory team gears up for the start of the 2025 racing season. Conditions remained dry throughout Wednesday, with the team benefitting from a few sunny spells and mild winter temperatures. This meant that the squad was able to complete a good deal of very productive setup work on which to build. Unfortunately, Thursday brought very different conditions, and with rain falling on and off and making for a permanently wet track, the team elected to cut the test short after completing half a day’s work.

Factory rider Vierge nevertheless completed more than 100 laps over the course of the two days, the Spaniard maximising track time in different conditions, and keen to continue in a similar vein at Portimão, where testing will continue on 28-29 January. It is anticipated the Iker Lecuona will rejoin his team-mate for the Portuguese test sessions.