Light and shadow for Team HRC on day one at Most
Less than a week since WorldSBK round 5 and Team HRC riders Xavi Vierge and Iker Lecuona are back in action at the Czech track of Most, the stage for round 6 of the production-derived championship.
This sixth Superbike World Championship event kicked off on Friday morning with a dry first free practice, a session that Vierge and Lecuona used to refamiliarize themselves with the track and begin to adapt the CBR1000RR-R accordingly.
It was a positive first practice for Team HRC, with Iker Lecuona ending the session in eighth place thanks to a personal best of 1’32.538, while a 1’33.014 set in the final seconds saw Xavi Vierge place eleventh.
The afternoon session proved less fortunate for both riders who, for different reasons, were unable to improve on their promising FP1 performances. A little change to the bike’s setup did not work as expected for Lecuona, but it likely served to clarify the direction to follow tomorrow. This left Iker rounding out the day in sixteenth place in the combined standings.
On the other side of the garage, Vierge was happy with a refinement made to his CBR1000RR-R and completed a satisfactory long run on used tyres. However, a small issue with his bike during the second run prevented him from continuing and fitting a soft tyre for a fast lap. The team will now analyse the data in order to prepare effectively for Saturday’s final practice, Superpole, and Race 1.
Iker Lecuona 7
"We didn’t make a bad start this morning, to be honest, but then we struggled a lot in the afternoon. We changed something on the bike, and even though it was nothing big, the bike did not react well at all. Not only were we unable to improve our feeling and performance, but we were also much slower than we had been during the morning. I guess we have some answers now, and with the data collected, we will see what to do for tomorrow ahead of qualifying and the race."
Xavi Vierge 97
“Despite our overall position, it has been a positive first day here at Most. The feeling with the bike this morning was not so bad right from the outset. Then we made a small adjustment to the bike’s setup between FP1 and FP2 that improved my feeling and allowed me to maintain good pace during a long run with the used tyres from the morning. It was a pity we had a little problem with the bike during our second exit, which prevented me from rejoining the session and using a soft tyre to go for a fast lap. That’s why we didn’t improve on our morning lap time. Anyway, we will take the positive, which is our race pace, and will see tomorrow when we have the chance to fit a new tyre. That will show us our level. As I said, a solid first day."
Free Practices Combined Results
| Pos. | Rider | Num | Nation | Team | Constructor | Time/Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Razgatlioglu Toprak | 54 | TUR | ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team | BMW | 1'31.519 |
| 2 | Bautista Alvaro | 1 | SPA | ARUBA Racing - Ducati | Ducati | 1'31.622 0.103 |
| 3 | Rea Jonathan | 65 | GBR | PATA PROMETEON YAMAHA | Yamaha | 1'32.033 0.514 |
| 4 | Lowes Alex | 22 | GBR | Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK | Kawasaki | 1'32.052 0.533 |
| 5 | Bulega Nicolò | 11 | ITA | ARUBA Racing - Ducati | Ducati | 1'32.071 0.552 |
| 6 | Petrucci Danilo | 9 | ITA | BARNI Spark Racing Team | Ducati | 1'32.110 0.591 |
| 7 | Gardner Remy | 87 | AUS | GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team | Yamaha | 1'32.233 0.714 |
| 8 | van der Mark Michael | 60 | NDL | ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team | BMW | 1'32.335 0.816 |
| 9 | Redding Scott | 45 | GBR | Bonovo Action BMW | BMW | 1'32.365 0.846 |
| 10 | Locatelli Andrea | 55 | ITA | PATA PROMETEON YAMAHA | Yamaha | 1'32.369 0.850 |
| 11 | Iannone Andrea | 29 | ITA | Team GOELEVEN | Ducati | 1'32.426 0.907 |
| 12 | Lowes Sam | 14 | GBR | ELF Marc VDS Racing Team | Ducati | 1'32.448 0.929 |
| 13 | Gerloff Garrett | 31 | USA | Bonovo Action BMW | BMW | 1'32.461 0.942 |
| 14 | Aegerter Dominique | 77 | SWI | GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team | Yamaha | 1'32.501 0.982 |
| 15 | Bassani Axel | 47 | ITA | Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK | Kawasaki | 1'32.521 1.002 |
| 16 | Lecuona Iker | 7 | SPA | Team HRC | Honda | 1'32.538 1.019 |
| 17 | Rinaldi Michael Ruben | 21 | ITA | Motocorsa Racing | Ducati | 1'32.800 1.281 |
| 18 | Rabat Tito | 53 | SPA | Kawasaki Puccetti Racing | Kawasaki | 1'32.962 1.443 |
| 19 | Ray Bradley | 28 | GBR | Yamaha MotoxRacing WorldSBK Team | Yamaha | 1'33.011 1.492 |
| 20 | Vierge Xavi | 97 | SPA | Team HRC | Honda | 1'33.014 1.495 |
| 21 | Öttl Philipp | 5 | GER | GMT94 Yamaha | Yamaha | 1'33.550 2.031 |
| 22 | Mercado Leandro | 36 | ARG | PETRONAS MIE Racing HONDA Team | Honda | 1'33.993 2.474 |
| 23 | Gillim Hayden | 79 | USA | PETRONAS MIE Racing HONDA Team | Honda | 1'34.350 2.831 |
Location Information
Autodrom Most, Czech Republic Autodrom Most is a new track in WorldSBK calendar for 2021. Thanks to its attractive event line-up, it is popular destination for many motor enthusiasts and their families from whole Europe. The track was completed in 1983 as a part of restoration of coal mine lands… read more.
| Pole Position | Left |
| Lenght | 4.212 Km |
| Corners | 21 |
| Right | 14 |
| Left | 7 |
Records
| Pole Record | 1'30.064 (168,360 Km/h) Km/h T.Razgatlioglu, (BMW M 1000 RR, 2024) |
| Race Record | 1'31.180 166,300 Km/h T.Razgatlioglu, SPR (Yamaha YZF-R1, 2022) |
| All Time Record | 1'30.064 (168,360 Km/h) Km/h T.Razgatlioglu, (BMW M 1000 RR, 2024) |
| 2024 Race 1 Winner | T.Razgatlioglu, (BMW M 1000 R) |
| 2024 Superpole Race Winner | T.Razgatlioglu, (BMW M 1000 R) |
| 2024 Race 2 Winner | T.Razgatlioglu, (BMW M 1000 R) |
