Team HRC readies itself for Indonesian WorldSBK round
From Australia straight to Indonesia, Team HRC is now on-site at the Mandalika International Street Circuit where the second round of the 2023 Superbike World Championship is scheduled to take place this coming weekend.
Factory riders Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge made a promising start to their 2023 campaign during the season-opener in Australia but are keen to build on those initial results at the Indonesian track. Thanks to their results at the first round, Iker and Xavi currently place seventh and tenth in the championship standings.
Lecuona was unable to compete in last year’s Mandalika races due to injuries sustained in a crash during the weekend’s first practice, but he is eager to tackle the Indonesian track now for the first time. Vierge scored a best result of sixth during last season’s round, when all three of the weekend’s races played out in very hot and humid conditions.
The beautiful circuit, which is situated in the Mandalika area of Lombok island, was only inaugurated two years ago, in 2021, when it staged the WorldSBK season finale. The track measures 4.3 km in length and features a total of seventeen turns, namely six left-handers and eleven right-handers.
Weekend schedule (CET +7):
Friday
10.00 – 10.45 – SBK FP1
13.00 – 13.45 – SBK FP2
Saturday
8.30 – 9.00 – SBK FP3
10.40 – 10.55 – Superpole
13.30 – SBK Race 1
Sunday
8.30 – 8.45 – SBK Warm-up
10.30 – SBK Superpole race
13.30 – SBK Race 2
Iker Lecuona 7
“I really happy to be in Indonesia and I just hope that the track conditions are better than they were last year, at least as far as I was able to experience, because my weekend was brought to a premature end after a massive high-side. But I like the track and I’m excited to be back in Mandalika and to race here for the first time. After the Australian weekend, I think we’re ready to fight again. We’re still learning about the new bike, so we’ll see but I’m looking forward to the next round.”
Xavi Vierge 97
“We now have the second round of the year at an amazing circuit. I really enjoyed last year’s races and I’m looking forward to getting back there, as there was an incredible atmosphere with great fans. I love the track, it's a layout I really enjoy, but hope it will be in a better condition than last year, as this will make for more exciting races. I can’t wait to get started!”
Rider standings
| Pos. | Rider | Num | Nation | Points | Team | Constructor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bautista Alvaro | 1 | SPA | 62 | ARUBA Racing - Ducati | Ducati |
| 2 | Locatelli Andrea | 55 | ITA | 34 | PATA YAMAHA with BRIXX WorldSBK | Yamaha |
| 3 | Rinaldi Michael Ruben | 21 | ITA | 31 | ARUBA Racing - Ducati | Ducati |
| 4 | Rea Jonathan | 65 | GBR | 31 | Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK | Kawasaki |
| 5 | Bassani Axel | 47 | ITA | 25 | Motocorsa Racing | Ducati |
| 6 | Razgatlioglu Toprak | 54 | TUR | 23 | PATA YAMAHA with BRIXX WorldSBK | Yamaha |
| 7 | Lecuona Iker | 7 | SPA | 22 | Team HRC | Honda |
| 8 | Öttl Philipp | 5 | GER | 20 | Team GOELEVEN | Ducati |
| 9 | Petrucci Danilo | 9 | ITA | 15 | BARNI Spark Racing Team | Ducati |
| 10 | Vierge Xavi | 97 | SPA | 14 | Team HRC | Honda |
| 11 | Aegerter Dominique | 77 | SWI | 12 | GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team | Yamaha |
| 12 | Redding Scott | 45 | GBR | 10 | ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team | BMW |
| 13 | Gardner Remy | 87 | AUS | 10 | GYTR GRT Yamaha WorldSBK Team | Yamaha |
| 14 | Gerloff Garrett | 31 | USA | 8 | Bonovo Action BMW | BMW |
| 15 | Lowes Alex | 22 | GBR | 6 | Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK | Kawasaki |
| 16 | van der Mark Michael | 60 | NDL | 4 | ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team | BMW |
| 17 | Baz Loris | 76 | FRA | 1 | Bonovo Action BMW | BMW |
| 18 | Syahrin Hafizh | 35 | MAL | 1 | PETRONAS MIE Racing HONDA Team | Honda |
| 19 | Granado Eric | 51 | BRA | 0 | PETRONAS MIE Racing HONDA Team | Honda |
| 20 | Baldassarri Lorenzo | 34 | ITA | 0 | GMT94 Yamaha | Yamaha |
| 21 | Konig Oliver | 52 | CZE | 0 | ORELAC Racing VERDNATURA | Kawasaki |
| 22 | Sykes Tom | 66 | GBR | 0 | Kawasaki Puccetti Racing | Kawasaki |
Location Information
Mandalika International Street Circuit (MISC) Kuta, Pujut, Central Lombok Regency, West Nusa Tenggara 83573 Lombok Tengah, Nusa Tenggara Barat, Indonesia E-mail: admin@themandalikagp.com Website: www.themandalikagp.com (source and image credits: Dorna)
| Pole Position | Left |
| Length | 4.310 Km |
| Corners | 17 |
| Right | 11 |
| Left | 6 |
Kuta, Kec. Pujut, Kabupaten Lombok Tengah, Nusa Tenggara Bar. 83573 - View in Google Maps
Records
| Pole Record | 1'31.371 (169,459 Km/h) T.Razgatlioglu (Yamaha YZF R1, 2022) |
| Race Record | 1'32.163 (167,963 Km/h) T.Razgatlioglu - SPR (Yamaha YZF R1, 2022) |
| All Times Record | 1'31.371 (169,459 Km/h) T.Razgatlioglu (Yamaha YZF R1, 2022) |
| Race1 Winner 2023 | A. Bautista (Ducati V4R) |
| Superpole Winner 2022 | T.Razgatlioglu (Yamaha YZF R1) |
| Race2 Winner 2023 | A. Bautista (Ducati V4R) |
