Vierge makes a solid start to his home SBK round at Aragón; Bridewell takes on the challenge of a new track

Team HRC rider Xavi Vierge and substitute Tommy Bridewell have completed the first practice sessions of the tenth WorldSBK round at Motorland Aragón in Spain.

Out in relatively cool conditions on Friday morning for the weekend’s opening practice, Vierge made a very strong start that saw him move straight into the top five. Harnessing the data collated during the recent test at this same track, the Spaniard and his technicians made a few small setup modifications to increase the local rider’s feeling. Making progress and looking comfortable at his home track, Vierge concluded the session a convincing fourth with a fastest time of 1’49.409. Replacement rider Bridewell had different priorities as the weekend’s action got underway. Using this first session to familiarise himself with a track he’s never seen until now, the Brit took a step-by-step approach to day one. Making small gains during this opening phase, Tommy set a reference of 1’53.456 with which he placed twenty-third.

A determined Vierge carried the morning’s positive trend into the afternoon. Continuing to work productively, albeit in much warmer conditions with respect to FP1, Xavi and his team were pleased with the progress made. Setting a fastest time of 1’49.288, the Spaniard rounded out the day eighth in the combined standings. On the other side of the garage, Bridewell was able to improve significantly from one session to the next in terms of outright lap times, setting a best of 1’51.586 towards the end of FP2 to place twenty-second. Still looking for the best solution in terms of setup, Tommy is nevertheless confident that he and his team are working in the right direction and that tomorrow can bring further improvement.