WorldSBK is a go for Team HRC at Aragón!
Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge spend the first two practice sessions working on race pace in preparation for their first ever three-race weekend in what is a WorldSBK debut appearance for them both.
After a long winter of preparation and pre-season tests, the 2022 Superbike World Championship finally gets underway for Team HRC and ‘rookie’ riders Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge at the Motorland Aragón facility in Spain.
The very first practice session of the season got going at 10.30 am CET in dry conditions (air 16°C, track 23°C). Both Lecuona and Vierge were straight out on track with their CBR1000RR-R FIREBLADES, focusing on race pace so as to prepare for tomorrow’s first race. The team made the most of their track time and, by the end of this initial 45-minute phase, Lecuona had set a best of 1’50.540, Vierge a 1’50.867, the Team HRC riders thus placing ninth and twelfth respectively.
Later in the afternoon, both riders continued to work in the same direction, each completing a long run. At the end of day one of SBK action, Lecuona lies tenth in the combined standings thanks to the time he set in the morning session, while Vierge was able to shave a tenth off his earlier time during FP2 to close with a 1’50.787, with which he positions thirteenth overall.
Iker Lecuona 7
“I’m pleased with the work we’ve done today. This morning we basically worked with the hard tyre before putting in the soft, with which we improved our lap time, not by a huge amount because we are still a bit far off, but we saw some progression. Then, in the afternoon, conditions were a bit different, windier, but we kept working to prepare for the race, making a long run of 15 laps in which we were very constant. We are a few tenths short, that’s clear, but we’ve had a constructive day and now have a lot of data to look at in order to try and build on our speed tomorrow.”
Xavi Vierge 97
“I’m happy with our first day. It was important to recover as soon as possible and as well as possible in the days following my injury and I’m pleased to say that I’m already feeling better today than I did during testing earlier this week. I also think we made a step forward in terms of our consistency as, during the test, I couldn’t make more than two or three laps, while today we already did a long run of eleven, so this is really important looking ahead to tomorrow. We’ll now analyse all the data to see where we can improve a little more, but considering my physical condition, I think we are doing a good job.”
Free Practices Combined Results after FP2
| Pos. | Rider | Num | Nation | Team | Constructor | Time/Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rea Jonathan | 65 | GBR | Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK | Kawasaki | 1'49.301 |
| 2 | Bautista Alvaro | 19 | SPA | ARUBA Racing - Ducati | Ducati | 1'49.606 / 0.305 |
| 3 | Razgatlioglu Toprak | 1 | TUR | PATA YAMAHA with BRIXX WorldSBK | Yamaha | 1'49.665 / 0.364 |
| 4 | Gerloff Garrett | 31 | USA | GRT Yamaha WorldSBK | Yamaha | 1'49.900 / 0.599 |
| 5 | Rinaldi Michael Ruben | 21 | ITA | ARUBA Racing - Ducati | Ducati | 1'50.000 / 0.699 |
| 6 | Lowes Alex | 22 | GBR | Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK | Kawasaki | 1'50.010 / 0.709 |
| 7 | Baz Loris | 76 | FRA | Bonovo Action BMW | BMW | 1'50.336 / 1.035 |
| 8 | Locatelli Andrea | 55 | ITA | PATA YAMAHA with BRIXX WorldSBK | Yamaha | 1'50.442 / 1.141 |
| 9 | Tamburini Roberto | 2 | ITA | Yamaha MotoxRacing WorldSBK Team | Yamaha | 1'50.501 / 1.200 |
| 10 | Lecuona Iker | 7 | SPA | Team HRC | Honda | 1'50.540 / 1.239 |
| 11 | Öttl Philipp | 5 | GER | Team GOELEVEN | Ducati | 1'50.641 / 1.340 |
| 12 | Mykhalchyk Illia | 37 | UKR | BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team | BMW | 1'50.706 / 1.405 |
| 13 | Vierge Xavi | 97 | SPA | Team HRC | Honda | 1'50.787 / 1.486 |
| 14 | Bassani Alex | 47 | ITA | Motocorsa Racing | Ducati | 1'50.856 / 1.555 |
| 15 | Laverty Eugene | 50 | IRE | Bonovo Action BMW | BMW | 1'50.945 / 1.644 |
| 16 | Redding Scott | 45 | GBR | BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team | BMW | 1'51.108 / 1.807 |
| 17 | Mahias Lucas | 44 | FRA | Kawasaki Puccetti Racing | Kawasaki | 1'51.115 / 1.814 |
| 18 | Nozane Kohta | 3 | JPN | GRT Yamaha WorldSBK | Yamaha | 1'51.118 / 1.817 |
| 19 | Bernardi Luca | 29 | ITA | BARNI Spark Racing Team | Ducati | 1'51.329 / 2.028 |
| 20 | Ruiu Gabriele | 16 | ITA | B-Max Racing Team | BMW | 1'52.077 / 2.776 |
| 21 | Ponsson Christophe | 23 | FRA | Team Gil Motor Sport | Yamaha | 1'52.794 / 3.493 |
| 22 | Konig Oliver | 52 | CZE | ORELAC Racing VERDNATURA | Kawasaki | 1'52.981 / 3.680 |
| 23 | Mercado Leandro | 36 | ARG | MIE Racing HONDA Team | Honda | 1'53.143 / 3.842 |
| 24 | Syahrin Hafizh | 35 | MAL | MIE Racing HONDA Team | Honda | 1'53.247 / 3.946 |
| 25 | Cresson Loris | 84 | BEL | TPR Team Pedercini Racing | Kawasaki | 1'53.885 / 4.584 |
Location Information
The MotorLand Aragon road racing circuit was opened in 2009 and in 2011 it became the fifth Spanish track to host the WorldSBK™ Championship. MotorLand Aragón Ctra. TE- V- 7033 KM. 1. 44600 Alcañiz (Teruel) – Spain motorlandaragon.com
| Pole Position | Right |
| Length | 5.077 Km |
| Corners | 17 |
| Right Corners | 7 |
| Left Corners | 10 |
Records
| Pole Record | 1'47.973 (169,276) J.Rea (Kawasaki ZX-10RR, 2023) |
| Race Record | 1'49.028 (167,638 Km/h) J.Rea (Kawasaki ZX-10RR, 2023) SPRC |
| All Time Record | 1'47.973 (169,276) J.Rea (Kawasaki ZX-10RR, 2023) |
| 2023 Race 1 Winner | M. Rinaldi (Ducati Panigale V4 R) |
| 2023 Superpole Race Winner | A. Bautista (Ducati Panigale V4 R) |
| 2023 Race 2 Winner | A. Bautista (Ducati Panigale V4 R) |
