Xavi Vierge and Sergio García ready themselves for WorldSBK round nine

Factory rider Xavi Vierge and substitute rider Sergio García prepare for the ninth round of the season at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours in France

The Honda HRC team is on site at the historic French track of Magny-Cours, ready to tackle the ninth of twelve Superbike World Championship rounds with Xavi Vierge and replacement rider Sergio García, who stands in for a recovering Iker Lecuona.

Unfit to compete this weekend, Lecuona has had a challenging summer after fracturing his left forearm during a Race 1 crash at Balaton Park. Having undergone surgery to stabilise the arm on 28 July, the Spaniard continues to work hard on his recovery so as to return to action as soon as possible.

In preparation for the upcoming race weekend, Vierge took part in a test session in late August, joined by 22-year-old García, who had a first opportunity to ride the Honda Superbike.

Last year’s French round proved positive for the Honda HRC team, with a series of strong results for both Vierge and Lecuona, not least a fifth-place finish for Xavi in the Superpole race. With this in mind, the Spaniard is confident that Magny-Cours can again represent happy hunting ground for the team. On the other side of the garage, García will be making his WorldSBK debut this weekend, and so has different priorities, the first being to build confidence and find feeling with the CBR1000RR-R around the French track.

Inaugurated in 1960 in France’s Nièvre department, the Magny-Cours track measures 4.411 kilometres and runs in a clockwise direction. It is made up of seventeen turns, some of which are based on famous corners from other circuits. The track layout combines fast, flowing sections and slow hairpins, while the weather conditions have been known to play a part in the racing in this region of central France at this time of year.

Xavi Vierge #97

“We arrive at Magny-Cours after a few weeks off. It’s a demanding track for everyone, also because of the weather, which can often be unpredictable. Last year I achieved some good results here, including a top five in the Superpole Race. Overall, it was a very positive weekend for the team, so we have a good base on which to build. We’re also coming off a constructive testing session where we found some small positives. Aragón is quite different from Magny-Cours, both in terms of layout and grip, but some details we worked on could help us to make little step forwards. The goal is clear: to start as well and as fast as possible in FP1, because at Magny-Cours you never know what conditions you will find over the weekend.”

 Sergio García #10

“I have never raced at Magny-Cours, so will prepare in the usual way, by watching some videos and past WorldSBK races, and maybe trying it on the “Play”. Of course, the best-case scenario would be to have good, stable weather right from Friday’s free practice, never guaranteed in France. It’s going to be a challenge for me, but I believe the right approach is to get there and work hard and calmly together with the team, just as we did during the Aragón test. Naturally, the goal is to be as fast as possible, but also to enjoy the experience.”

Weekend schedule (CET):

Friday

10.20 – 11.05 – SBK Free Practice 1

15.00 – 15.45 – SBK Free Practice 2

Saturday

9.00 – 9.20 – SBK Free Practice 3

11.00 – 11.15 – Superpole

14.00 – SBK Race 1

Sunday

9.00 – 9.10 – SBK Warm-up

11.00 – Superpole race

15.30 – SBK Race 2