WSBK Superbike Test Catalunya: Very positive results for Team HRC under the Catalan sun

The HRC factory team successfully completed their two days of testing in warm and sunny conditions at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, where they shared the track with many other WorldSBK teams.

With a first victory at the 8 Suzuka 2022 Hours still fresh in the memory ofIker Lecuona, and a contract extension option exercised for Xavi Virgo, the two happy and motivated riders took advantage of this summer test session to prepare for the second half of the season, while adapting the settings of their bike to the fast Spanish track before the local round which will take place on the same circuit the weekend of September 23-25.

On the track from 10:00 a.m. to 18:00 p.m. on the first day and only losing the last half hour on the second day due to a thunderstorm, Iker Lecuona et Xavi Verge focused on various aspects of their bike's setup, including electronics and mapping settings, and compared a multitude of components, including some links, Pirelli tires and, on the side ofIker Lecuona, a new handbrake system.

Having drawn up a very positive assessment at the end of the intense work carried out during these two days with their respective teams, the drivers will now take two final weeks of rest, before returning to the track at Magny-Cours, in France, on Friday 9 September for the seventh round of the WorldSBK championship.

Iker Lecuona : " Overall, I am very happy with these two days of testing. On the morning of the first day we struggled with the brake settings and it also took me some time to readjust to the tires and find my position on the bike, which is set up quite differently from the Suzuka 8h . It took a few hours to get all these things sorted out but we were able to get everything sorted by early afternoon and start working efficiently. I started to feel good and comfortable on my bike again and I also tried a handbrake which I liked. I wasn't able to fully exploit it the first day but the more I used it, the more I got used to it, and I think we will continue to work in this area to improve it further. We tried a number of different settings, finding a good pace on used tires, and we also did a quick lap on a qualifying tire and we were fast. So overall, we leave here very happy. »

Xavi Verge : " After being forced to miss a lot of tests, I'm really happy with how these two days went. We had some extra work to do after missing the Donington and Misano tests, so we made a lot of changes to the bike to understand the direction and we were able to make good progress, especially today. We found the way and I finally found my good feeling on the bike and I was able to find a good racing rhythm. It's just a shame that we couldn't try the soft tire, which we had planned for the last minutes of the session, but a storm forced us to return to the pits. As I said, it was a very productive test which I hope will prove useful during the second half of the season. I'm also happy looking ahead to next year of course: you can be sure that the team and I will continue to aim for the top where we want to be. »