A few days before the official presentation, the HRC team took to the track for two days of testing in view of the 2022 season. Xavi Vierge and Iker Lecuona went to Portimao to ride with the CBR1000RR-R taking advantage of the mild temperatures of the Lusitanian track and continue to grind kilometers ahead of the Superbike debut, scheduled for April with the first round of the year.
Being private tests, there are no chronometric references and the bikes did not mount the transponder, so the information is almost nil. However, according to what the pilots report at the end of the two days, the balance is more than positive. Vierge and Lecuona took advantage of the two days of testing after the tests carried out on this track at the beginning of February, where there were also other teams.
The Portimao tests have given important information to the Honda team, which collects data on a different type of track, after having already lapped in Jerez. At the end of the days in the Algarve, Xavi Vierge says: “I am very happy with my feeling with Honda on this track, having only tested in Jerez so far. At the beginning I felt like I had never ridden this track before, but lap after lap I started to gain feeling and confidence. I understood fluidity and speed better, I enjoyed it. We started testing some different elements and set-ups, focusing on the electronics and geometry of the bike ”.
Xavi Vierge, Team HRC
Photo by: Honda Racing
“A very positive thing is that we have been able to improve with each outing we have done, without problems and without delays,” continues the Spaniard. “Today’s temperatures were a bit cooler than we expected after yesterday’s perfect weather, but we completed a long run and it was really helpful for me and the team to see how it went and how I felt during it. In these two days we have completed a large amount of laps and collected a lot of information that will help the technicians to prepare for the next test. We must continue like this because we are working well and in the right direction ”.
Iker Lecuona echoes him, also happy with the progress: “I am very happy because we have improved a lot in these two days, both in terms of feeling with the bike and overall performance. We worked on the tires on Thursday and also tested some new elements, taking a good step forward in the process and lapping very steadily. On the last day the weather was slightly less mild, colder and windier, and the asphalt was also much colder than the previous day. But we have made some progress and this is good news. I am also happy that my feeling with the bike was similar both here and in Jerez, two very different tracks. The good points and the ones we need to improve are essentially the same in both circuits, which means that our direction is clear. Now we will turn our attention to Jerez because we need to continue in this way ”.
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