SBK, Vierge and Lecuona seek redemption: “We need to get back on the podium”

After Kawasaki, it was Honda’s turn to unveil the factory Team HRC CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP machines that Xavi Vierge and Iker Lecuona will race during the upcoming WorldSBK championship. With a bike that is revolutionised with respect to last year, and with the arrival of a new Team Manager (Jose Manuel Escamez, who takes the place of Leon Camier), the goal is to be back fighting for the positions that count following a season that proved more complicated than expected.

 

Vierge: “We didn’t express our potential in 2023”

“We didn’t always live up to our potential in 2023”, explains Vierge, who aims for greater consistency going into 2024. “Performance sometimes depended on the track, the conditions, and whether there was a good level of grip or not. Our potential was great at Indonesia, for example, but perhaps less so at some other tracks, so we want to work hard to achieve a better, more consistent level of performance at different circuits.”

 

New crew chief for Iker Lecuona

The changes are even more significant for Iker, who will work with a new crew chief in the form of Tom Jojic. This is no problem for the Spaniard though: “Changing crew chief is never really a problem for me. I think I’m a friendly, open person and my initial impression of Tom was very good. I look forward to developing our relationship throughout the season.”

More than a year has passed since Lecuona's last top three result: “The goal is to fight for the podium. We reached the podium in our first year but not last year, which was more challenging. So our first goal is to develop the bike to a level that allows us to fight at the front and fight for the podium. We want to achieve more top three finishes, and then take it from there.”