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“We Begin With A Totally different Mentality Than This Yr…”
Honda’s Iker Lecuona And Xavi Vierge Speak 2023 WorldSBK Season
by Michael Gougis
On the eve of the WorldSBK winter check at Jerez, Honda’s manufacturing facility racers Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge advised the worldwide media that, with new concessions in hand and a yr of expertise on the quick however difficult CBR1000RR-R, they absolutely anticipated to be preventing for higher leads to 2023 than they’d in 2022.
“We now have numerous information (now), and we see the potential now we have,” mentioned Vierge, the previous Moto2 World Championship podium finisher who has simply accomplished his first season on the manufacturing facility HRC Superbike group.
“For certain, we begin with a special mentality than this yr. We now have potential. We begin with the mentality that we will combat for the rostrum if all the things is true,” echoed Lecuona, who raced three seasons in MotoGP on KTM’s satellite tv for pc Tech3 squad earlier than becoming a member of Honda’s WorldSBK group in 2022.
Lecuona scored the manufacturing facility group’s solely podium and its one pole place in 2022. That needs to be positioned in perspective: The group fielded two riders that weren’t solely new to Honda, however to WorldSBK, and each struggled with accidents at completely different factors within the season. Nonetheless, it was not the season Honda wished.
Worse was that former HRC manufacturing facility rider Alvaro Bautista, who scored solely three podiums on his Honda in 2020 and 2021, returned to the manufacturing facility Ducati group in 2022, went straight again to the entrance of the sector, and took his first Superbike World Championship. It was arduous to keep away from drawing the conclusion that the weak part of the Bautista-Honda mixture was the bike, not the rider.
In an try and create extra aggressive racing, WorldSBK rules permit completely different producers completely different specs and concessions. Engine rev limits and chassis changes are completely different from producer to producer, and the sequence is contemplating imposing a minimal mixed rider/machine weight restrict.
For 2022, Honda is among the beneficiaries of the brand new “superconcessions” rules, and Vierge says the elevated parameters of chassis changes will assist the group get probably the most from its CBR1000RR-R.
Whereas the machine may be very fast in a straight line, there are areas the place the Honda struggles. An absence of rear grip on the finish of races prices the HRC riders acceleration out of corners, Vierge says, and the final part of braking into the corners wants enchancment, as a result of what the Honda riders are dropping in acceleration they’re making an attempt to make up on the brakes.
Vierge says the elevated capacity to regulate swingarm pivot and steering geometry ought to assist the group make higher use of the sequence’ spec Pirelli tires.
“For certain, superconcessions will assist us. It’s going to assist us have a neater life,” Vierge says.
With out that help, Lecuona says, the Honda requires its riders to attempt to pressure the machine to do issues it doesn’t need to do, with predictable outcomes.
“You might want to combat with the bike to go quick. Many crashes,” Lecuona says. “We now have many new components. I don’t know what we have to attempt within the check, however we’re 100% able to combat.”
Vierge says the Honda’s struggles start when the rear tire begins to put on throughout races.
“We wrestle a bit greater than the remaining to cease the bike within the final a part of the nook, so we push extra the tire, after which we by no means can choose up the bike to search out the proper drive. To go just like the others, we have to use rather more the tire,” Vierge says. “We lose on acceleration, we are attempting to make up that point (in braking). Originally of the races, with the brand new tire, we’re capable of be there, let’s say. However…after the second the tire drops we can not proceed pushing on the identical degree. The crashes arrive.”
Vierge’s feedback echoed that of Honda’s Marc Marquez, who mentioned after the primary post-season check that he was struggling to get the RC213V stopped over the past part of braking.
Each Honda WorldSBK riders mentioned the thought of a minimal mixed rider/machine weight had positives and negatives, and Vierge added that such a regulation could be troublesome to implement in a manner that impacts all riders and groups equally.
“In regards to the minimal weight, it’s troublesome to say. In our field, Iker (Lecuona) is rather more heavy than me. For certain he has some advantages, but additionally some positives for myself. In fact, my bike is far quicker on the straight, however then I’m not in a position to make use of the rear grip like he (can). I used to be all the time combating the grip,” Vierge says.
“It’s troublesome. In the event that they put the (mixed) minimal weight, I cannot have the benefit of the straight, let’s say, however I’ll proceed having the drawback of not utilizing the rear grip, so…it’s not simple to be honest to everybody. In…areas like MotoGP and Superbike, it’s actually troublesome to search out the proper compromise. Should you transfer one thing, you’ll penalize somebody or one other one. If you’re actually small, you aren’t capable of change nothing to win race. If you’re huge, will probably be rather more powerful than one other individual, however you may make completely different coaching. It’s not simple. I can perceive each components.”
Whereas the group has the “superconcessions” to work with for 2023, testing is proscribed and time is brief, so HRC’s problem is to search out the perfect settings amongst a much bigger vary of potentialities within the time that it has earlier than the season begins, Vierge says.
“Honda is Honda, and for certain we shall be again preventing for wins,” Vierge says.
