Iker Lecuona counts Donington as one of his favourite tracks after a private test – Xavi Vierge comes to Great Britain without track knowledge
The break between the WSBK races at Misano and Donington was quite stressful for Honda rider Iker Lecuona. In mid-June, Lecuona completed a test at Donington. The Spaniard also flew to Japan to test for the Suzuka 8 Hours. Team mate Xavi Vierge was unable to ride during the break. The former Moto2 rider used the time off to cure the hand injury he sustained at Misano.
In Misano, Honda presented itself in strong form. Will this upward trend continue in Donington? “The four weeks between Misano and Donington were very busy for us,” reports Iker Lecuona. “We were in the UK for a one-day test, then we had another two-day session at Misano and finally a trip to Japan for a test for the Suzuka 8 Hours before coming back to Donington for the race weekend.”
“I’ve never been to Donington before so it was very positive to have the opportunity to get to know the track in advance. It means we can focus on set-up straight away this week. I took my cue from some British riders at the start. They helped me to quickly find the best lines through some of the blind corners in the first sectors,” explained Lecuona.
Iker Lecuona counts Donington as one of his three favourite circuits
“I like the track a lot, even if it is very demanding from a physical point of view. I felt it especially in my right arm, which has been operated on in the past due to problems with the arm pump,” Lecuona reports. “That’s another thing I have to take into account this weekend. “
“I’m definitely happy to race on this track because I would definitely rank it among the top three tracks I’ve ever raced on,” Lecuona enthuses about the challenging course not far from Birmingham.
Xavi Vierge already studied the data from the Donington test
Team-mate Xavi Vierge travels to Donington with no track knowledge, but is happy to get back on his Honda Fireblade. “I am very happy because I am doing better than I expected after my injury. The surgery went very well and I was able to start training and cycling again soon. I worked hard with my physiotherapist,” reported the former Moto2 rider.
“I’m looking forward to Donington and I was lucky to be able to use the break between the fourth and fifth rounds to work on my recovery,” noted Vierge. “It was a shame that I couldn’t be at the last test so I have to learn the track in addition, but at least I was able to join the team in the pits during the Misano test where I worked with my data engineer and analysed all the data collected at Donington.”
“Obviously I won’t know exactly how I’m doing until I’m back on the bike, but on paper it looks like a very nice layout that suits my riding style, so hopefully I’ll be fully fit and able to enjoy it from the first practice,” he said, looking ahead to the fifth WSBK weekend of his career.
