English
Italiano
Xavi Vierge and the HRC team are looking forward to the upcoming World Superbike season, buoyed by the progress made in the last rounds of 2024. Progress that we discussed with the Honda rider at the Tokyo-based manufacturer's stand at EICMA. In a chat in which Vierge told us about, among other things, the goals for 2025, Aleix Espargaró's entry into Honda, and the innovations brought to Milan by the Japanese manufacturer. Prominent among which is the new V3 engine.
"I think it's a good step toward the future to combine all the innovations of the electric with a combustion engine, also because to me at least the idea of losing the combustion scares me," admitted the Spanish rider. "Understanding how to bring the new technology on this basis will give the opportunity in the future to produce some incredible things like this that Honda has made."
Speaking of the future, there is a lot of anticipation for next year after the good work done by Honda in this 2024.
"It has not been an easy year. Especially the first races were very difficult because the bike was totally new and we lacked the time to understand the right direction. We are working a lot and from the middle of the championship until the end, we made a good step forward. We understood the way forward and with small changes we were able to go faster and battle with the leaders, which is our goal. I hope that this winter we will have more time to take another step forward and fight until the end."
What goal have you set for 2025?
"We have made a lot of changes, we and Honda are working a lot and we finished the season with a good base. We are competitive now and so it is easier to take a further step forward. So, the goal is to fine-tune what we have figured out this season to start the next one with a more competitive base. A nice goal could be to try to be fighting for the Top 5 and then the next step is to fight for the win."
Coming from Moto2, what impact did you have getting on the Honda for the first time?
"For someone coming from another championship, like me and Iker, it's good to get on an SBK without ever having tried another one, because you give your best with the bike you have. The first year the level wasn't bad. It was better than what we all expected. The problem was that the level of the championship then grew so much, and in the next year and a half we couldn't find the right way to go. Especially this year. With the times we were doing then, we would have been in the fight for victory. However, now we've found the right path, we're going strong, we've gotten closer to the top riders and we hope to close the gap."
Honda has invested in Aleix Espargaró to carry on with the development in MotoGP from 2025. Would you like to see him involved in SBK as well?
"More riders means more information, so I think Aleix's arrival can help us as well. He is a rider with a lot of experience, who has proven to be very fast and within a few years has managed to bring a bike that was not working very well to the level of fighting for the title. He can definitely bring us so much and I hope he helps us as well."
Were you surprised by what Toprak did this year with BMW?
"What he did was incredible. Last year BMW had a bad start, but then they went strong at the end of the season. Especially with Gerloff, who was one of the fastest at the end of the race. This year Toprak definitely made a difference, but they also showed a great step forward, because van der Mark was also fighting for podiums and victory. Toprak definitely helped, but they all did a great job."
When you arrived at Honda, did you start working by following Bautista's data or did you chart your own path?
"Iker and I were two young and experienced riders, but not in this championship. So, we started working with a normal base and then we moved to the road that Bautista had mapped out, because we realized it was the right one. Even today, we are still following a little bit the direction brought forward by Alvaro, because he proved to be very fast, winning both before and after. We have tried so many things, we are working hard, and we are sure that this is the way to go."
Do you still follow Moto2? What do you expect from Huertas?
"Clearly, as a fan I like to follow the bikes and all of MotoGP. This year has been very good to watch and MotoGP is not over yet. I think Huertas will be able to do very well, because we saw that Navarro fought for victory in Malaysia as a substitute. He will miss some time in the beginning because there are so many different things, but he is at the right level."
What about Acosta?
"I think what he is doing is incredible. Especially with the current level of MotoGP. Many years ago, there were only four or five factory teams, whereas now you can do well even with a satellite team, as Martin has shown. That's why it's even more difficult to get to MotoGP and do really well as Pedro is doing. Now there are so many differences between Moto2 and MotoGP. Not only in terms of power, weight and tyres. There are so many aspects to work on, like understanding the aerodynamics and the various devices, and it was amazing to see him almost fighting for the podium already in the second race."
