The final round of the 2023 Superbike World Championship is in full swing at the Spanish circuit of Jerez, with the first of the weekend’s SBK races bringing solid results for factory riders Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge, ninth and tenth across the line.

At what is another home round for the pair, the Spaniards were back in action during the morning’s third practice session, in which both made very good progress. Improving on his best of yesterday by more than a second, Lecuona moved up into fifth overall in the combined practices. Vierge was able to lower his lap time by a similar margin, placing twelfth overall at the end of the three prep sessions.

In the morning’s Superpole session, the Team HRC riders worked hard to secure a strong qualifying position for the final races of the year. Lecuona was inside the top ten on his first qualifying tyre, but was able to shave off just a couple of tenths with the second one, meaning his best time in 1’39.748 saw him place fourteenth at the session’s end. Vierge set a fastest time of 1’39.792, which was enough for an sixteenth place finish. The duo thus qualified on the fifth and sixth rows of the grid for the afternoon’s race.

Fifteenth and sixteenth through the opening turns, Xavi and Iker were lapping with similar times and made similar progress to each other through the early stages of the 20-lap race. Up into eleven and twelfth place by lap four, the Team HRC duo continued to push hard into the second half of the race, although a four-second gap had in the meantime opened up in front of them. After swapping position on lap 12, they made up another place each five laps from the end.

Going right down to the last corner of the last lap, Marc Marquez kept the crowd on the edge of their seats as he put it all on the line to snatch fourth place in true Marc Marquez fashion. Behind, Joan Mir authored one of his strongest comebacks to make up seven positions.

Saturday in Buriram was another intense day of MotoGP action as lap records fell from almost the first moment of the day. Marc Marquez triumphed through a hard-fought Q1 session to start the day in Thailand, joining the fight for the top 12 soon after. A best lap of 1’29.622 later in the session earned the eight-time World Champion eighth place on the grid for the day’s Sprint Race and Sunday’s Grand Prix. Starting just behind his brother, Alex Marquez, the #93 shot off the line and immediately began working his way forward.

Sitting comfortably in the group battling for the top five, Marquez saved himself and his tyre for the end of the race. Dropping as low as sixth place, Marquez dug deep and put it all on the line in the final two laps to pass Bezzecchi and enter into an intense battle with Aleix Espargaro for fourth place. As in 2019 with a World Championship on the line, it came down to the final corner and in repeat fashion Marquez got the crowd on their feet as he slipped ahead to seal fourth.

From 19th on the grid after a difficult Q1 session, Joan Mir was immediately in attack mode as he began to relentlessly march forward. Making up a handful of places in the first corners, his progress through the field was steady as he matched the lap times of the top ten. Crossing the line in 12th, the 2020 MotoGP World Champion finished seven places higher than he started. Content with the speed he showed, Mir is hoping to put his learning into action on Sunday and return to a point scoring finish.

Tomorrow’s main event, the Thai GP, is scheduled to start at 15:00 Local Time and will run over 26 laps.

MotoGP turned-up the heat again for the final stage of the penultimate triple-header in 2023 and the fourth Thai Grand Prix that brought the world championship into the suffocating climes of the Chang International Circuit. Around the fast 4.5km course, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing sprinted to the podium in the Saturday chase with Brad Binder registering his sixth Sprint top three of the year with the KTM RC16.

• Brad Binder qualifies 5th and just two tenths from Pole Position. He blasts to his sixth Sprint podium appearance of the season with P2 and less than one second from the winner
• Jack Miller classifies 10th after going into Q1 and starting from 15th on the grid
• Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Pedro Acosta has his first opportunity to win the 2023 Moto2™ world title on Sunday and the Spaniard starts from 2nd on the grid. Moto3™ teammate Deniz Öncü breaks the lap record with his KTM RC4 for Pole

Red Bull KTM came to Thailand with positive memories of a wet weather victory last year and were encouraged after the improved performance experienced by the team in the wind-hit Australian round the previous weekend. Buriram promised vastly different circumstances for the third Grand Prix in a row with 30+degrees temperatures, roasting asphalt and hard braking and acceleration on the menu compared to the free-flowing layout in Phillip Island.

On a sunny Friday both Binder and Miller found lap-times to head into direct Q2 contention during the Practice session during the afternoon. In the final minutes the flying attempts hit the screens and the pair classified 9th and 13th respectively. Just half a second divided the first 18 riders! While Miller was fractionally distant from the mark in Q1 (meaning 15th on the start grid) Binder was vying for a front row slot until the final minute and the last barrage of flying attempts. He finished Q2 in 5th.

Saturday dawned hot but with more clouds and the possibility of a brief shower. The MotoGP Sprint lasted for 13 laps. Binder, who qualified on the fourth row in 2022 for what was his first time here in the MotoGP class, had a view of the track from the second line on this occasion. He seared into the top four and then had to fight for most of the race distance to pass Luca Marini for 2nd place. Once through he tried to close the gap to Jorge Martin and narrowed the margin to just under a second at the finish line. The result marked the fourth time that Brad as taken P2 in MotoGP Sprints this season and he is the third most successful rider on Grand Prix Saturdays thus far.

Miller formed part of some hectic battles further down the field and managed to defeat Fabio Quartararo to make the top ten, while being the only rider to experiment with the harder front tire compound. European fans will have to set the alarm clocks (aware of the daylight saving time!) for 09.00 CEST to catch the full 26 laps on Sunday.

Honda Racing Corporation is pleased to announce a contract extension with Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge for the next two years. Xavi and Iker have been the standard-bearers for Honda in the FIM Superbike World Championship in 2022 and 2023, with both making an impression on and off the track for their talent, speed, and positive attitude.

Iker Lecuona | Team HRC

“It’s good to have everything clear on the contract side because we must focus on the job ahead.  I want to fight at the front and succeed, something HRC has always strived for in the racing field, but we must work hard to reach that level, so soon after the last round of the 2023 championship we will turn our full attention to testing as we start to prepare for the new season, aiming to take a consistent step forward in terms of performance and results.”

Xavi Vierge | Team HRC

“I’m happy to have renewed my contract with Team HRC for another two years. It’s every rider’s dream to be part of a HRC factory team and my feelings have only grown since my early days with the squad. It is a source of motivation to continue together, as I believe in the project, in myself, and in my team. Together we can accomplish our goal, which is to try to fight for the championship as soon as possible. And so we will continue to work as hard as we can in order to get there.”

Tetsuhiro Kuwata | HondaRacing Corporation – General Manager,
Race Operations Management Division

“In nearly two years of working together, we have come to appreciate Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge in every respect, and we are therefore happy and pleased to announce that both will remain HRC factory riders for the next two years. Xavi and Iker are two young, fast and competitive riders, always ready to face every challenge with positivity, dedication and team spirit. These are values that we fully share because they are the ones that allow us to strive and progress in the competitive world of racing. Good work to both our riders and our technicians for both the 2023 season finale and the years to come.”

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing are pleased to announce the signing of a multi-year contract extension with 2023 FIM Enduro1 World Champion Josep Garcia. The agreement will see the Spaniard remain with the team for the coming years.

After joining the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team in 2017, Garcia has delivered season after season of exceptional performances, including numerous EnduroGP race wins and three world championship titles (Enduro2 in 2017 and 2021, and Enduro1 in 2023).

Josep has also claimed back-to-back overall individual wins at the iconic International Six Days Enduro. His standout ISDE win in Italy during the 2021 event was then backed up in 2022, where he took the overall solo honors in France. Soon to be traveling to Argentina for the 2023 ISDE, the Red Bull KTM star will be looking to make it a hat-trick of wins while racing for the Spanish World Trophy team.

Looking ahead to the 2024 FIM EnduroGP World Championship, Garcia and the team’s focus is firmly fixed on the EnduroGP class title as well as the E1 category, where Josep will once again ride a KTM 250 EXC-F.

Josep Garcia: “I’m really happy and proud to announce that I will be staying with the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing family. It has been a long journey with them – since I was a kid my dream was to be in this team, so it’s great that it’s continuing. I think we make an incredible team, achieving huge goals together such as our three world championships, two overall Six Days wins, and we’ve got many Spanish enduro titles too. We have a strong relationship and I’ve been with the team since 2017, so I’m truly proud to continue with this family. We will keep giving it everything for the next three seasons.”

Fabio Farioli – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Enduro Team Manager: “I’m really happy to have the opportunity to continue working with Josep. No one in the paddock works harder to achieve their goals and Josep has shown incredible spirit over the course of this season to come back from injury to win the Enduro1 title. He’s a real team player and I’m looking forward to working with him into the future and hopefully winning even more world championships together.”

A long, fruitful collaboration comes to an end this year as KTM and Tony Cairoli will separate to pursue new professional goals for 2024.

A long, fruitful collaboration comes to an end this year as KTM and Tony Cairoli will separate to pursue new professional goals for 2024.

The Sicilian joined Red Bull KTM Factory Racing late in 2009 and made an immediate impact in his first season in 2010; winning the MX1 (now ‘MXGP’) title with the KTM 350 SX-F and then added a further four crowns consecutively. He then claimed the 2017 championship with the KTM 450 SX-F and has been a popular ambassador for the squad, the company and the sport for twelve years and to his Grand Prix retirement at the end of 2021.

Tony transitioned into a Team Manager role for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing for 2023 and has now decided to take his post-racing career in a different direction.

KTM and everyone at the Pierer Mobility Group wish to thank Tony for his energy and his excellence and for the unforgettable motocross memories.

If you’re watching the WorldSBK coverage on TV you will have noticed someone sitting next to the rider every time they pit. This person will have their eyes fixed on the screens during the track action, they will utter unknown instructions into the microphone on their headset, and when the rider returns to the box they will be hunched over in deep discussion with them, often with a clipboard in hand. This person is also one of the first to meet the rider in parc ferme after a podium success, offering hugs of celebration or comfort, before once again “talking tech”.

This, and more, is the life of a Crew Chief. We sat down with the two Crew Chiefs from the Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK Team to find out what goes into a race weekend from their P.O.V – from cutting the riders’ hair, to keeping them at arm’s length. From making big decisions and learning to lead your side of the garage.

So, first thing’s first, what does a Crew Chief actually do? Phil Marron, right hand man to Toprak Razgatlıoğlu, explains: “As a Crew Chief we have a few roles within the team; one would be to organise our crew, so the guys know what they have to do before the session, during the session and after the session. Another key part is to interpret what the rider says during the session, many times we’ll need to translate the riders’ comments into adjusting the bike. Then after the session we work hard to identify any problems and fix them, making sure we’re prepared for the races.”

Whilst many people would love to listen in to know how a rider feels after stepping off their bike, interpreting their comments is perhaps one of the most complex parts of a Crew Chief’s job.“Trust is everything.” States Marron “Every person is unique, but you need to get to know them to know what they want and what they are trying to communicate, it’s the only way to work well together.”

Andrew Pitt, Andrea Locatelli’s Crew Chief agrees: “They trust us and we trust them, that’s the key to it all.”

But while you may see social media posts of Toprak and Phil running the track together, or Loka and Andrew discussing haircuts and sharing meals, the truth is that being friends is crucial, but being best friends means potentially compromising your professionalism…

“It’s trust and respect, but you don’t need to be best friends. There will be times when you need to call the rider out the back and have a serious talk, and they’ll be other times when you need to put your arm round them and give them a hug. The rider is risking his life every time he goes on track, so he needs to completely trust you and that’s what builds a close relationship.”confesses Pitt. While Marron adds: “It’s important not to be best friends, because sometimes the rider has to be strong with us, and we have to be strong with him. If you’re too close you can fall out more easily – it’s about balance.”

So once you’ve established what the rider is trying to communicate and what he needs, what are the next steps to building the bike for the weekend? There are many people who, along with the Crew Chief, put their expertise into perfecting the performance of the bike. Among them, Niccolo Canepa – Yamaha Rider Coach and double Endurance World Champion, and Yamaha WorldSBK Technical Coordinator Riccardo Tisci as well as all the mechanics, the tyre and fuel technicians, the engineers and the suspension technician. Bike preparation comes in two forms; pre-event prep and pre-race prep. 

Pitt explains further:

“A week ahead of a race we’ll have already discussed things with Riccardo, we’ll already have a plan and know what tyres we’ll have available. Then on Thursday we’ll have further technical meetings all together to check if we want to adjust anything ahead of FP1. But basically, we’ll already have a plan for the electronics, the tyres, the fuel, and then after the session we’ll see what we’ve learned. But it’s always pre-planned. I’ll also discuss things with Phil, to see what he and Toprak are doing and we’ll try to cover all bases. It’s all designed to gather info for the races.”

All of this means that when the races do roll around, the preparation ahead of the grid is limited, keeping stress levels to a minimum. Marron talks us through what happens right before ‘lights out’…

“The pitlane opens 20 minutes before the race, and we try to be as ready as possible on the grid. We don’t want to be doing anything ahead of the race apart from putting the correct tyres in. Then we just watch the clock tick down, before removing the tyre warmers with one minute to go. This preparation is all in place to keep everybody calm. We want to keep the rider focused and relaxed, they can’t be too tense or too chilled out, it’s all about getting it spot on.”

So with all the responsibilities and hard work in mind, if you still want to be a riders’ right hand man or right hand woman and you feel you have the fine balance of technical knowledge and people skills necessary for this job, where do you start?

Marron remembers his intro into the role fondly: “I got into this job a long time ago, I started off working as a mechanic and I was very close to the Laverty brothers – Eugene, Michael and John – who were all racing at that time. I became very interested in improving their bike settings, I really enjoyed it, and I found that I was good at understanding what the riders needed. That was back in 2001 when I started with 125cc bikes, so I’ve been doing it for more than 20 years now!”

Andrew Pitt had a less conventional entry into his current job, coming from a background with numbers and his own World Championship success…

“For me getting started as a Crew Chief was something I never expected for myself. I used to race but I also used to be an accountant, which is not exactly the natural progression. But when I stopped racing, I got asked to give the role a go, and I was up for trying it. The rest is history…”

And despite having two very different riders and working in their own way towards their own goals, the ultimate marker of success remains the same for both Crew Chiefs:

“We’re here for success, we don’t come to work to finish last.”Says Pitt emphatically.

“The best part of this job is putting yourself and your rider in a position to get victories.”Adds Marron. “There’s no substitute for winning.”

Due to strong wind, it was impossible for the organizers to proceed with the scheduled program. The riders of the Mooney VR46 Racing Team - currently in P3 (Bezzecchi) and P8 (Marini) in the overall standings – are traveling to Thailand.

• First Japanese rider to score wins in AMA SX, MX, SMX
• Will be teamed with Jett Lawrence, Hunter Lawrence, Chance Hymas

TORRANCE, Calif. (October 18, 2023) — Team Honda HRC announced today that Jo Shimoda will race a CRF250R for Honda’s factory squad during the 2024 and ’25 seasons. The Japanese native will race alongside teammates Jett Lawrence, Hunter Lawrence and Chance Hymas.

Born and raised in Suzuka, Japan, Shimoda began riding dirt bikes when he was 4 years old. After earning early success as an amateur racer in his home country, he sought out stiffer competition internationally. He competed in Europe (even racing against Jett Lawrence on occasion) and in the U.S., earning the 2016 Supermini 2 AMA Amateur National Championship at Loretta Lynn Ranch, at age 14. He signed with the Honda-supported Factory Connection team’s amateur program in 2017, then turned pro near the end of the 2019 season. In 2020 (Shimoda’s first full year as a professional), he finished third in the AMA 250SX East Region final standings, earning the AMA Supercross Rookie of the Year Award. With the Factory Connection team closing before the following season, Shimoda signed with Pro Circuit Kawasaki. In 2021 he became the first Japanese rider to win an AMA 250SX main event, finishing second in the East Region final standings. Last year saw him become the first Japanese rider to score an AMA Pro Motocross overall win, earning second in the 250 final standings. He was third in the same series earlier this year, also taking second in the inaugural SuperMotocross 250 class. So far in his career, Shimoda has collected three 250 overall wins in AMA Pro Motocross, one 250 Regional win in AMA Supercross and one 250 win in SuperMotocross.

“I’m super-stoked to join Honda’s factory team,” Shimoda said. “I feel like I’ve progressed a lot since I was with Factory Connection, and I hope that I can take the next step in my career, to win an AMA championship. I’m friends with the Lawrence brothers since we were teammates at Factory Connection, and they’ve shown that the bikes are capable of winning at the highest level. We’ve already started testing for 2024, and I can’t wait for the season to start.”

Shimoda is the first Japanese rider to sign a factory contract with American Honda, although Honda has fielded top Japanese racers in MotoGP, World Trials and even Formula 1.

“We’re really pleased to welcome Jo back to the Honda family,” said Brandon Wilson, Manager of Racing and Experiential Marketing at American Honda. “We hated losing him ahead of 2021, so it feels like a reunion. He has made great progress in the last few years, firmly establishing himself as one of the top riders in the 250 class. Rider-signing news is always exciting, but this one is particularly meaningful for our management and many of our associates, given the Japanese connection. That said, although he’s already the most successful Japanese motocrosser to race fulltime in the U.S., Jo has his sights set on bigger goals, and we look forward to helping him achieve them.”