Team HRC has concluded its final winter test session at the Phillip Island Circuit in preparation for the inaugural round of the 2024 Superbike World Championship, taking place at the same Australian track on 23-25 February.
After a slow start following incidents for two riders during the first part of the morning’s session, factory riders Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge were gradually able to get into a rhythm and exploit the dry conditions as they worked to adapt their new-look CBR1000RR-R to the fast and flowing track.
Iker was making good progress until about an hour before the end of the morning’s session, when he suffered a fast crash at turn 11. Hitting the ground hard, the Spanish rider unfortunately injured his left shoulder (an acromioclavicular joint injury) and was therefore unable to continue with the day’s testing. Iker will be reassessed by the medical team prior to the race weekend.
Vierge was therefore the sole HRC representative during the afternoon session, during which he continued to work hard to optimize the bike setup, despite much warmer track conditions. The Team HRC riders and technicians will use today’s data and references to prepare for the first sessions of their 2024 WorldSBK campaign, which officially gets underway on Friday 23 February.
