After revealing his thoughts on joining Team HRC, teammate Iker Lecuona and his short and long-term goals in part one of this two-part interview, the second part of the feature interview with Xavi Vierge looks at his adaptation to the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship, what’s missing from Honda CBR1000RR-R, himself and the team to consistently fight at the front and the level of WorldSBK.

ADAPTING TO WorldSBK AND THE JUMP FROM Moto2™

Vierge competed in the Moto2™ World Championship from 2015 until 2021 and claimed four podiums and three pole positions in his seven seasons in the Championship. The 24-year-old will make his debut in WorldSBK in 2022 as part of an all-rookie line-up at Team HRC and discussed adapting to the category, the most complicated aspect for him. Explaining this, plus the step from Moto2™, Vierge said: “I think the most complicated thing to do adapt to, of course, tyres and electronics, but I think it will be three races in a weekend. It’s been a lot of years since I raced twice or three times. I am looking forward to the first round to see how I am. I’m working so hard to be ready but until you race the three races you will not really know. I think one of the most difficult things for me will be that. In Moto2™, we only had one race which is a bit longer than WorldSBK. I was training even harder in winter. I normally train hard but what I tried to do was do two or three training sessions a day. For example, in the morning I do a bit of cycling then motocross. In the afternoon, gym training, to try to do different things on the same day. This is like a similar thing that I will have during the weekend. In Moto2™, the weight is super important but in WorldSBK the bike is much faster so I can get stronger to get ready for that bike. It’s a big challenge, the step from Moto2™ to WorldSBK. It’s not scary, it’s more like I’m really excited to continue discovering the way to go fast. The first time I jumped on the bike; it was incredibly fast. Now I’m getting used to that. There are many new things that I need to adapt to and learn to try and take the positives.”

WHAT’S MISSING TO REGULARLY FIGHT AT THE FRONT?

Since their return to the Championship as a full-factory outfit ahead of the 2020 season, Honda have taken three podiums: one in 2020 and two in 2021, all with Alvaro Bautista who has since left the team to return to Ducati. With the signings of Lecuona and Vierge, and potential changes to bike, Team HRC will be hoping to compete at the front on a more regular basis in 2022.

Discussing what he feels needs to be done, Vierge said: “Honda made a new bike a few years ago but with COVID they could not make the testing that they wanted. In 2021, from the halfway point of the season to the end, they started to fight almost every race for podium positions, so it was a real step forward. They know which points they would like to improve. We are working on that side. At the moment, I have more jobs to do with myself than the bike because everything is new, and I need many laps to adapt and discover everything. I think we are going in the right direction.”

VIERGE’S COMPETITION…

Vierge is all too aware of the competition he will face in WorldSBK in his debut campaign, with five factory outfits and 24 riders set to take to the grid in the upcoming campaign. The Barcelona-born rider discussed the level of WorldSBK he expects to face coming into his debut season. Vierge also outlined how a strong testing programme was required to be ready for the fierce competition at the start of the season.

He said: “The level of WorldSBK, I think, is getting higher and higher and higher every year. In the last few years, Rea winning the Championship and then Toprak beat him and won last year. I think we’ll see. All the factories are working really, really hard and pushing so hard. I think, this year again, the level will increase, and we need to have a really strong pre-season to be ready to fight with the best.”

Follow Team HRC and Vierge throughout the 2022 season using the WorldSBK VideoPass!