XaviVierge

Like teammate Iker Lecuona, Xavi Vierge made the move from the MotoGP™ paddock in 2022 to WorldSBK and has been an ever-present for the Honda HRC squad. He has one podium to his name, coming at Mandalika in 2023, and the #97 was the main race rider throughout winter testing with Lecuona missing some days through injury.

Honda (2022-)

Vierge formed one part of Honda’s 2022 refresh, alongside Lecuona, and has stayed with the team ever since. A consistent presence on the bike, and in terms of results, his sole podium came in a dramatic Mandalika Race 2 fight. He’s finished tenth in the Championship standings twice, and 11^th in 2024 after Honda’s tricky start, but with the Japanese manufacturer seemingly starting 2025 in a much stronger position, will hope rostrums will come a bit easier this year.

Before WorldSBK

Barcelona-born Vierge was a runner-up in the FIM CEV Moto2™ European Championship before he made his world stage debut in Moto2™ in 2015, coming in halfway through the season. He was a full-time rider in 2016 and, as the season progressed, became a regular top ten contender. That continued in 2017 when he took his maiden podium at the Japanese Grand Prix, before two more followed in 2018. His last Moto2™ podium came at his home race in Barcelona in 2021, before he made the switch to WorldSBK for 2022.