Honda may not have made it back to the podium at the Magny-Cours Superbike meeting, but the Japanese marque still produced its best performance in a long time. Factory rider Xavi Vierge revealed what has been improved on the CBR1000RR-R, a machine that has struggled to compete with the best in recent years.
Fans of Hondaboth in Superbike and MotoGP, are going through a difficult period. Even
Marc Marqueza multiple world champion, has encountered difficulties with Honda in MotoGP before joining the private team Ducati Gresiniwhere he quickly returned to success. In Superbike, his last victory Honda goes back to Nicky Hayden in 2016 in the rain of Sepang. Since the return of
Honda In 2020, only five podiums were obtained, and none in 2024. However, Honda has continued to invest in the CBR1000RR-R, bringing successive homologation models.
However, in recent races, some stability in the results has been observed, with notable improvements.
Xavi Virgo explained on Speedweek what was done to get the bike back on track. The 2024 Honda is a new motorcycle with new electronics” he said.
” With the Honda, we started to find the right basic settings for the chassis, electronics, and everything else. »
” It may look like last year’s bike, but in reality, many things have changed. We took a wrong direction at the beginning of the season, but after a few meetings we started to find the right basic settings for the chassis, the electronics, and everything else.
We didn’t change any parts, just the settings. ” comments the team member ofIker Lecuona.
Virgin also stressed the importance of having a test team in Europe, like other Superbike factories. ” Other factories travel hundreds of kilometers with different driverswhich allows you to progress more quickly” he added. ” It is a key to success. » However, he remained tight-lipped about the future plans of the
HRC in this area.
Despite the improvements, the Fireblade’s weaknesses remain. We still lack grip when braking, cornering, and accelerating” he explained. ” At the start of the races we can compensate for this with new tiresbut it ends up destroying them. At Magny-Cours, for example, in the second race, I lost positions in the last laps because of that. »
Despite everything, Virgin is optimistic. Recent improvements show that the team Honda
is beginning to better understand the settings needed to get closer to the championship leaders. The brand’s colleagues in MotoGP would like to say the same.
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