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HONDA’S NEW CHASSIS: "It’s not touching on the problem but it’s a step in the right direction" - Camier

Friday, 8 September 2023 14:42 GMT

    • The Japanese manufacturer opted to use some of their concession points to bring a new chassis for the French Round

    On the back of testing at MotorLand Aragon, Team HRC opted to use 15 tokens as part of the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship superconcession system to bring a new chassis to the Pirelli French Round which Iker Lecuona used on Friday. The #7 was able to use it at a recent MotorLand Aragon test and had a positive first impression with it, while teammate Xavi Vierge did not use it on Friday at the Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours.

    Honda had a difficult Friday in France with Vierge the fastest of the two in FP1. Vierge posted a 1’38.068s to take 12th place while Lecuona was three places and two tenths down on his teammate. In FP2, Lecuona was the lead rider despite a small crash as he posted a 1’38.394s to finish 15th while Vierge was 20th; the #97 had a big crash at Turn 3 when he ran wide onto dirt that had been brought onto the circuit by Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha Prometeon WorldSBK) a lap earlier. His best time was a 1’39.625s.

    However, on Thursday, it was announced that Honda had spent 15 tokens under the concession system to bring a new chassis, with Lecuona using that on Friday while Vierge was with the previous one. Speaking during Free Practice 2, Team HRC’s Team Manager, Leon Camier, gave his first thoughts on the chassis as well as explaining what the #7 first thought of the new item. Camier did admit it wasn’t a “gamechanger” for the team but expressed his hope that it would be a step in the right direction as Honda look to become regular podium contenders.

    Explaining the decision to bring the new chassis and how it’ll benefit the riders, Camier said: “Iker had a positive test with it at Aragon, so we decided to use it here as our superconccession. As of right now, I don’t think it was a gamechanger, but I think it was a little step in the right direction. It’s not touching on the problem per se but a step in the right direction. We need to analyse it a little bit more at this track, Aragon is different from here. We need to understand how it’s working here and once we get the bike setup correctly and see where the potential is from there.”

    With Lecuona using the chassis, Camier explained what the Spaniard’s feedback had been so far. Camier explained: “He’s struggling in a few areas, mainly on entry with stopping the bike. It’s super-hot conditions here and low grip for this circuit. One thing we’ve understood is when you bring something new, you need several laps on each circuit and more than one circuit to get a real understanding.”

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