Leon Camier, the outgoing Team Manager of Team HRC, discussed the team’s prospects for the 2024 season in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship. The team recently participated in a one-day test at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve, although they didn’t run due to rain. This test was supposed to be the team’s second opportunity to run the new CBR1000RR-R machine with riders Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge.
Camier shared his thoughts on the new bike, which Honda announced at the EICMA show in November. The bike was ridden for the first time at Jerez a couple of weeks ago by Lecuona and Vierge. Camier expressed hope that the new bike is a step in the right direction and competitive enough. He acknowledged that it’s a new package that needs time to develop and understand. The final version of the bike for round one will see some small progress over the Christmas period, with the bike starting next year being slightly different again.
Camier also discussed the upgrades to the bike, stating that the team needs to work with Japanese engineers to determine the direction of these upgrades. The team knows which areas they would like to improve, but this needs to be coordinated with Japan within the available timeframe.
“The new bike’s a step in the direction we want. I hope it’s enough to be competitive, we will see. Obviously, it’s a new package so it needs time to develop so we can really understand the bike we’ve got. It’s not the final version before round one. There will be some small progress over the Christmas period and then the bike we will start with next year will be slightly different again. Hopefully, the technicians have enough information that they can go back and come with some more parts for next year.”
Regarding changes to Team HRC for 2024, Camier mentioned that there have been several changes, including his departure and the arrival of Jose Escamez as his replacement. Tom Jojic has joined the team as Lecuona’s Crew Chief. These changes aim to improve the technical side of the team by bringing in people with more experience and different backgrounds. The goal is to strengthen the team in every area, not just the bike.
“This is all something we have to go through and discuss with the Japanese engineers exactly the direction they want to go. We know from the team’s side which things we would like to go in the direction of, but this is something that we need to work out with Japan and what we can do in the time frame we have and confirm the package we’ll start with next year.”
“Basically, we made some changes at the end of this year as one of my last jobs as Team Manager. We’ve tried to improve the technical side of the team, to bring in people with some more experience and a different background. We’ve added a few staff to try and help behind the scenes as well, with technical support for the crew chiefs. The goal is to try to improve in every area; not just the bike, we also need to try and improve the team on the technical side. This is something I’ve been working on in the last months. I think the team will be stronger next year. I think, in general, the team will be better. Hopefully the bike can make a good step and hopefully we can have some results.”
Reflecting on his time as Team Manager, Camier highlighted the podiums as a significant achievement and took satisfaction in seeing the project move forward. He acknowledged the ups and downs of racing and expressed gratitude for the opportunity to help grow the project.
Camier’s insights provide a glimpse into the ongoing development and changes within Team HRC as they prepare for the 2024 season, aiming to improve both the team and the bike.