Xavi Vierge switched from the Moto2 World Championship to the World Superbike Championship in 2022, joining immediately with the Honda factory team. The journey has not been easy, as the manufacturer is also seeking to regain its desired performance, much like what has been happening in MotoGP.
In an interview with the website Motosan.es, the Spanish rider explained that it was a significant change at various levels, from the team to the bike, emphasizing the assistance the team provided him in the adaptation process:
– In the end, it was a very big change, especially moving to a factory like Honda. The working method is very different, it’s amazing, a lot of people. Of course, the electronics were completely new to me, but the truth is that thanks to the team’s work, the adaptation was very quick, very good.
Despite having more experience now, the bike falls short of the competition, and Vierge admitted this decline in results: ‘It wasn’t an easy bike, but the truth is that in the first year, the results were quite good, and it’s now that it seems we can’t move forward. We are even doing worse in the third year than in our debut year’.
The #97 also spoke about the changes in routine to compete in WSBK: ‘In the gym, I was able to start working with a bit more weight, since with these powerful bikes, weighing less is not as important. Then, it’s true that the championship is different, with fewer races, so between each race, we have more time, and you can also approach training differently. I can do many more motorcycle training sessions during the season than before. […]. But overall, I’ve kept a very similar routine’.