Honda WorldSBK wrapped up work in Jerez earlier than planned as the HRC squad flew through its testing programme on Wednesday.

Choosing instead to save rather than use the second day on track - with 2022’s restrictions allowing only 10 days of testing per compettior across the season - rider-turned-manager Leon Camier was impressed with his two rookies, Xavi Vierge and Iker Lecuona.

“With the testing restrictions in place, it makes more sense to save this day,” the former superbike rider explained. “We got through all of the main items we wanted to test yesterday and also for Iker to test his hand. Everything was good, no problem.

“With Xavi, we got the main things done and a lot of good feedback and information for the Japanese technicians. We were working a little bit everywhere, but electronics was one of the main things we understood. This is good, it gives us a good direction for the next test and for the rest of the year. Some other items, some little bit more confidential items, but basically everything went very well.

“We’re looking forward to the next test where we should have a few more items to test again. We want to see some comparisons on how things are working and understand for the future what could be a better option with more potential.

“We still have a few things to clarify about what will be our 2022 bike,” the Brit confirmed. “We will have at least another five days on track before we start the season. We’re looking to clarify some options which will come a bit later on in the next test. After this, we should have confirmation about the bike, and the riders will have more time on the bike to adjust and to understand everything.”

Despite both Honda riders being new to the championship and coming from different classes inside the MotoGP paddock, Vierge and Lecuona were quick to impress their new boss.

“My first impression of both riders has been very, very positive,” Camier continued. “Both are quite different riders in their approach to everything, but both are super-fast straight away. Iker’s obviously come from MotoGP and he understands the electronics and how to set up a bike with electronics, what he’s looking for. Xavi doesn’t have experience with this but his adaptation to the bike and understanding what he wants is super impressive.

“There’s a lot for them to learn. They need to understand a lot more about the bike and need some time to understand how to get the most out of it. So far, I’m really impressed.”

It’s sentiments the two riders seem to share. Former Tech 3 KTM rider Lecuona has enjoyed less time on the Fireblade due to the hand injury suffered at Jerez last December, however the Spaniard seems to be well on his way to full recovery.

“I’m honestly very happy because I felt really good and strong on the bike,” Lecuona said at the close of testing. “My hand was not yet 100% ready, but I could manage OK and was able to work well with the team. We were able to test everything anyway and complete our entire work schedule.

“It was an intense day in which we were able to complete many laps of the track, also because we were very lucky with the weather. By the end of the day, I was experiencing some pain in my hand but, all in all, it’s been a really satisfying test so we will save the second day for another time. Now the focus is on preparing for the next session and ensuring that I’m back to full fitness with my hand”.

“It’s been a very good test session indeed, with great weather which allowed us to start early and make the most of the time available until five in the afternoon,” Vierge added. “We were able to lap very consistently as we continue to adapt to the bike.

“We worked through many things on the electronics side and with the set-up, while also evaluating the Pirelli Tyres that work differently from the ones I was used to, which took many laps to reach optimum performance.

“While here, we put in a fresh tyre and had a lot of grip to exploit right away. Overall, I liked the fact that, with everything we tried, I was able to understand the way to go faster. I know the Jerez track very well of course, and this meant it was the best track for me as I start learning about this category. Now it will be important to see what our feeling is like at a different circuit.”