Spanish Grand Prix – Report
Tough weekend at Jerez. Adrian Cruces returned to the Honda after missing out on track time in Qatar. Cruces, who stepped in for Marcos Uriarte this past weekend, finished 17th after a battle throughout the race with Eddie O’Shea, who unfortunately crashed on the final lap. This Grand Prix was one of analysis and learning, with the team focusing on progressing in the right direction ahead of the next race in Le Mans, France.
The Estrella Galicia 0,0 Grand Prix of Spain didn’t get off to the best start. Both Cruces and O’Shea struggled to feel fully comfortable on the bike on Friday. However, they managed to identify specific areas for improvement, and by Saturday, their feelings were much more positive.
The second day at Jerez was marked by a change in Eddie’s bike setup ahead of the qualifying session. Unfortunately, the improvements both riders were feeling could not be fully confirmed due to a chaotic Q1. Eddie faced a mechanical issue right at the start of the session, preventing him from setting a time and leaving him at the back of the grid. Meanwhile, Adrian managed to do a quicker lap of 1:45.815 and finished 9th, which meant he was forced to start from 22nd position.
Sunday’s race proved challenging due to the high temperatures, leading to several crashes in the early laps. Cruces didn’t have the best start and found himself at the back of the pack in the opening laps. However, he fought his way back and caught up to O’Shea. The pair then battled for 17th place throughout the race. In the end, Cruces finished in 17th, while O’Shea unfortunately crashed on the final corner and was unable to finish.
Despite the challenges, the outlook for the upcoming race in Le Mans is positive. The team made several adjustments over the weekend to analyse every detail and improve the setup. Eugene Laverty and Chaz Davies are joining the team as coaches and will now assist the riders in extracting the maximum performance from themselves. Additionally, the team will have a test day after the French Grand Prix, which will provide an opportunity to keep improving and draw further conclusions for continued progress.
ADRIAN CRUCES (17th):It’s been a difficult race because the start wasn’t great, and I was last in the first few laps. I managed to make up some places, but when the tyre dropped, it was hard to open the throttle, and I stayed with Eddie until the last laps. However, I’ll take away the experience of riding a Honda for the first time.
EDDIE O’SHEA (DNF): The weekend was positive. Every day we made progress with the bike and tried to improve different areas. We managed to find a good grip for the race, but we sacrificed front-end feeling, which resulted in a crash in the last corner. It was a tough weekend, but every time we go out, we’re making steps closer to where we want to be.
JORDAN PRITCHARD (Team Coordinator): It was a difficult weekend as both riders struggled on Friday, but Eddie had it tougher. We made significant changes on Saturday before qualifying. Then, we had a problem that made it hard to get a good lap in. For the race, we had to make several changes to the bike, and Eddie went into the race without trying the new setup, which was quite different from what he had before. The bike did improve, although it didn’t show in the lap times. Eddie preferred the new feeling, but unfortunately, it didn’t translate to faster laps.
The positive takeaway is that we now have a clearer idea of what to try for Le Mans, and we believe we’re heading in the right direction. Adrian felt comfortable on the bike, but we just lacked a little bit in lap times. He was happy with how Saturday went, but again, it didn’t really reflect in the timesheets. Overall, it was a tough weekend, but there are positives we can work on for Le Mans, and we feel confident we know the right direction to take with the bike.
