As the 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship had a weekend away from the race circuit, Iker Lecuona (Team HRC) was in action during the Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez in the MotoGP™ World Championship. The Spaniard was deputising for the injured Marc Marquez in the Repsol Honda Team, something Lecuona hailed as the team of his childhood dreams ahead of action commencing on Thursday.
With there being no expectations, Lecuona took 18th in his first MotoGP™ Sprint outing on Saturday afternoon after qualifying in 25th. On the opening lap of the Sprint, he had a collision with Augusto Fernandez but managed to stay on the bike. The Sprint was red-flagged after a multiple rider crash at Turn 2 involving Franco Morbidelli, Alex Marquez and Marco Bezzecchi. In Sunday’s Grand Prix, the race was red-flagged for another opening lap crash at Turn 2, this time involving Fabio Quartararo and Miguel Oliveira. Come the end of the race, Lecuona took 16th, less than half a second from scoring points.
Talking about the weekend, Lecuona said: “I’m really happy with the job, so thanks to the team for all the work they did. We improved every time I jumped on the bike, the feeling, pace and lap time. At the beginning, I was in the grip but after ten laps, I felt the first drop and missed the lap time a bit. I learnt a lot in the race to keep a good lap time and at the end of the race, I recovered a lot to get to Raul Fernandez. I think I needed half a lap to overtake him but to finish three tenths from a point… overall I am really happy!”
“After a year and a half away from this paddock, it’s hard to come back. It was my first time on this Honda, my first time with the new front tyres and my first time with many new things. I am really happy because run by run, I felt more comfortable and better on the bike. I need to be happy.”
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Source: WorldSBK.com