Iker Lecuona’s (Honda HRC) summer just got busier after the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship star was announced as part of Honda HRC’s line-up for the Suzuka 8 Hours at the start of August. Lecuona, a winner of the classic endurance race in 2022, joins Johann Zarco and Takumi Takahashi as part of a star-studded line-up for Honda’s factory effort as they look to make it four consecutive wins at Suzuka.

Lecuona joined Honda’s WorldSBK programme in 2022 and made his debut at Suzuka in the same year, winning the race alongside Tetsuta Nagashima and Takahashi, who he will race alongside this year. 2025 marks Lecuona’s return to Suzuka for the first time since his victory as he looks for a second in two appearances at Suzuka. His preparations for the race started with a test earlier this week.

For Honda, they are going in search of a fourth consecutive victory. They won it in 2024 with Takahashi, Zarco and Teppei Nagoe while, in 2023, Lecuona’s WorldSBK teammate, Xavi Vierge, tasted victory when racing alongside Nagashima and Takahashi. All three riders in the 2025 line-up have won at Suzuka, with Takahashi holding the record for most victories.

Discussing his call-up by Honda, Lecuona said: “I am very happy to race again at the Suzuka 8 Hours with HRC. I have good memories of Suzuka. I know Takumi’s riding really well, and Johann is doing great this year.
I want to prepare well to help HRC achieve a fourth win in a row. I look forward to seeing everyone at Suzuka.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com

Toprak Razgatlioglu’s (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) upcoming switch from the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship to MotoGP for 2026 generated headlines around the world. WorldSBK’s riders reacted to the news last week at Misano and now it’s time for MotoGP’s competitors to discuss the new arrival for 2026, with the likes of Marc Marquez, Pecco Bagnaia and more discussing the two-time Champion’s switch.

MARC MARQUEZ: “I respect his riding style a lot; it’s different, especially in WorldSBK with the stoppies”

Eight-time World Champion Marc Marquez led the praise ahead of the Turkish superstar’s arrival, saying: “Toprak and I have a very good relationship. Sometimes, we keep in contact by telephone. I respect his riding style a lot; it’s different, especially in WorldSBK with the stoppies going into the corner! Let’s see what he can do in MotoGP. I think it’s good for MotoGP to have another Champion inside our category with a different riding style, different nationality, so just… welcome Toprak!”

FERMIN ALDEGUER: “He uses the #54 but now it’s mine… he’ll have to pay me a lot for this!”

Rookie hotshot Fermin Aldeguer has seemingly won the first battle with Razgatlioglu… over who will use the #54. He stated: “He rode with the production bike a lot, but MotoGP is very different. He uses the #54 but now it’s mine… he’ll have to pay me a lot for this! It’s difficult to understand the electronics and how to understand the carbon brakes. He has a lot of talent to go fast.”

PECCO BAGNAIA: “If he can adapt his riding style and braking style to MotoGP, he could be competitive”

Two-time MotoGP Champion Pecco Bagnaia was on-site at Misano to see Razgatlioglu claim a hat-trick, and he said about his MotoGP switch: “I was at Misano for Nicolo Bulega and Stefano Manzi. I really enjoyed the fight. I was sure that wasn’t easy for Nicolo because he was using a front tyre that was not ideal for him. It was tough. Toprak is doing a fantastic job. He’ll have to adapt. Here, the tyres are different, everyone is braking super hard like he’s doing. It won’t be easy. I think the first season will just be adapting.”

He then added in the MotoGP Press Conference: “I think it’s the correct moment of his career to jump to MotoGP. It’s true that everything is a bit different compared to WorldSBK. He’ll have to adapt to the tyres and stiffness of the bikes. I think the first season will be an adaptation and then, if he can adapt his riding style and braking style to MotoGP, he could be competitive.”

PEDRO ACOSTA: “He’s from this Kenan group and he works super hard with the riders to bring results”

Pedro Acosta knows what it’s like to be a high-profile rookie in MotoGP and he said: “I don’t have any expectations. We can see he’s super talented and in every class he’s gone through, from the Rookies Cup to WorldSBK, he was doing a really good job. He’s from this Kenan group and he works super hard with the riders to bring results. I think, maybe in the beginning he will struggle but, sooner or later, he will do a really good job in MotoGP.”

ALEX MARQUEZ: “He’s showing how brave he is…”

2014 Moto3 Champion and 2019 Moto2 Champion Alex Marquez said about Razgatlioglu: “I know him from the past. He’s a super nice guy. He’s showing how brave he is because when you’re in a Championship like WorldSBK, when he’s fast, he has everything quite under control but then want to change and try different things, you show you’re brave. It’ll be nice for the Championship to have a Turkish rider here. It’ll be interesting to see the adaptation from Pirelli to Michelin, from Superbike to MotoGP.”

MARCO BEZZECCHI: “He rides very well and brakes so hard…”

Four-time Grand Prix winner Marco Bezzecchi said: “He’s showed very good speed and skills. He’s a World Champion and he’s a very good guy. I don’t know him that well, but I could see that he’s a very good guy. He rides very well and brakes so hard. He’s a strong rider and has many positive points. Of course, the bikes are going to be really different, but we’ll see how his adaptation is. In the end, he already tried the Yamaha a few years ago. I don’t know how it went but he will adapt sooner or later.”

In the Press Conference, he added: “We all saw his performances in the past years, he won two Championships with different bikes. He’s already tried the MotoGP bike, so he knows what to expect and if he’s making this move, it means he’s ready. I’m happy for him, I know him and he’s a very good guy. We wait to have a battle together!”

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Source: WorldSBK.com

The Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round was an eventful weekend for the FIM Supersport World Championship’s Yamaha riders, including crashes, wins, disappointments and a breakout performance. Yamaha’s pleasant surprise of the weekend, Spanish rookie Roberto Garcia (GMT94-YAMAHA) shined on his WorldSSP debut, landing a P6 finish in Race 2 at Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli”.

Sitting across the garage for the first time from veteran rider Lucas Mahias, Garcia was selected to fill the vacant spot left behind by Michael Rinaldi after he departed the WorldSSP grid to re-join the WorldSBK grid in light of Tito Rabat and Yamaha Motoxracing’s mutual separation. Before being selected for the seat, the 19-year-old from Sevilla distinguished himself as one of the premier riders in the Moto2 European Championship, finishing seventh place in 2022 and fifth place in 2023 before being crowned Champion in 2024.

“I’m very happy, it was my first weekend in this Championship and my first feeling with the Yamaha R9 was very good” – Garcia on his impressive debut

The #37’s first WorldSSP weekend began with a P20 in the Tissot Superpole session, finishing just ahead of fellow rookie and Yamaha rider Aldi Mahendra (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Team) by just 0.112s. He showed promise in Race 1, jumping to P16 by the end of the first lap, climbing as high as P14 in Lap 7 before falling back down to finish P16.

 Race 2, however, was the gem of the Sevillano’s weekend. Another strong start at lights out sent him up to P14 by the end of Lap 1, continuing up the grid as the laps piled up. After Championship leader Stefano Manzi (Pata Yamaha Ten Kate Racing) crashed out, by Lap 12 of the 13-lap contest, the #37 had ascended to P5. While he lost that position to Jeremy Alcoba (Kawasaki WorldSSP Team) to finish in P6, the rookie posted the fastest lap of the top six finishers, his 1’37.838s personal best was one of his two 1’37s laps, clocking in 0.156s faster than Race 2 winner Can Oncu. (Yamaha BLU CRU Evan Bros Team) who only registered one lap in the 1’37s. Garcia’s pace was not a flash in the pan either, after the opening lap, #37 registered only one lap slower than the 1’38s mark, pace nearly on par with Oncu despite engaging in battle after battle as he fought his way up from P20.

On his strong Race 2 performance, Garcia said: “I’m very happy with my weekend, it was my first weekend in this Championship and my first feeling with the Yamaha R9 was very good. I’m happy with my Race 2 P6 because it was good work to move up the grid from P20. Step by step I think we will improve for the coming races, thank you to Yamaha, my manager and the whole team. See you in Donington!”

ALL EYES ON GARCIA: “it was an impressive debut for a 19-year-old, and we are looking forward to seeing the next races as he understands the bike more”

Yamaha Road Racing Sporting Manager, Niccolo Canepa was glowing with praise for the 19-year-old who made the most of his opportunity with limited notice, saying: “The surprise of the weekend was Roberto Garcia, making his debut in World Supersport with GMT94 Yamaha. The schedule is tight, so he did not have a lot of time to understand the bike or the track, so he had to start in 20th. In Race 2 he did a fantastic job as he was able to climb up to sixth place and had the pace of the guys fighting for the podium, so it was an impressive debut for a 19-year-old and we are looking forward to seeing the next races as he understands the bike more and then later in the year when we head to Aragon, Estoril and Jerez where he knows the tracks very well.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com

Carter Thompson (MTM Kawasaki) claimed his first FIM Supersport 300 World Championship victory in Race 1 at the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli” after fighting from tenth on the grid. He waited until Sector 3 before taking the lead on the final lap and had enough of a margin over his rivals to hold on across the line despite them benefitting from his slipstream through Turns 12 and 13, with the Australian holding on for victory by half-a-second.

Thompson made his WorldSSP300 debut mid-way through the 2024 season and the Australian had done enough to secure a seat on this year’s grid with perennial winners MTM Kawasaki. The start of the 2025 campaign had been tough for Thompson, often finishing between fourth and seventh, although he was 11^th in Race 1 at Most. However, things seemed to change for the #50 in Italy as he claimed a first WorldSSP300 win from tenth on the grid.

The 17-year-old was only tenth in Friday afternoon’s Tissot Superpole session, setting a 1’50.099s to start from the head of the fourth row. It didn’t take long for Thompson to move to the front of the field, finishing the first lap in fourth and the second in third. There was a big group fighting for victory and that meant Thompson occasionally dropped ground to the leader, such as on Lap 3: he finished that lap down in ninth.

He used the second half of the race to great effect as he battled back into the top five, but it was the last lap that proved crucial. He started Lap 12 of 12 in sixth place and was there as late as Turn 8 on the final lap. At Turns 9 and 10, he slotted into second and this move was vital as he gained the slipstream of David Salvador (Team ProDina XCI). He swept around the outside of the Spaniard through Curvone and was immediately able to pull out a gap over his rivals. The slipstream helped his opposition close up, but Thompson carried incredible speed through Turns 14, 15 and 16 to stay ahead and claim his first win in the Championship.

Discussing his victory on Saturday, Thompson said: “It’s incredible to get the first win of the season, and the first podium as well. It’s been difficult to start the season, but the team have made great steps throughout the whole year and definitely helped me a lot. We’ve made a bit of a breakthrough this weekend, a lot more feeling with the bike so it’s a great feeling to win. I felt like I had good pace all day. I had a great Warm Up. I felt quite fast. I had a bit of extra speed in me in the race. I felt I was just sitting in the group and managing the race because it would’ve been quite hard to separate it. I just pushed as hard as I could, hoped to make a little gap and it worked in the end.”

Thompson’s win made a small bit of WorldSSP300 history. He became the first Australian rider to taste victory in the class, with Australia the 11^th different nationality to be represented on the top step of the rostrum. It was also Kawasaki’s 68^th win in World Supersport 300, while Thompson became the eighth youngest rider to win a race.

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Source: WorldSBK.com

After suffering a fracture to his right foot at the Autodrom Most, Xavi Vierge (Honda HRC) was in a race against time to be able to compete at the Misano World Circuit “Marco Simoncelli”. As his MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship rivals tested at the circuit a couple of weeks before the round, the Spaniard was fully focused on his recovery to get back on his CBR1000RR-R machine at the Pirelli Emilia-Romagna Round – in half the time the initial diagnoses suggested he would be out for.

BACK QUICKER THAN EVER: from eight weeks to four for his recovery period

Vierge was the innocent victim of a crash at Turn 1 in Race 2 at the Czech Round, when Jonathan Rea (Pata Maxus Yamaha) hit Alvaro Bautista (Aruba.it Racing – Ducati) who, in turn, hit Vierge’s Honda. Initially diagnosed with a suspected fracture of the tarsus bone in his right foot, the #97 went for further evaluations and it was decided surgery was the best course of action for multiple fractures to his cuboid bone.

The surgery was a success and helped speed up his recovery time. Initially, he was given an eight-week timeframe for his return but, after the surgery went well, this came down and he set his sights on returning at Misano, although he wasn’t fit enough to ride at the test. The extra two weeks between the test and the round enable Vierge’s recovery to step up a gear, putting weight on his foot just two weeks after the crash before returning to the bike in Italy – around a month after the injury, and in half the time he was initially given for his recovery.

Discussing his quicker-than-expected return to racing, Vierge said on Sunday at Misano: “In the beginning, the news was bad as the first impression was that it would be four weeks to put my foot on the ground and eight to be good again. After that, I said to the doctors that I had to be at Misano, so we made a plan. They decided to make a complicated surgery but, if the results were good, the recovery time would be shorter. They did an amazing job. As soon as it was finished, they said I could get from four weeks to two without putting my foot on the ground. I went every day to a hyperbaric chamber to work with the physio to try and heal as soon as possible. The first week was completely off, the second week I was in the gym without putting my foot on the ground. In the third week, I started to put my foot on the floor but just a few days before I jumped on the bike. The weekend got better because, in the beginning, I didn’t have the confidence with the foot to push hard. It’s well deserved. I took the risk but with these results, I took the correct decision to come here.”

THREE STRONG RACES FOR VIERGE: fighting for the top ten throughout the weekend

Misano was a solid weekend for the Barcelona native, who improved his finishing position in each race. He was 11^th in Race 1 before finishing 10^th in the Tissot Superpole Race – narrowly missing out on points and a third-row start in Race 2 – before claiming ninth in Race 2, with the latter including several battles across the 21-lap affair. He was often fighting with Garrett Gerloff (Kawasaki WorldSBK Team), Michael van der Mark (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and Ryan Vickers (Motocorsa Racing), with Gerloff eventually getting the better of the four-rider group.

Reflecting on his P11-P10-P9 results, Vierge said: “I’m super happy with the results. We got some solid results, almost three top tens, and some valuable points for the Championship. The most important thing was to continue working with the team to improve. It’s been a super tough weekend, but we achieved our goal so I’m very happy with that. I was going left more during the weekend but in Race 2, after the first seven laps, I was finished, and I tried to get to the end in the best position possible. We got some solid results so it’s very important and now we have a few weeks before the next round, where I’ll continue to work hard to arrive at 100%. I don’t know if I will get there but I’ll be at Donington much better than Misano.”

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Source: WorldSBK.com