Iker Lecuona forced himself to be wise enough to bring his Red Bull KTM Tech3 to the finish and into the points of a Grand Prix in Barcelona which took on the air of a painful procession. The Spanish beginner, barely 20 years old, nevertheless showed maturity to collect two units which rewarded his efforts. Hervé Poncharal's driver is now thinking about the next stage which will take place in two weeks at Le Mans. Before that, he will enjoy a restorative rest...
Spanish Iker Lecuona collected two World Championship points for the team KTM Tech3 by finishing in 14th place in his Grand Prix in Barcelona. But the gap with the winner Fabio Quartararo was enormous, of the order of 27 seconds. He also reached the finish line ten seconds behind his compatriot Alex Marquez, Repsol Honda factory rider, 13e.
The teammate of Miguel Oliveira who fell explains the difficulties encountered as follows: “ the tires were very difficult to control, the grip on the track was very poor », reported the Spaniard. “ In sector 2 I had big problems with the tires because in turns 3 and 4 you have a very strong rotation of the rear wheel. I had to have precise control over the throttle, traction control and power. It was very difficult in the last eight laps. I had trouble with the bike. I felt like I had no power. I opened the throttle and nothing happened ».
" I need a break "
At critical turn 2, in which Valentino Rossi fell, the Red Bull KTM Tech3 rider said: “ it was cold, cloudy and windy. I crashed twice in turn 2 this weekend. You enter this corner with a cold tire, I don't know why. This definitely didn't happen because I put pressure on it, but because the tire was cold. After that I drove even slower through this corner ».
« My goal was to finish the race. I just wanted to see the flag »concludes Iker. “ In the first laps I tried to put pressure on myself and stay ahead of Alex Marquez. But I lost a lot of ground on the brakes. Then I fought four or five rounds with Bradl and Smith. He overtook me, then I overtook him again… I need a break at home and then I want to go to Le Mans with more confidence ».
MotoGP Barcelona J3: classification
