The prospect of Iker Lecuona in a Repsol Honda suit to replace the injured Marc Marquez is not new within the HRC since it was mentioned as early as 2022 when it was noted that test driver Stefan Bradl was, at best, only doing of the figuration during his freelance. At the time, Alberto Puig commented: “ no, that’s not a topic. Lecuona was hired by Honda for another championship. Iker rides in the World Superbike Championship and he's not doing bad there ". Here we are in 2023. Another time, other morals, apparently.
Because this time, and starting this weekend for the Spanish Grand Prix, Iker Lecuona will be entitled to his great chance to evolve at the top of the HRC food chain. And it's not strictly speaking a beginner. It will be recalled thatIker Lecuona competed in the world championship MotoGP in 2020 and 2021 for Tech3-KTM. He achieved his best results in 2021 with a 6th place at Spielberg and a 7th place at Silverstone with the KTM RC16.
His boss at the time, Hervé Poncharal remembers him very well: “ Iker is a very fast driver. He has a lot of talent. He's a beast and can handle a lot of bikes, including a MotoGP ". And he blurts out: “ Lecuona didn't deserve to leave MotoGP. That's not to say that no one had faith in Iker's potential. Sometimes you have to make a decision, good or bad ».
Iker Lecuona: “ it's an incredible opportunity to come back to MotoGP and race with my dream team »
Joan mir will therefore have to keep an eye on him, because being dominated by alex rins, still passes, but if he were to give in to the freelancer and WSBK driver for the brand, there would be reason to ask questions. Incidentally, there is no doubt that this experience will be watched closely by his colleague from the World Superbike Toprak Razgatlioglu, who thinks about MotoGP not only while shaving in the morning.
And otherwise, Iker Lecuona, what does he think of this opportunity? “ First of all, I want to wish Marc all the best in his recovery, he is the reference in MotoGP and I think he is missed a lot not only by the fans but also by the riders » he begins. “ For me, of course, it's an incredible opportunity to come back to MotoGP and race with my dream team. To do it in front of the Spanish audience is really special ».
Then he adds: “ but we have to be realistic, it will be a very hard and demanding weekend. I spent this year and last year completely focused on WorldSBK with the HRC team and now I have to get used to everything that is different in MotoGP and learn a completely new bike: the Honda RC213V. Whatever happens, I will do my best and see the result » finishes the Spaniard.
