This was feared in the Honda ranks before approaching the WSBK round at Donington and this was unfortunately verified during the meeting: Iker Lecuona and Xavi Virginie are at the limit of their physical condition. The first city suffers from compartment syndrome while the second has just returned from convalescence after six fractures. For them, the Battle of Britain was an ordeal, but points were still collected...
The role of outsider was played at Donington by BMW and not by both Honda CBR triple R who were forced to save the essentials, namely points, in this WSBK round contested with drivers far from being in their best form. Iker Lecuona explains his problem this way: “ I didn't get a good start in the sprint race. After that, I wasted a lot of time fighting Locatelli. Unfortunately, when I overtook him there was a gap with the drivers in front, so I finished seventh ", declared the pilot of 22 years.
He adds " I was able to manage the problems due to compartment syndrome in this short race. Unfortunately, this was no longer the case in the afternoon ", said the former Tech3 KTM MotoGP rider. “ I was having extreme problems with my physical condition. I lacked energy, the pain in my right arm made it very difficult for me. After only five laps I had to back off. Finishing in the top 10 isn't so bad. It's still frustrating because the result doesn't reflect the bike's potential. ».
This does not reflect the potential of the Honda
The Spaniard, who brought back a seventh position as his best result, finished: “ Léon Camier the team manager even arranged for a physiotherapist to help me with my arm. thanks to the whole team ". On the other side of the box, it wasn't much better, Xavi Verge returning from a serious injury: “ It was a difficult weekend for us, even more than expected. It was a completely new track, I came back from recovering from surgery, and we had a four-week break. These were not the best conditions », specified the factory driver Honda.
« We expected more. Nevertheless, I was able to improve a lot during the weekend and during the second main race on Sunday we clearly closed the gap ", said Virgin on speedweek. " At least we collected important data and information ". The next stage in Most in around ten days is likely to be just as difficult for the HRC pair who are barely holding on.
