In MotoGP there has recently been a lot of talk about the Portimao track and its run-off zones, now finally recognized as danger areas. But from WSBK comes the message that the Barcelona route is perhaps not better. Iker Lecuona demonstrated this during the last test organized by the category in Catalonia. He still had marks on his face, but it could have been worse. The kind of accident that makes you think.
Iker Lecuona came out of a violent accident during the Superbike test in Barcelona. Although physically scarred, he did not report any major injuries. But his misadventure led him to think about the safety of the tracks on the championship calendar, especially since he was transported by ambulance to the medical center, then to a nearby hospital… “ The bruises on my face are from my five or six flips in the gravel ", said the pilot Honda à speedweek. " The visor of my helmet opened and all the stones hit me. I had to have three stitches on my right eye ". Then he adds: “ at first, I thought the foot was broken because it was about to turn purple and it hurt like hell. But he's only badly bruised ».
So much for the consequences. But the Spaniard pushes his analysis further: “ every year tires and motorcycles get better and we get faster ", declared the pilot of 23 years. “ In MotoGP there is also aerodynamics, which further compounds the problem. Their bikes are even faster, riders can brake later and gain more speed in the corners. Our problems are not that big, but we arrive in Barcelona in the first corner at 325 km/h… If you fall you will quickly reach the limit of the route. It is close in many turns, which is very dangerous ". Then he concludes: “ I'm not saying we can't race on circuits like this. But it is clear that we need to improve safety on all old racing circuits ».
Iker Lecuona: “ if it's impossible, then we can't go, because it's dangerous for us »
If, on certain sites, the runoff zones can be extended, on others like Most or Imola it will be difficult or even impossible in certain turns. In this case, the expertise of the former Tech3 KTM rider in MotoGP made is clear: “ if it's impossible, then we can't go, because it's dangerous for us ».
The fact remains that if we come to the point that the circuits are no longer suitable for motorcycles, perhaps we should reverse the thinking and readjust the motorcycles to their natural space... " Just like motorcycles, tires have also developed. Improvements in lap times are more due to tires than motorcycles. Pirelli wants to improve its tires just like Honda the motorcycle. Every manufacturer does this to win the championship " remember lecuona.
The fact remains that his speech sounds like a warning for the Grand Prix of Catalonia future : " there are dangerous corners for us on many circuits, including Barcelona “, said the Honda driver. “ In Moto3, it's okay, in Moto2 it's going to be tight. And for MotoGP and Superbike, the runoff zones are too small because we are very fast. I hit the barriers several times and I don't even want to talk about the condition of the bike ».
