HRC Honda’s 2022 gamble on signing young riders and changing a lot of their tech suppliers looked a big one back when it was announced.
Winter testing was OK, however - improving - until Xavi Vierge crashed at Barcelona and broke his ribs. In the first WorldSBK race both Vierge and Iker Lecuona had ever faced Lecuona was an impressive sixth and Vierge an equally-impressive seventh.
Surely new WorldSBK recruit Lecuona had to happy with his first day’s work in WorldSBK even if sixth also meant being a second a lap slower than race winner Jonathan Rea.
“Yeah. It’s true,” said Iker, grinning from ear-to-ear. “I need to say in general in every test we did this winter we improved day by day. I’m very happy. I was very happy in Barcelona as I finished P3. Right now in Aragon, we struggled more because the track is a bit longer. It’s more complete for me.
'It’s a lot of fast corners, slow corners, uphill, downhill… The track and for this bike we struggle more, because the potential of the bike is not the fastest corners. So, I struggled all the weekend. This morning I felt good. We improved a little bit the pace, so it’s the objective.
"My pace was fine but we need some tenths. We found these tenths in the morning. Then in the qualifying, it’s the first quali with these tyres so I need to try. I do very well, honestly. Surprised me because I go alone and I finished P7, one second to the top guys. So for me, it’s a really good position for the first race start.
"Then in the race, I hade a very good start. Honestly, a very, very good start. I overtake two guys in the first corner. So I said, ‘okay, until now I need to push, try to follow the top guys to have some gap with the rear.’
"I feel that the five, six first riders have more potential than me, but if I can follow a little bit the first laps I can have a small gap with the rear guys and stay alone because I know alone I can stay on the same pace. This is what I did. Finally, Alex Lowes and Andrea Locatelli overtake me. I tried to follow. I can follow a lot of laps, then I had a small problem with the bike. So, I start to struggle a little bit with the front. In general, I’m very happy.
"I finished in P6. Very good race in general. Constant. The last laps we struggled a bit more, but I want to finish the race because I have three seconds with Xavi. So, I tried to manage the gap.”
In his previous MotoGP life that would be it for Iker for a weekend, but in WorldSBK he has two more races to do, and he also has to get out of bed earlier.
“It’s not the end,” he agreed. “Something stressful for us. In the morning I woke up very early. Also in MotoGP normally I wake up at 9:00. At 7:30 I woke up today. I said, ‘it’s too early for me!’ I don't think about this. I arrive here this morning. I did the qualifying. I said, ‘but now I have a race.’ I didn’t expect this race, but I’m ready. I need to work a little bit with the team because we need to solve some problems, but we are ready to fight again.”
Maybe another new experience of a ten-lap Superpole race on Sunday morning will allow even more progress for Lecuona? “I think more close, yes. More close, because in the first ten laps I lose only six seconds, six and a half, only. I need to develop the bike a little bit and it’s the first race so it’s not bad. But six or five seconds with the top guys in ten laps, this lap time could be fine. Then I have a big drop in the tyre and I lose more. So, I think tomorrow will be maybe an opportunity to finish a bit more in front and a bit more close to the other guys. But at the same time, the other guys push a bit more. So, we will see. It’s my first Superpole race, so I cannot say anything.”
After a real race, is Lecuona able to characterise the strong and weaker points of his machine already?
“We improve a lot in general during the winter,” said Iker. “In general, all the points. I think that for me the strong point is during this test and also this race is the braking, the braking performance. I can brake late. I stop the bike well. So, I spoke Wednesday with Alvaro and Alvaro told me, 'It’s difficult to overtake you.'
"Only in corner one I don’t feel really good. So, both riders, Alex and Locatelli, were overtaking me in corner one. I feel really good and I think it’s the strong point for the bike. Then the turning is I think the weak point for the bike. So, we need to improve it more this side, but also improving a lot. I know in Japan it was very hard to give us, also to Xavi, more pieces to improve this side. So, we need to wait more.”
