Iker Lecuona (Ducati) after finishing second: “Mentally, it’s hard to take”

Following his first hat-trick in the Superbike World Championship, Iker Lecuona arrived at the Circuito do Estoril full of confidence. For even though Nicolò Bulega had been crowned world champion in Cremona, the Spaniard inflicted four defeats on his Aruba.it team-mate at his home race of all places – alongside three victories, he also brought the Italian’s run of pole positions to an end.

But at the penultimate round of the season, Bulega turned the tables again, winning both Superpole and the first race on Saturday. Finishing second, Lecuona felt defeated. “Unfortunately, I don’t have the same good feeling here as I did in Cremona,” said the 26-year-old, frustrated. “When Nicolò overtook me at Turn 1, I realised I wouldn’t stand a chance in this race. In some areas we were roughly on a par, but in others his bike simply performed better. I, on the other hand, had a few problems, especially when turning. And although we didn’t push that hard in the end, I wore out my front tyre. It frustrates me a bit that I didn’t have the best feel for the bike and that we didn’t find a solution either.”

Iker Lecuona didn’t feel the Ducati’s full potential

Since securing second place in the World Championship, Lecuona has been experimenting with different set-ups in preparation for 2027. “For Sunday, I’ll ask the team again to try something new on the bike,” confirmed the Ducati rider. “If we don’t change anything, we’ll finish second again. That’s not a bad result, but I want to find that missing tenth of a second. If I crash whilst trying, then so be it. In Cremona, I felt the Ducati’s full potential for the first time. Now I’m back to where I was before and I’m fast, but I’m riding very close to the limit – and in the first race, I went beyond it in the opening laps. We’ll see what we can achieve on Sunday. Beating Nicolò is very difficult. That’s why I was so pleased in Cremona. He wasn’t fully on his game there, but I was definitely the stronger rider.”

After four lean years with Honda, doesn’t it feel strange for Lecuona to be dissatisfied with second places? “Yes, it does,” Lecuona admitted with a laugh when asked by SPEEDWEEK.com editor-in-chief Ivo Schützbach. “Of course, but I’m a racing driver. When I finished second at Portimão, I was the happiest person in the paddock. Then came the win at Donington, and the thing is, you always want to achieve a bit more. If I’m not beaming from ear to ear on days like today, it’s because I know I’m capable of more. I’m not setting my sights too high, because I’ve got the ability to do it. So, to reiterate: yes, it’s strange, but finishing in the same position so often is mentally tough to cope with in the long run.”

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