Iker Lecuona senses a breakthrough: the Ducati V4R is now perfect for him

Fastest time in the morning, fastest time in FP2 – for Iker Lecuona, the first day of practice at Cremona went like clockwork. In contrast, his Aruba.it Ducati team-mate Nicolò Bulega crashed in both sessions.

At Magny-Cours, Lecuona had said that, given his position in the overall standings, he would be more willing to experiment with the set-up of his V4R. Progress is evident here in Cremona.

“I already felt great on the bike this morning. Our set-up is a mix of Magny-Cours and the test here in Cremona – although we weren’t able to complete many laps back then due to the weather, we still managed to gather some good data,” said the Spaniard. “For FP2, we tweaked the set-up slightly to iron out the few issues. That’s made the bike even better, and since we modified it again during the session, I’m really enjoying riding the Ducati for the first time! I can use my natural riding style, I’ve got room for minor mistakes, I can overtake other riders with ease, and I’m still consistent, clocking times in the mid-1:28s.”

Will Lecuona spoil the party for his team-mate Bulega in Cremona?

Lecuona trails Bulega by 146 points, and Bulega would love to clinch the World Championship title with a hat-trick at his home race. Will Lecuona, who is the same age, be a spoilsport?

“I’ll take each session as it comes on Saturday – so much can change,” says the 26-year-old, waving the suggestion aside. “Intuitively, we’ve still got something in reserve for the race, but not as much as Nicolò. As a rule, he always manages to find something that makes him better. Basically, we’re the two riders to beat here. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens. In any case, I’m not writing off the win entirely.”

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Cremona: Der Samstag

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Ducati’s dominance was once again striking on Friday. In the combined timesheets, the two factory riders are followed by five Ducati customer riders. The closest challenger is Garrett Gerloff, riding the sole Kawasaki, in eighth place.

“The Ducati simply works very well on every circuit, in every situation and in all conditions,” says Lecuona, listing the bike’s strengths. “If seven V4Rs are at the front, our bike is obviously better than the others.”