Next MotoGP outing for Iker Lecuona? He no longer wants to race full-time

Fermin Aldeguer of the Gresini Ducati MotoGP team suffered a fracture to his right hand in a crash during the main race in Indonesia. The Spaniard underwent surgery in Barcelona, but it is uncertain whether he will be able to compete at Phillip Island in South Australia over the weekend of 23–25 October.

Superbike World Championship runner-up Iker Lecuona would be a likely replacement, having already stepped in at the start of June in Hungary and at the start of August in Great Britain. Finishing seventh in the Hungarian Grand Prix, he put in a flawless performance that far exceeded expectations, having crossed the finish line in 18th place in the Sprint race. In England, he crashed in both races.

After finishing third in the combined timesheets from FP1 and FP2 on Friday in Jerez, Lecuona did not want to comment on the possibility of further MotoGP appearances. However, he was eventually drawn into making the following remarks: “I’ve seen the team a few times and really enjoyed my time with them. Perhaps it would be a good opportunity to ride a MotoGP bike in Australia; I wasn’t able to do that at the time because of the Covid regulations. I’d have to learn yet another new circuit on this bike – if they were to give me a call, I’d really appreciate it.”

Lecuona has an opinion on MotoGP

The signings of Toprak Razgatlioglu and Nicolo Bulega, who have both performed exceptionally well in the World Superbike Championship, show that there can also be a route into MotoGP via the World Superbike Championship. There are just a few seats available for 2028, whilst for 2029 almost all riders will have to renegotiate their contracts. SPEEDWEEK.com asked the 26-year-old in Andalusia whether MotoGP would be an option for Lecuona if he were to have outstanding seasons over the next two years.

“To be honest, I’m happy here and enjoying it very much; I know what the MotoGP paddock is all about,” said Lecuona. “The Superbike paddock is more like a family and friendlier; there are fewer races and you spend more time at home. That means I can spend more time with my wife and my daughter, who’s growing every day. It’s lovely to be able to witness that. I’m taking the future as it comes and focusing on the present. If I do very well, like Nicolo has this year, then Ducati might give me a chance. But even if that doesn’t happen and they want to keep me in Superbikes for a long time, then we can go down that path together.”

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