Iker Lecuona (Ducati) is convinced: MotoGP outing will help in the 2027 Superbike World Championship

At the Sepang GP, Ducati factory rider Iker Lecuona once again stood in for the injured Fermin Aldeguer. Although the runners-up in the world championship finished only in the lower order, he drew a surprising conclusion.

Kay Hettich

WorldSBK

02.11.2026 - 08:24

This article is an automatically generated English version. The Original Article was published in German.

Iker Lecuona
© Gold and Goose Photography

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Iker Lecuona

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Even after the 2026 Superbike World Championship comes to an end, Iker Lecuona will remain a busy man. As Fermin Aldeguer sustained another injury at the Mandalika GP, the Superbike World Championship runner-up stepped in for the Gresini regular rider at the MotoGP events at Phillip Island and Sepang following the end of the SBK season.

Lecuona put in some impressive performances during his MotoGP appearances this year – at the Balaton Park Circuit, the 26-year-old surprised everyone by finishing seventh! But last weekend, the Spaniard from Valencia was a long way from that: having qualified 19th at the Sepang International Circuit, he crossed the finish line last and second-last in the Sprint and the main race respectively – finishing 18th and 15th.

“It was tough, very gruelling,” groaned the Ducati rider. “Sepang is one of the worst events for me. I really don’t like the intense heat and high humidity at all, and the same goes for the circuit itself. On circuits like Silverstone or Balaton, I don’t necessarily find MotoGP any more gruelling than riding a Superbike, but here even 15 laps would be too many for me. In that respect, it was clear to me even before the race that I’d have problems.”

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Iker Lecuona

Surprisingly, Iker Lecuona draws a positive conclusion

Nevertheless, the Aruba rider draws a surprisingly positive conclusion about his Sepang outing. Lecuona is also focusing on the switch of the sole tyre supplier for the 2027 Superbike World Championship from Pirelli to Michelin.

“Given the circumstances, however, I was satisfied – I gave it my all! I was able to step up my performance and have steadily improved my riding. I’ve also learnt more about how to ride a MotoGP bike these days,” emphasised the Spaniard. “I think this will also help me in the future in the World Superbike Championship – in terms of how I compensate for certain things and manage the Michelin tyres. That’s why I regard Sepang as a positive weekend.”

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