Iker Lecuona's (Team HRC) wait for a second MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship podium came to an end at the Circuito Estoril after claiming third place in Race 1. It was a dramatic race for the #7 who was as low as 14^th across the line on Lap 1 but battled his way back up the order to take a first podium since Assen in 2022, and Honda’s first since Xavi Vierge (Team HRC) stood on the rostrum at Mandalika last year.

Honda have made great strides in recent rounds with both Lecuona and Vierge securing consistent top-ten finishes and both getting closer to the lead group. A tricky Tissot Superpole session with difficult and unpredictable weather conditions on Saturday morning meant both started outside the top ten and, despite quick progress on the opening lap, Lecuona found himself lower than his starting position as he crossed the line to complete the opening lap in P14.

However, he soon started making progress, running in the top ten by the end of Lap 3 and in the top five by the end of Lap 9. He was in a fierce fight with Jonathan Rea (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) and Alex Lowes (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) for fourth, with Lecuona and Rea going side by side throughout the first sector of the lap, before the Spaniard held position on Lap 9 before setting his sights on Andrea Locatelli (Pata Prometeon Yamaha) ahead. As it happened, the Honda rider didn’t need to make a pass on ‘Loka’ after the #55 crashed out of contention at Turn 7, promoting Lecuona to third. Although Lowes remained close behind, Lecuona held on for a first podium in 902 days, 96 races on from his first at Assen two years ago.

Explaining his race and what it felt like to be back on the podium, plus touching on how difficult 2024 has been for him, Lecuona said: “It’s crazy! The start was good, and I could overtake some riders in the first corner but at Turn 4, I went just behind Xavi and tried to overtake Rinaldi. Rinaldi crossed the line and my front tyre hit him on the back. I almost crashed, so I closed the throttle to not crash and about six riders overtook me. I started to overtake, and I couldn’t think so much, just to overtake at Turn 3, Turn 6, I overtook many riders, Turn 7 braking… I felt really strong,

“I had a lot of performance today. I didn’t expect a podium because we didn’t have enough time. It was a question mark over tyre life. I said I’d try to save the tyre in some places and keep the pace. I caught Alex, overtook him and I was P4. I wanted to catch Bulega and Locatelli, but Locatelli made a mistake. I couldn’t relax because Alex was 0.5 seconds behind me. I went a bit faster than Bulega, and I said to keep the pace. In the last two laps, I thought the podium was possible after two years! I was very happy during the whole lap, but coming into pit lane, I started to cry. It’s been a hard year for me with many injuries. Sometimes, I felt like I wasn’t good enough to be here. It was a really good thing for me.”

Honda’s progress has been clear since they tested at Cremona in the summer, making big strides after a difficult start to the season. Lecuona revealed how he had changed some aspects of his preparation as part of that, trying to be more focused and relaxed in different areas as he, the team and the manufacturer made progress.

Discussing the mental side of the sport, Lecuona said: “I think in the summer. I need to say I started to work with a psychologist because I needed to be more focused and relaxed in some areas. I work physically more than ever; eat the food I need to eat. I listen to my manager and my team, to my girlfriend and my friends. I changed a lot and they’re working really hard in Japan. From the summer, the bike improved a lot. We were getting closer and closer and now we’ve done it.”

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