Iker Lecuona (Honda HRC) caught a tough break Down Under in the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship opener, being diagnosed with a broken fourth metatarsal in his left foot. The injury came as a big blow to Honda HRC, who had looked faster in the off-season testing, even with Lecuona riding through a broken rib suffered earlier in the offseason. The incident happened during Saturday’s Tissot Superpole session, where in his second lap, rounding the iconic Lukey Heights, he and his Honda CBR 1000 RR-R were sent sliding off track into the gravel on the right-hand side. He was immediately taken to the medical center where he received his broken foot diagnosis, ruling him out of the rest of the weekend.

There is however, a silver lining on this cloud hanging over the Spanish rider: more recent medical examinations have concluded that the #7 will not require surgery on the broken bone, meaning he may be back sooner than expected. He is already progressing with his physiotherapy rehabilitation to accelerate his healing. Lecuona is scheduled for a check-up on March 18^th to assess his condition and determine if he will participate in Portimao’s Pirelli Portuguese Round which will take place ten days later, March 28-30th. What has been confirmed by the team, is that he will not attend the upcoming Portimao tests on March 14^th and 15^th.

Don’t miss a moment of this season’s action as hopefully Lecuona will join the rest of the WorldSBK grid in their Round 2 battle at everyone’s favorite rollercoaster, the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve! Catch it all with the WorldSBK VideoPass!