IkerLecuona

After a stellar rookie campaign in 2022, where he claimed Honda’s first pole position since 2016, and a strong 2023 despite plenty of challenges, Spanish sensation Iker Lecuona stays with Team HRC for a third season after bringing youthful exuberance to WorldSBK after switching from MotoGP™, where he was a top six finisher. One podium finish in 2022 didn’t tell the full story of Lecuona’s season as he fought hard inside the top ten of the Championship in his maiden campaign, while 2023 was a mixed bag of results.

Lecuona’s career has been short and fruitful, as he raced through the ranks of prototype racing with top tens in the FIM CEV Moto2™ European Championships when he was just 16, before graduating to the Moto2™ World Championship. Constant points finishes in his rookie 2017 season were rewarded a year late, where the Valencian rider took a fine second place at home in Cheste at the season’s close, before another podium beckoned in Thailand the following season, along with numerous top ten results.

The Spaniard then had a baptism of fire as he moved up into the MotoGP™ World Championship aboard KTM machinery and whilst it took some getting used to, three top ten finishes in his rookie season – on Independent machinery – were strong results. 2021 saw him improve again with three more top ten results and a best of sixth, before he made the switch to WorldSBK and to Team HRC. Will 2024 prove to be fruitful than 2023?