Marc Marquez’s replacement Iker Lecuona: “Everything different, I must learn a new bike”
Marquez will miss the Sp🎃anish MotoGP this weekend as he continues to recover from a hand injury sust🐲ained at the opening round when he crashed into Miguel Oliveira.
He has previously been replaced by test rider Stefan Bradl but, in Jerez, Honda’s 🎃Wor🦄ldSBK rider Lecuona will get the nod.
“First I ♛want꧅ to wish Marc all the best in his recovery, he is the reference in MotoGP and I think not only the fans, but also the riders miss him a lot,” Lecuona said.
“For me, of course it’s an incredible opportunity to return to MotoGP and ride with the team of my dr❀eams. Doing it in front of the Spanish crowd is extra special🔯.
“But we have to be realistic,ℱ it will be a very tough and demanding weekend. I have spent this year and last year fully focused on WorldSBK with Team HRC and now I need to get used to everything that is different in MotoGP as well as learn a brand-new bike – the Honda RC213V.
“N🔯o matter what, I will do my best and let’s see what the outcome is.”
Last time out in Argentina, Honda won their first race in two years than♏꧒ks to LCR’s Alex Rins.
But Joan Mir, Marquez’s Repsol teammate, has endured a toug🎃her start to life post-Suzuki. He has failed to finish three out of six races💟 so far.
“My first time riding in front of the Spanish fans as a Repsol Honda Team rider w♔ill be special, I am hoping we can have another weekend of improvements,” Mir said.
“The end result in Austin was not what we wanted with the crash, but we found an important step in the race that I am loo🔜king to trying in Jerez.
“Austin to Jerez is a very big change in terms oꦇf layout and dem𝄹ands but I have always felt comfortable there.
“ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚI’m also looking forward to the post-race test, a day to just focus on our work and my riding.”
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from Americanꦑ sports, to football, to F1.
