Iker Lecuona (Honda HRC) shone bright at the MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship’s first day of testing at Misano, placing third-fastest on the day. Of Honda HRC’s full-time rider pair, he was the only rider on the grid for today, as teammate Xavi Vierge is out with a fracture on his right foot. The #7 represented the Japanese manufacturer well, improving on his FP1 time to finish the day third-fastest behind Toprak Razgatlioglu (ROKiT BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team) and Axel Bassani (bimota by Kawasaki Racing Team).

“We’re quite happy, this was my first test of the season, including the preseason” – Lecuona on his Day 1 Test at Misano

The Spanish rider has had a rough ride ever since the end of the 2024 season. After suffering a fractured fifth metatarsal in his left foot at the final round of the 2024 campaign, Lecuona underwent surgery. Later, he suffered a broken rib while training, and most recently, he missed out on the season-opening Australian Round with a broken fourth metatarsal in his left foot. The chain of injuries hampered his season so far, but as time has gone on, the 25-year-old has looked more and more competitive.

“We finished early because the job was done and we started to feel rain, we’re quite happy, this was my first test of the season including the preseason due to the injuries I’ve had.” said Lecuona “We put the focus on the base setup because this was my first test, we weren’t sure when the weather was going to turn today so we prioritized that first. We’re happy with our findings with the base setup, even with very used tyres we are very competitive. It’s true that this track has very good grip, and the track temperature was favourable, but we were consistently among the fastest on track."

Lecuona’s takeaways from Day 1 - “We tried some different things to help with the front end, which can be problematic later in races. We’re happy with what we found”

Excluding a pair of DNF finishes at Cremona, the #7 has only missed the top 10 positions twice, and after a strong P6 finish at Cremona’s Race 2, he is on a four-race streak of finishing inside the top 7 positions. While this consistency is a clear cause for optimism for Honda HRC, Lecuona wants to take a further step. The fruits of this test may allow him and his team to do just that.

 On his day one, Lecuona added, “We feel we have found a good direction to take the setup; we tried some different things to help with the front end, which can be problematic later in races. We’re happy with what we found, no new components on the bike for now, just focusing on the bike’s setup.”

Catch Lecuona and company June 13-15th live or on demand at Misano via the WorldSBK VideoPass! Now 30% off!