2026 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship runner-up Iker Lecuona (Aruba.it Racing - Ducati) flew down to Malaysia from October 30th to November 1st for a replacement ride for MotoGP’s injured Fermin Aldeguer. His participation at the Malaysian Grand Prix was required as the Spanish #54 remains unfit with a wrist injury, and Lecuona put in a solid weekend’s performance at the Sepang International Circuit in his third MotoGP participation with the BK8 Gresini Racing MotoGP outfit this season.
FROM AUSTRALIA TO SEPANG
Lecuona hopped back on top of the Ducati Desmosedici for the second time in two MotoGP weekends as he also replaced Aldeguer at the preceding Australian GP. The weekend in Australia was cut short with Sunday’s Grand Prix being cancelled due to reduced visibility affecting the medical helicopter's ability to fly. On Saturday however, he impressed with P9 in the Tissot Sprint, taking the last of the point-scoring positions. Kicking off the weekend in Malaysia, he finished FP1 back in P22, just behind Toprak Razgatlioglu's replacement rider for Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP, Augusto Fernandez. He showed a step on Friday in Practice, as while he missed the cut to go straight to Q2, a 1’58.192s time on his penultimate run saw him finish in P15, missing the P10 cutoff by just under six tenths.
A DUEL BETWEEN 2027 TEAMMATES
He kept the throttle open in FP2, again taking P15, but missed the Q2 cut after taking P9 in the first qualifying session. Starting from P19 in the Sprint race, he improved to P17 after Alex Marquez’s crash and Jack Miller’s retirement, but fell victim to a Lap 6 move by future teammate Franco Morbidelli, who moved past for P17, leaving the Spaniard to finish 18th.
SNAGGING A POINT IN P15
In the weekend’s climactic Grand Prix, Lecuona jumped off the line, moving up three positions to P16 before falling back to 18th by Lap 2. He benefited from DNFs by Joan Mir, Diogo Moreira and Johann Zarco, and made a Lap 14 move past future WorldSBK competitor Jack Miller to jump into the point-scoring positions in P15.
He closed the weekend with a point for his team, no small feat given his lack of continuity at the punishing Sepang circuit, where he has only ridden at once in MotoGP, back in 2023. He improved on his P16 finish recorded in his maiden appearance three years ago. Conditions in Malaysia are notoriously difficult, as well with temperatures having soared to 36º C in the air and 55º C on track; on top of its demanding layout, it requires riders to cover over 110 km over 20 laps. After their Sprint race duel, the battle inside the factory Ducati box may be one to watch this coming 2027 season.
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