Iker Lecuona surprisingly secured a third-place podium finish in WorldSBK Race 1 at Jerez despite suffering a couple of front-end slides that nearly knocked him out of the race entirely.
The Spanish rider admitted that he felt extremely fortunate to stay on his bike after enduring nerve-wracking moments in the early stages of the race. This result marked his worst finish since Australia, though he still managed to cross the line behind Nicolo Bulega and Sam Lowes.
Earlier, a setup change in FP3 had given a boost to his performance. However, trouble arose when he lost front-end grip twice within a span of a few laps, which subsequently invited heavy pressure from pursuing rivals.
"I know it was a tricky weekend for me but this morning I think we found something and it’s true that in qualifying I did a small mistake in turn eight and I lost one tenth, that is the tenth to P2," Iker Lecuona told WorldSBK.com.
"I said on Thursday or yesterday that Nicolo is on another planet right now, so the focus is to be second. Sam did a really good job, honestly. I know from this morning that he’s my leading competitor, let’s say."
"Then during the race, honestly I didn’t expect that in lap four I almost crashed in turn 11. I don’t know why I stayed on the bike: I broke the leathers, I lost the front completely and I stayed on the bike, so I don’t know why, but I’m on the bike. Two laps after I lost the front in turn 12, that is when Yari overtook me."
Although he faced intense pressure from Yari Montella, Lecuona ultimately proved his resilience in the second half of the race thanks to his choice of a harder-compound front tyre. Nevertheless, he remained frustrated by the struggles he faced while riding on brand-new tyres at the start.
"So, it’s just a very difficult race in the beginning because at the end, with used tyres, I’m one of the fastest on track, but with new tyres I struggle too much, even riding gentle and riding just to conserve the tyre I cannot do it. It’s something I need to understand why. I’m frustrated," he added.
Looking ahead to Sunday's races with rain forecasted, Lecuona is not setting high expectations. His primary focus is simply to finish the weekend without any crashes and conclude a strong season safely with his team.
Baca Juga
Simak analisis kebangkitan Alvaro Bautista di WorldSBK Jerez 2026 berkat ubahan teknis kecil. Baca ulasan mendalam, data performa, dan kutipan resminya di sini!
Simak analisis lengkap bagaimana Iker Lecuona selamat dari kecelakaan horor di Jerez WorldSBK 2024. Baca selengkapnya di sini!
Alvaro Bautista bangkit di Jerez dengan finis keempat di WorldSBK 2026. Simak analisis mendalam, perjalanan musim, dan kutipan lengkapnya di sini!
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