An arduous weekend in Jerez came to an end for the Repsol Honda Team with Iker Lecuona delighted at his steady growth while Joan Mir focuses on Monday’s Test.
The atmosphere was electric as the hills around the Circuito de Jerez – Angel Nieto were filled with fans from the early hours. With close to 80,000 fans in attendance, the scene was set for a thrilling Spanish Grand Prix as the MotoGP World Championship returned to Europe. Slightly cooler temperatures and the building of rain clouds in the distance saw some last-minute changes as the field headed out to the grid for the 25-lap race.
Another Turn 2 crash on the opening lap caused the red flag to come out and both Joan Mir and Iker Lecuona were sent back to the garage. As on Saturday, the pair handled the pressure without fault and recreated their strong stars.
Lecuona’s first full length MotoGP race with the Repsol Honda Team was a memorable one as he immediately got past former podium finisher Jonas Folger and worked to stay with HRC Test Rider Stefan Bradl. Keeping calm and managing his tyres until the end, the Honda WorldSBK rider finished in 16th – just on the edge of the points as several riders ahead made mistakes in the tricky conditions. Two race finishes from two starts this weekend is an ideal result for the 23-year-old after his last-minute call to replace Marc Marquez. Both Lecuona and the Repsol Honda Team leave the weekend content with his performance.
A complicated weekend for Joan Mir showed some promise early in the race as he made up a handful of places off the line. Slotting into the pack fighting for the top ten, Mir worked to stay in contention. Unfortunately, a fall on lap two at Turn 9 would end the double World Champion’s race – a dissapointing end to a complicated weekend. His and the team’s focus now shifts to the Monday Test where they will be looking to understand and solve all that went on this weekend.