An incredible race from Iker Lecuona demonstrated brilliant potential after a weekend of constant improvements, his charge ultimately cut short.
Ahead of Sunday’s Dutch Grand Prix, it was announced that Marc Marquez had been declared unfit as a result of the injuries sustained at the German GP last week, which had been aggravated further in Assen. This left Iker Lecuona as the lone Repsol Honda Team rider, the #27 keenly focused on the task ahead.
Having worked with the Repsol Honda Team and HRC engineers overnight, Lecuona entered the 26-lap race with ever-growing confidence. He stayed calmed in the first few corners before attacking and worked to stay with a sizable group battling for the points. Tricky conditions caught out a number of riders ahead but the stand-in Repsol Honda Team rider continued ahead with inch-perfect consistency on the Honda RC213V.
He soon found himself battling with Franco Morbidelli for the top ten. Unfortunately, heartbreak would follow soon after as a technical issue ended his race. Initially disappointed, Lecuona and the entire Repsol Honda Team leave the weekend impressed with the efforts of the 23-year-old.
MotoGP’s mid-season Summer Break now begins, a chance for riders and mechanics to rest and recover as HRC’s engineers continue important development work back in Japan. The World Championship will resume on August 04 with the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.