Injured Honda rider to miss this week's Jerez WorldSBK test
Iker Lecuona will miss this week’s WorldSBK test at Jerez through injury.
Honda’s WorldSBK team will field a reduced line-up at this week’s Jerez test, owing to an injury for Iker Lecuona.
Lecuona was training two weeks ago when he suffered rib injuries and contusions.
“Iker Lecuona is still recovering from an injury sustained while training two weeks ago,” a statement from Honda reads.
“Lecuona suffered a cracked rib and minor contusions and although his injuries are not serious, the team has decided that the rider should sit out this week’s test as a precaution.”
The Honda statement says that the plan for Lecuona is for him to return to action at next week’s Portimao test on 28–29 January.
Lecuona’s absence in Jerez means that only Xavi Vierge, of HRC’s full-time WorldSBK line-up, will ride at the Andalusian venue this week on 22–23 January, a test which precedes the first round by only four-and-a-half weeks.
Vierge will not be completely alone in the Honda programme, with Petronas MIE’s Tarran Mackenzie and Zaqhwan Zaidi riding for the first time this preseason at Jerez, and HRC’s official test rider Tetsuta Nagashima also present in Spain.
Lecuona’s injury marks another injury-hit beginning to a season, after he missed six of the first nine races of 2024 through injury. He also missed the final race of last season after a crash in the Superpole Race at Jerez with his teammate, Vierge; and the #7 missed the final six races of his rookie WorldSBK campaign after a practice crash at the penultimate round at Mandalika in 2022.
Alex joined the Crash.net team in August of 2024 having covered consumer and racing motorcycle news at Visordown for two years.
