Honda’s WorldSBK group will subject a lowered line-up at this week’s Jerez take a look at, owing to an harm for Iker Lecuona.
Lecuona was coaching two weeks in the past when he suffered rib accidents and contusions.
“Iker Lecuona continues to be recovering from an harm sustained whereas coaching two weeks in the past,” an announcement from Honda reads.
“Lecuona suffered a cracked rib and minor contusions and though his accidents will not be critical, the group has determined that the rider ought to sit out this week’s take a look at as a precaution.”
The Honda assertion says that the plan for Lecuona is for him to return to motion at subsequent week’s Portimao take a look at on 28–29 January.
Lecuona’s absence in Jerez implies that solely Xavi Vierge, of HRC’s full-time WorldSBK line-up, will trip on the Andalusian venue this week on 22–23 January, a take a look at which precedes the primary spherical by solely four-and-a-half weeks.
Vierge is not going to be utterly alone within the Honda programme, with Petronas MIE’s Tarran Mackenzie and Zaqhwan Zaidi using for the primary time this preseason at Jerez, and HRC’s official take a look at rider Tetsuta Nagashima additionally current in Spain.
Lecuona’s harm marks one other injury-hit starting to a season, after he missed six of the primary 9 races of 2024 by way of harm. He additionally missed the ultimate race of final season after a crash within the Superpole Race at Jerez together with his teammate, Vierge; and the #7 missed the ultimate six races of his rookie WorldSBK marketing campaign after a observe crash on the penultimate spherical at Mandalika in 2022.
