SBK, Iker Lecuona furious with KTM in MotoGP: 'I wanted heads to roll'

The past in MotoGP and the present in Superbike, Lecuona shares some anecdotes and also talks about his goals for 2026.

Nicolò Bulega is the cover man of the Superbike World Championship, but there’s another rider in the Aruba Ducati team to keep an eye on: Iker Lecuona. Even if the Italian is the one expected to win the 2026 title, the Spaniard is growing and at the Portimao round he took three second places, his first podiums since riding the Panigale V4 R. He knows he’s been given an important opportunity for his career after four difficult years with the Honda HRC team, and he doesn’t want to waste it.

The 26-year-old from Valencia is one of those who moved from the Grand Prix paddock to WorldSBK. He raced in Moto2 and MotoGP before switching paddocks in 2022. In the top class he spent two seasons with the KTM Tech3 team and, interviewed by the Fast & Curious podcast, he retraced a bit of how 2021 went: "I had to have surgery a third time because of compartment syndrome, and in the first 4-5 races I suffered a lot. I didn’t want to ride, travel, train, see friends—I wasn’t living. I trained just enough, went to the races, finished, and then shut myself in at home. I suffered until I saw the announcement of the riders for the following year. It happened between an FP4 and a Q1. They hadn’t told me or my teammate, Danilo Petrucci, anything. I was very angry, I wanted to cut off some heads and see them roll."

Lecuona expected a different kind of communication from KTM, even if the disappointment and anger he felt then pushed him to get the most out of an RC16 that was anything but competitive: "In a way it was such a big release that I said, ‘Screw them.’ I tried to have fun, also because I didn’t know if I would ever ride a MotoGP bike again. I started to enjoy it, to feel the bike, to fight further up. I was never the last KTM, I was the second or the third. KTM behaved so-so for several years. Not only with me, but also with those who came after and later complimented me on what I had managed to do with that bike".

A return to MotoGP seems unlikely for the future, although a few years ago it was close to happening: "I’ve always said it wasn’t a goodbye—Lecuona explains—but a see-you-later. You never know what will happen in the future. I wouldn’t go back to KTM, because I don’t want to go back to being surrounded by people who treat an athlete or a person that way. Right now I feel incredibly good with Ducati, the people are impressive, I’ve never seen a better team on a human level. I have a great opportunity for my career and I’m focused on Superbike. Already in 2023 I was close to signing to return to MotoGP, but then it didn’t happen for certain reasons and it affected me a bit morally".

It’s worth remembering that in 2023 he raced as a substitute in as many as seven MotoGP Grands Prix for the Repsol Honda and LCR Honda teams. After Marc Marquez decided to leave HRC to join the Gresini team’s Ducati, it seemed that he too had been considered to ride an RC213V in 2024, but it didn’t happen. He continued racing in the Superbike World Championship, which he had joined in 2023 after turning down the idea of restarting in Moto2: "I didn’t want to go back to Moto2—says the Valencian rider—because I was at a MotoGP level that many would like to reach. I was fast, I could stay in the top 10 with an inferior bike, and I wasn’t the last KTM. I told my manager to find a solution in another championship. He found Honda Superbike, perfect: I changed scenery, became a factory rider, and put the number 7 back on."

In four years with the Honda CBR1000RR-R he achieved only two podiums, collecting several crashes and injuries as well. It wasn’t an easy experience, but it still taught him a lot. He also did important psychological work to rein in his explosiveness and become calmer. He arrived at the Aruba Ducati team more mature than ever and, while aware that he has to deliver results, he isn’t obsessed with having to beat Bulega: "Fighting for the title is realistic—Lecuona comments—but it’s also very difficult. My teammate is the favorite to win. For me, it would be incredible to be in the top 3. Having Nicolò in the box motivates me; besides, he’s the one under pressure, being the favorite, not me. This year I don’t have the pressure to finish ahead of him; the team has clearly told me the goal: get comfortable with the team and the bike, finish in the top three of the championship. We all know where Bulega wants to go, so most of the pressure is on him, not me. I still have a bit of it, but I’m calm".

The situation is very clear: Iker knows what he has to do to keep his place in the Aruba Ducati team for the 2027 Superbike championship as well. If he were to get the better of Bulega in the title fight, it would be extraordinary, but he isn’t “condemned” to win. If he consistently achieves podiums and finishes second or third in the overall standings, he will certainly have a factory Panigale V4 R next year as well. Even though he didn’t say it in the interview, one of his personal goals is surely to win his first SBK race. He has the team and the bike to allow him to step onto the top step of the podium; he’ll need to be smart in closing the gap to Bulega and in capitalizing on the opportunities that come his way.