Who is Iker Lecuona? Everything you need to know about Alex Marquez’s replacement for the Hungarian Grand Prix

Ducati The challenger came in to replace Michel Pirro Marquez He finished the race in 19th place at Mugello. The 39-year-old will be absent from the tournament at Balaton Park, which will require Gresini to bring in an alternative.

Turning to the World Superbikes paddock, Gresini called on his Aruba.it Racing teammate Iker Lecuona as championship leader Niccolò Bulega turned down the chance. Ahead of the Hungarian GP, ​​here’s everything you need to know about it.

Should Gresini have brought Niccolò Bulega in place of Alex Marquez for the Hungarian GP?

Iker Lecuona to replace Alex Marquez at Gresini for the Hungarian Grand Prix

Lecuona will be the eighth replacement rider after retiring from full-time racing in MotoGP in 2021. The Hungarian GP is the first race for Gresini and the first in the series on a Ducati bike.

Without a World Superbike round, it’s ready to take over GP26. Lecuona has experience at the Balaton Park circuit, being on the WSBK calendar.

Speaking ahead of the Hungarian GP, ​​he said: “I’m happy with this opportunity. It’s an unexpected opportunity. They told me at the Aragon tests on Monday: I’m obviously happy, and I thank Ducati for giving me this opportunity and Gresini for letting me ride their bike.”

I want to thank the Aruba Ducati team, Stefano and Serafino, for saying yes to me, even though we are in the middle of the Superbike Championship, but I am very happy with this opportunity.

“I want to have fun, and I don’t want to put any pressure on myself. I know it won’t be Ducati either. I want to ride and finish the race. Balaton is my favorite track. I’m fast there, and we’ll see what we can do, but fun remains the main goal.”

Read more: Everything you need to know about Gresini, from MotoGP team riders to the hierarchy

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Iker Lecuona has only raced two full seasons in MotoGP.

Lecuona’s Grand Prix career began in Moto2 at the end of the 2016 season. He replaced the injured Dominik Egerter at CarXpert Interwetten for six of the last seven races on a permanent basis in 2017, but managed to score two points all year.

In the year Switching from Calex to KTM machinery in 2018, Lecuona scored his first podium in Moto2 at the end of the season in Valencia. His second podium came in 2019 in Thailand, finishing the season in 12th, matching his previous year’s result.

Lecuona made his MotoGP debut at the end of 2019, replacing Miguel Olivera at Tech3. He has retired from racing, but will sign for the team for 2020 after Johan Zarco’s sudden exit from KTM.

In two seasons at Tech 3, Lecuona managed just 66 points, finishing 20th in the championship in 2020 and 2021, with a best result of sixth at the 2021 Austrian GP. He left Tech3 and MotoGP full-time in 2022 and moved to World Superbikes with Honda.

Lecuona scored two podiums in four seasons with the team, which finished ninth in the standings in 2022. With its relationship with Honda, Lecuona replaces Marc Marquez at the 2023 Spanish GP. And he made another six appearances in MotoGP that year.

Signing with Ducati in WSBK in 2026, Lecuona teams up with Bulega at Aruba.it Racing. At the time of writing, the Italian has won every race so far, while his teammate has finished P2 in the last 15 races, having already had the best season in the series.

How old is Iker Lecuona? When was he born?

Lecuona was born on January 6, 2000, making him 26 years old at the time of writing.

Where was Iker Lecuona born? What is his nationality?

Lecuona was born in Valencia and made it Spanish.

How tall is Iker Lecuona? How tall is he in feet?

According to the official MotoGP website, Lecuona is 179 cm tall, making him 5 feet 10.5 inches.

What number does Iker Lecuona compete in?

Lecuona will race #7 in WSBK with Ducati in 2023, using the #27 MotoGP number with Tech3 and Honda in 2023, but could return to the #27 at Balaton Park with Torak Razgatlioglu using his MotoGP number.

Iker Lecuona career statistics