Iker Lecuona posted the quickest times in both practice sessions on Friday at the Italian WorldSBK round but dismissed the notion that he is the clear favorite to win races. Despite Lecuona’s strong performance, his teammate Nicolo Bulega suffered crashes in both sessions, causing him to miss about 30 minutes of the second practice.
Lecuona had a relatively relaxed first day at Cremona Circuit and by the end, said he felt as comfortable on the Ducati as ever in WorldSBK. “Honestly, I’m very happy with how things went,” Lecuona told WorldSBK.com after FP2 in Italy. “The team did an excellent job setting up the bike, and I did well on track. I enjoy this track and have had good results here before, which motivates me this weekend.”
He admitted that while he felt decent in the morning session, there were still some inconsistencies, prompting the team to try new setups. “This bike combines what we tested earlier, and during the afternoon’s second run, it was the first time I felt I was riding the Ducati exactly how I wanted—with margin and comfortably hitting mid-1m28s laps without pushing beyond the limit. That’s why I’m genuinely happy.”
However, Lecuona refrained from claiming the favorite status for Saturday’s Race 1. “No, I don’t see myself as the favorite,” he said when asked. “Nicolo is right there, too. It’s odd to see Nicolo crash, but he’s still the second-fastest. Our pace is probably similar, and the rest aren’t too far off compared to other tracks. Maybe we have a slight edge over third place, but with Nicolo performing well, I’m unsure who’s really the favorite. At least, I plan to fight for it.”
Fan Take:
Lecuona’s strong start at Cremona signals an exciting weekend ahead, especially with Bulega’s impressive speed despite crashes. For racing fans, this dynamic rivalry within the same team could intensify the competition and add more drama to the WorldSBK championship battles.
Source: www.crash.net
