Lecuona ‘ready to fight again’, Vierge ‘I love the track’

Lecuona was ruled out of both Mandalika and the following Phillip Island round at the end of his rookie 2022 WorldSBK season, after fracturing vertebrae in a huge free practice highside in Lombok.

The Spaniard returns holding seventh in the early world championship standings after 6-8-6 finishes in Australia last weekend.

“I’m really happy to be in Indonesia and I just hope that the track conditions are better than they were last year, at least as far as I was able to experience, because my weekend was brought to a premature end after a massive highside,” Lecuona said.

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“But I like the track and I’m excited to be back in Mandalika and to race here for the first time. After the Australian weekend, I think we’re ready to fight again. We’re still learning about the new bike, so we’ll see but I’m looking forward to the next round.”

Team-mate Xavi Vierge scored his best result of last season with sixth in Mandalika and can’t wait to return.

“We now have the second round of the year at an amazing circuit,” said Vierge, who began the season with 7-12-11 finishes in Australia.

“I really enjoyed last year’s races and I’m looking forward to getting back there, as there was an incredible atmosphere with great fans.

“I love the track, it's a layout I really enjoy, but hope it will be in a better condition than last year, as this will make for more exciting races. I can’t wait to get started!”