“Rear, yes. Front, no” - Michelin WorldSBK vs MotoGP tyres
Iker Lecuona offered an intriguing comparison after testing Michelin's future WorldSBK tyres at Aragon, just before his MotoGP return.
While MotoGP prepares to switch from Michelin to Pirelli tyres in 2027, WorldSBK is heading in the opposite direction with Michelin becoming the championship's new supplier.
Iker Lecuona was among the riders to sample Michelin's future WorldSBK tyres during a recent test at Aragon.
That two-day outing was just before he was called up to replace Alex Marquez at Gresini Ducati for last weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix.
However, having raced full-time in MotoGP with Tech3 KTM and made several stand-in appearances for Honda, Lecuona is well placed to compare Michelin's different products.
“Rear, yes. Front, no”
“Of course, it was different from Pirelli,” Lecuona said of the 'private' Michelin WorldSBK test.
Although unable to speak much about the test, when asked if the DNA of the WorldSBK tyres felt similar to the current MotoGP Michelins, he replied: “Rear, yes. Front, no.”
Lecuona is currently a lonely second to undefeated Aruba Ducati team-mate Nicolo Bulega in the WorldSBK standings.
Should Bulega secure the expected MotoGP seat, Lecuona - who has finished second to Bulega for the last 15 races in a row - is set to be the man to beat heading into the inaugural ‘Michelin’ WorldSBK season.
“This year, we are very fast; we are the two riders to escape, and I've been close to him,” Lecuona said of Bulega’s likely MotoGP move. “If he finally comes here, I'm really happy for him because he wins, for now, all the races. He deserves it."
Lecuona went on to finish his first MotoGP weekend since 2023 in an impressive seventh place at Balaton Park, a result that he feels also underlines the level of WorldSBK.
“Superbikes impress a lot, with the level,” Lecuona said on Sunday evening in Hungary.
“I think the level in Superbike is not as low as some people imagine because I arrived here [in MotoGP] with no experience for three years - new bike, new everything, and we did a good job!
“Okay, there was the crash [at Turn 1], but if not I finish in P12, that is also really good. So I think I saw our level in superbike.”
Lecuona will return to WorldSBK duty at Misano this weekend.
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