Iker Lecuona “didn’t expect this speed” at Hungarian WorldSBK

After finishing FP2 in third place at the Hungarian WorldSBK, Iker Lecuona has confessed his surprise at the performance he has shown.

This weekend’s Hungarian Round is the World Superbike debut for Balaton Park, and Lecuona suggests that the lack of experience the riders and teams have at the new circuit is a factor in his and Honda’s performance on Friday.

“I’m happy,” Iker Lecuona told WorldSBK.com after FP2 in Hungary.

“I didn’t expect this speed.

“I don’t know if it’s because no one else had any data.

“For everyone, it was a new track with the Superbike so maybe that helped me to be there.

“That’s one of the strongest points from when I was a kid, to learn quickly.

“It’s true that I had a small crash in FP2 almost at the end of the session but the team did a good job repairing the bike, and I jumped back on it. 

"We made some changes, and we went faster with used tyres, so I’m really happy about that. 

"Let’s see what happens tomorrow because, for sure, everyone will improve so we need to still work and understand the weak point of our bike more.”

Lecuona added that his style meshes well with the stop-start Balaton layout, but he is targeting electronics improvements on Saturday.

“For my style, the track is good,” he said.

“For Honda, depending on the sector, it can be. In some places, like stopping, it’s a good track but we struggle a lot under acceleration.

“It was a compromise on the bike.

“We have some ideas to change the bike and improve but I’ve not had time to work with the team properly.

“On the electronics area, we can improve in a few places, with engine brake to help stop and the bike setup to try to find a bit more grip.

“This afternoon was really hot and we lose some grip.”