KTM made it official before reaching the middle of the season, that Remy Gardner , current leader of the Moto2 World Championship, and Raúl Fernández , second classified, both from the associated team Ajo, were going to form the Tech3 rider line-up in 2022, an announcement that It carried intrinsic, without mentioning it, the dismissal of Danilo Petrucci and Iker Lecuona .
As reported by Motorsport.com , the Austrian manufacturer decided to offer its two young riders a chance to test the RC16 during the Misano test that takes place this Tuesday and Wednesday, which has left Lecuona without a bike for the second day of testing. A situation that has upset the Valencian runner, who has made it evident in a meeting with the media at the end of the first day of testing.
“Basically my flight leaves this Wednesday at six in the morning, so I won’t be there,” he said with a certain sarcasm when asked if he was going to stay for the second day of official MotoGP testing.
“I don’t want to talk about it, it’s a situation that pisses me off a lot, I don’t understand it, nor am I in favor of it, but I have to accept it. Today we have done the best job that could be done despite the conditions of the morning, so in the second race of Misano we will see where we are”, in reference to the Made in Italy Emilia Romagna Grand Prix that is held on this same track in october.
Motorsport.com asked Iker if Raúl and Remy were going to physically use their bike, or had KTM brought them different machinery.
“I don’t know, but I guess they’ll test my bike. There are no more units here, so I guess they’ll just jump on my bike. I don’t want to comment any more on this topic because it’s not going to take me anywhere”, the young and talented runner settled the matter quite upset.
A productive day
Details aside and knowing for days that he was only going to be able to ride on the first day, Iker took advantage of all the time he could on the track in Misano during the first test day, dominated by Pecco Bagnaia.
“It was a short test, it rained in the morning but not enough and although I wanted to ride in the wet to test some things, there wasn’t enough water. In the afternoon we have ridden for four hours and we have taken a good step regarding the pace, always riding alone, looking for something to take a little step towards the October race. I couldn’t do a fast lap at the end because I crashed. The sun was very low and had no references. It has cost me, I have tried but it did not improve. But basically we have taken a small step for the second race in Misano to be a little closer”, summed up the rider, who finished 20th on the time sheet.
In a situation like Iker’s there is always the possibility of neglect by the manufacturer.
“In that sense, I have to say that they continue to give me pieces and electronic things to try. I have no complaints about that, they keep giving me pieces and what I like I can keep. I hope they keep it that way until the end of the season because in the end it’s also positive for them to have a KTM as soon as possible.”
What is clear is that, in no case, will the Valencian test the 2022 bike.
“Honestly, I don’t know if KTM is testing the 2022 bike, and I don’t care either because I’m not going to be here anymore. If they told me to try it, I wouldn’t,” he replied dryly.
Iker will neither be in Tech3-KTM nor in MotoGP next year, he will be in WorldSBK with the official Honda team, as revealed by Motorsport.com , a step that has been decided and the agreement closed, but which has not yet been made official.
“I have decided. It’s done, but for now we won’t announce it. I don’t rule on that subject and when they want they will say so. I am very calm and very happy with the decision, for my future it is very positive”, settled #27 .
(Click on the link or on the image to see the photos of the MotoGP test in Misano)
