Marco Bezzecchi
Iker Lecuona got the chance to replace Marc Marquez during the 2023 MotoGP season at Honda. He had arguably the best rider’s data to learn from, but it was something he could not grasp.
Lecuona had a tough time in MotoGP, making his debut in 2019 with Tech3. He was moved to the factory KTM team in 2021, but after one season, he was dropped by the team and spent a year out of the premier class.
In 2023, he was called back to MotoGP with Honda, replacing Marquez at Jerez after the Spaniard suffered another injury setback. The Ant of Cervera was struggling to extract performance from the RC213V, but as Lecuona notes, he still showed extraordinary talent.
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The Spaniard is renowned for his unique riding style, particularly in braking. Jorge Lorenzo found it impossible to copy Marquez’s data because of how confident he was with the bike.
Valentino Rossi’s assistant was fascinated by Marquez’s telemetry and his pursuit of perfection. He could ride the Honda like no one else, and even today, his data at Ducati leaves many staggered by what he can do with the Desmosedici.
In 2023, the Spaniard endured his worst season in MotoGP, and after crashing six times at the Japanese GP, Marquez knew he had to leave Honda for Ducati. But even though he struggled immensely with the bike and his fitness, his data showed the world-class talent he had.
Iker Lecuona said it was not worth looking at Marc Marquez’s ‘very peculiar’ Honda data
Lecuona replaced Marquez at Jerez and then his Honda teammate Joan Mir at Assen in 2023. Having looked at both of their telemetry, he found it useless to look at Marquez’s data, as he could not ride the bike the same way.
He said via the Fast & Curious Podcast: “I have to say I didn’t watch Marc much. Because it’s true, he takes corners very differently from everyone else. He has something extra, a very peculiar riding style, which works for him because it’s his own, it’s unique.
“And it’s difficult to follow or understand how he’s able to do what he does. A corner entry, a ‘I can do this and I’m going to do it’ attitude, he doesn’t care about anything, how the bike moves… He doesn’t care what the bike does.
“What’s more, I would look at Márquez’s telemetry once, or twice at most, and I said, ‘It’s not worth it.’ And I started looking at the telemetry of other riders, of Joan Mir, who is more refined, because it didn’t make sense, it was incredible.”
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Iker Lecuona explains Marc Marquez’s ‘brilliant’ riding style
Lecuona shared more analysis of Marquez’s data and riding style: “Márquez is brilliant. If you’re a good braker, you can match Marc’s braking power, but you won’t enter corners like him.
“He has a technique, he knows how to position his weight, which is very important in MotoGP because of the Michelin tyres, how he positioned his body, his height… Everything is possible, they’re all variables.
“But the way he entered corners, with the confidence he had, and how he turned or lifted the bike, he did it all. Then, the Honda was spinning so much at that moment that it wouldn’t exit the corner. But just in corner entry and turning, he’d gain a tenth, two or three, depending on the corner.
“Marc has such a distinct and unique style that if you want to follow him, you have to ride like him. And we each have our own DNA, a different style.
“Reaching Marc’s level is very difficult. We see it with the Ducati too; he really pulls the front end and brakes like that… There are very few people who can do that.”
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