Iker Lecuona will replace Fermin Aldeguer at Phillip Island as the Spaniard recovers from right-hand surgery.
Fresh off wrapping up his 2026 WorldSBK campaign last weekend in Jerez, Iker Lecuona is set to make an immediate transition back into the premier class. The Spaniard will step onto a MotoGP bike for the third time this season.
Lecuona was first called upon by Gresini prior to the summer break to stand in for Alex Marquez at Balaton Park before returning at Silverstone to substitute for Aldeguer.
Now, the Aruba.it WorldSBK rider will tackle the Desmosedici GP at Phillip Island while Aldeguer recovers. The MotoGP rookie sustained a fracture to the first metacarpal bone in his hand during a crash at Mandalika and recently underwent successful surgery. Aldeguer is targeting a return in time for the Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang in two weeks.
This marks the fifth Grand Prix event missed by Aldeguer this year in what has proven to be a taxing 2026 campaign in the premier class.
A premier-class debut at Phillip Island for Lecuona
While Aldeguer will be forced to sit out the final edition of the Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island before MotoGP transitions to Adelaide in 2027, Lecuona gets his first opportunity to tackle the iconic circuit on a MotoGP machine.
Despite competing full-time in the premier class during the 2020 and 2021 seasons with Tech3 KTM, Lecuona never got the chance to race at Phillip Island on a MotoGP bike due to the event’s cancellation during the pandemic.
“I helped the team a few times, and I enjoyed it a lot,” Lecuona told media, including Motorsport Week, in Jerez. “It would be a good opportunity to race in Australia on a MotoGP, which I’ve never done because of covid. It would be another track with a different bike. If they call me, of course I’ll go.”
The outing offers Lecuona a chance to bounce back from a difficult Silverstone round where he suffered a double DNF, contrasting his standout P7 finish at Balaton Park earlier in the summer. Every MotoGP appearance serves as an additional opportunity to demonstrate his ability to Ducati.
“Of course, if I have the chance to go back and they give me an opportunity, I would take it,” he said. “But I’m very, very happy here. I know what a MotoGP paddock is like, and I think here it is much friendlier and more family-orientated. I also have fewer races and more time to be at home with my wife and daughter. If I do very well like Nicolo, Ducati can give me a chance.”
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