Lecuona: “I had to save myself from some crashes, but we have crashed a lot”

Lecuona was one of just two retirements from Race 1 at the Dutch WorldSBK round, before adding his name to a much larger list during Sunday’s final race.

The Spaniard crashed out of Race 1 following a tumble at turn one, before a mistake at turn four saw him go down in Race 2.

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"It was a tough day in general for me, the team and Honda, with me and Xavi both crashing in Race 2 and generally struggling at this track," said Lecuona. 

"We think we understood something about why the weekend developed as it did, so now it’s time to remain cool and focused, checking all the data and really understanding which changes to make to the setup of the bike, both for the next round and for the subsequent testing session at Misano. 

"It’s true that last year I also had to save myself from some crashes, but this year we have crashed a lot. 

"Having said that, thanks to the team, to Kuwata san, Mori san and everyone on the team for the trust they put in me. I trust them and the team and now we need to work and make the right choices."

Lecuona and Xavi Vierge struggled to fight for the top five all three races, which was somewhat of a surprise given this year’s Honda has generally been more competitive and Lecuona secured his maiden Superbike podium at Assen last season.

For Vierge, the former Moto2 rider was unlucky to be run off the track in Race 1 when leading a group of six in eighth place.

During Sunday’s Race 2, Vierge was in contention for another top ten result before crashing at turn one.

Vierge said: "I first want to apologise to the team for my mistake in race 2. The team worked really hard between yesterday and today, making various changes to the bike. 

"It wasn’t easy to decide what to do following warm-up, as we didn’t have the right conditions to really check it, but we believed in our work and headed into the Superpole race feeling confident. 

"I was pleased with the way that race went as the bike allowed me to battle. I was able to finish top nine and that meant I gained a better grid position for race 2. 

"As that race got underway, I was feeling good and the feeling was there, allowing me to fight for the top six. Unfortunately I made a small mistake through turn 1 and lost the front, and that was the end of that. 

"Not the end we were hoping for, but after a difficult weekend we did find something that allowed us to be up there fighting for a solid result. So we need to take the positives and will now head to Barcelona, a track that can work better for us."