P1racenews AI automatic summary:
The third member of the Honda HRC team for the Suzuka 8 Hours endurance race has been announced.
Honda confirmed that Iker Lecuona will join the Suzuka 8 Hours as the third rider of its factory team on 3 August, partnering with Johann Zarco and Takumi Takahashi.
Lecuona previously competed at Suzuka in 2022 and took victory with the Honda team that year alongside Takahashi and Tetusta Nagashima.
Originally set to return in 2023, Lecuona replaced Alex Rins in the LCR Honda MotoGP team due to Rins’ injury, raising questions about his WorldSBK future with HRC.
Amid rumors of Alvaro Bautista and Jack Miller potentially joining HRC, Lecuona participated in pre-event tests at Suzuka this past week after finishing sixth in Race 2 at Emilia-Romagna WorldSBK.
Initially planned as the third rider, Luca Marini’s injuries from a testing crash led to Lecuona’s inclusion in the Suzuka 8 Hours alongside Zarco and Takahashi.
