Former rider and owner of one of the most solid and successful teams in MotoGP, Lucio Cecchinello is one of the best informed men in the world championship paddock, as well as being a true gentleman, always willing to offer his point of view.
At a time of the season when the market for top riders has exploded, Cecchinello, with Johann Zarco under contract for 2025 and with a second bike that Honda manages on a sporting level, remains calm and relaxed looking at the strategies of his rivals. The first major maneuver was the hiring of Marc Marquez in the official Ducati team, at the cost of losing Jorge Martin, Enea Bastianini and, in part, Marco Bezzecchi.
“I’m not very surprised, it’s clear that all the credit for going to the official Ducati went to Jorge, but on the other hand you have to understand that we’re talking about a brand that has to sell bikes to be able to keep its team in MotoGP. If you have a rider like Marc Marquez, who is extraordinarily well-known in all markets, especially the Asian ones, the commercial potential you have is greater,” explained Cecchinello.
“So it doesn’t surprise me that Ducati has opted for a rider who is an eight-time world champion. The future is certainly more than Martin’s, and if Ducati continues to have the most competitive bike, maybe in a few years they will meet again,” he underlined.
The former Italian rider is convinced that commercial interests prevailed over sporting ones in this maneuver: “I think making the decision to bet on Marquez was very difficult, but the owner, Ducati director Claudio Domenicali, certainly made the his calculations.”
Lucio Cecchinello with Johann Zarco, who has a contract for next season
Photo de: Team LCR
For many years, Cecchinello has shared the brand with Marquez, who he knows very well and knows what value it has: “Certainly in Ducati they are very disappointed at having lost three very young and talented riders, but I insist on the fact that Gigi Dall’ is not in charge there. Igna, but Domenicali”.
“Domenicali is seeing that the markets in Europe are in difficulty, Ducati sales in Italy have been affected this year, the factory manager has to sell motorbikes to pay the invoices. The commercial aspect certainly had an important influence. Marc is a top rider, without a doubt. As much as Martin is the future, a decision had to be made and Marquez can be the key that opens the markets in Asia, an alternative to the European markets.”
Loyal to Honda even in difficult times
At the moment, Cecchinello does not have a contract for next season with Honda, with whom he has been with since his first day in MotoGP. However, the Italian remains faithful to the project despite the complicated moment that the Tokyo manufacturer is going through: “We don’t have a contract for next season. We are in a situation where both sides have the intention of reaching an agreement. We are defining the details and my priority is to continue with Honda next year.”
However, Yamaha continues to look for a satellite team and offers very good conditions: “They didn’t call me. Leaving Honda to go with a manufacturer is something I can consider. But, with all due respect, at the moment Yamaha is only a little better than Honda, not much more. In life it’s not just business that counts, even if it’s important, especially if you have to pay the salaries of fifty people. But it’s not my style to use an offer from another team to get a better contract with Honda, I don’t like doing this type of thing.”
“Honestly, at the beginning and end of last year KTM called me and we had some conversations. But as a team I have to think about how much Dorna has done for the championship, in particular to give me the opportunity to race in MotoGP and do it with just one rider for many years. I realized it wasn’t an ideal situation for Honda to go from having four to two bikes, and KTM from four to six. I also understood that I had to try to do my best before closing a door like Honda’s. It’s clear that things aren’t going well now, but in my opinion the correct thing is to respect Honda because it’s easy to think that the grass is always greener on the other side, when that’s not always the case,” said the LCR owner.
Lucio Cecchinello, Team LCR Honda Team Principal, together with Dan Rossomondo, commercial director of Dorna
Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
But the sporting situation in Honda is starting to become alarming
“We have to wait. A lot of things have started to change at Honda in recent months. This year, new engineers and managers have arrived, the work system has changed, but also the support for LCR. I see that Honda is applying and making a lot of effort, I want to think positively and believe that we will overcome the difficulties. This is why I want to wait a reasonable time, even if it is clear that I have a business and if things do not improve in a logical period of time, the time will come to look elsewhere, ”she confessed.
In line with these changes introduced by Honda, the possibility that the LCR Idemitsu team rider will leave the Japanese team if he does not find a rider of sufficient level, opens the door to riders like Jack Miller or the Turkish Toprak Razgatlioglu, who claims to have a offered by Honda. It is true?
“Historically, LCR has always had only one rider (from 2006 to 2017), but they proposed to me to put a second bike, as long as it was controlled at a sporting level by Honda. What I know, at the moment, is that the DNA of this project is that Idemitsu’s bikes in MotoGP are the cusp of the Asia Talent Cup and Honda Asia path. Putting a non-Asian rider on that bike goes against the nature of the project, which is to create a place for the best Asian rider of the future. I think Honda wants to continue to have an Asian. In the end, Nakagamu is achieving the same results as the other Honda riders, he’s not worse, he’s as good as the others. He will only change if a talented youngster arrives, but in the current situation, Honda will think very carefully before putting someone like Ogura or Chantra. They will wait until September before making a decision which, as usual, will be announced at the Japanese Grand Prix,” he explained.
“If you ask my opinion: I believe he will continue to be an Asian driver. Maybe it will be Nakagami, who we have a lot of respect for. If Honda decides to change, we will help as much as we can. I have no idea, but if for some reason Honda decides to put a rider like Miller or Razgatlioglu, as a team we will do our utmost to support them, as always. But it is a decision solely and exclusively by Honda, I cannot decide here”, concluded Cecchinello.
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