Lucio Cecchinello’s LCR team has been active in the premier class since the 2006 MotoGP season. Since then, the Italian team has relied on material from Honda. But in the summer of 2023 there was a rumor of a brand change. LCR was linked to KTM, but this move did not materialize. LCR will continue to work with Honda in 2024.
Yamaha’s situation clearly shows how important it is to have a satellite team. Since last season, Yamaha has only had the two factory machines and therefore has significantly less data than the competition. From 2025 there will be a Yamaha satellite team again. The fact that LCR continues to rely on Honda also helps the Repsol team, which will compete in 2024 with Luca Marini and Joan Mir.
LCR team boss Lucio Cecchinello is an avowed Honda fan, even if he doesn’t want to give any guarantee that he will remain loyal to Honda forever. “Of course you should never say never. But I want to say that I have admired the Honda brand and its motorcycles since I was a child,” he explains to MotoGP.com.
LCR and Honda: Many memories and great admiration
Lucio Cecchinello has a long-standing partnership and many memories with the Honda brand: “My first motorcycle was a Honda. I drove my first race with a Honda. I celebrated my first victory with a Honda. I celebrated my first victory in MotoGP with Honda .”
“I started racing in 1988. And apart from five years with Aprilia in the two-stroke era, I always worked with Honda,” the Italian looks back. “From a personal point of view, I would like to continue with Honda.”
“I feel like I’m part of the Honda family. I know everyone involved at Honda. I’m also convinced that Honda has the potential and the necessary technologies to be successful again,” said the LCR manager .
Why Johann Zarco’s first MotoGP victory is important for LCR
In the new season, Johann Zarco will start for the LCR team alongside Takaaki Nakagami. Zarco has been a MotoGP race winner since October 22nd. Lucio Cecchinello was particularly pleased with the success at the Australian Grand Prix on Phillip Island and hopes that it will give Zarco greater self-confidence.
“We were all very happy that Johann was able to fulfill a dream with the MotoGP victory. We are aware that a rider’s self-confidence changes when he achieves his first podium or his first victory. He then knows that he can do it. It definitely helps to be more motivated and want to achieve this goal again,” comments Cecchinello.
As a former Grand Prix driver, the LCR team boss can easily put himself in the driver’s shoes. “I was also a professional in the smaller categories. Sure, I’ve never been in MotoGP, but I know that as a rider you want to achieve certain goals. When you achieve these goals, then it’s something really special,” he notes .
“When you go back on track the following weekend, you have this feeling of having achieved it. You then automatically expect that the other drivers will respect you more because you have beaten them,” says Cecchinello, describing the feeling after a win.
Johann Zarco to Repsol Honda? Why Cecchinello wasn’t worried
Zarco will be particularly important for LCR-Honda because, based on his experience, he can help the team and Honda regain its old strength. In August 2023, it was confirmed that Zarco had signed a two-year contract with LCR. But Marc Marquez’s move from HRC to Gresini gave Zarco a new opportunity in the Repsol Honda team.
Cecchinello remembers that time and notes that he wasn’t particularly worried: “For us, the situation was pretty clear. Together with HRC we announced our project and presented this project to our sponsors. The driver and his manager were interested in the meantime. But Honda respected our agreement.”
“Johann also wanted a two-year deal that would ensure he worked with the same engineers and people. If you want to have good results in MotoGP, you need a very experienced MotoGP rider with a lot of talent but also continuity.” Cecchinello is convinced.
“It’s very rare that an experienced driver takes action straight away. Then he has to be a really strong driver. Normally you have to work on the many small details over a longer period of time before you can achieve particularly good results,” says the LCR boss Reason why Zarco is in good hands with his team.