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In this long hot summer with MotoGP on pause, the talks under the umbrella all focus on one theme: the future of the LCR team. Stefan Pierer, the big boss of KTM, declared his intention to have a third team as early as next year and from there emerged the idea of an early separation between Lucio Cecchinello's team and Honda. Between saying and doing, however, there is often an ocean and above all no one had yet consulted the Italian manager.
We did it and Cecchinello had no problem confirming an initial contact from Austria, but also his plans for the future.
“I want to be totally honest and transparent – declared Lucio - About ten days ago I received a friendly phone call from Francesco Guidotti, the KTM team manager in which he told me, in a calm and autonomous way, that from the Silverstone GP, KTM would like to begin to understand how to move forward. They are interested in fielding another team in MotoGP, not only in terms of Acosta for next year".
Guidotti, in other words, was testing the waters to understand whether or not the LCR team was a short-term possibility.
"He asked me what my situation was for 2024 and I replied that I had signed a three-year contract with Honda that will expire at the end of next year - continued Cecchinello - The phone call ended like this and we never heard from each other again".
Meanwhile, rumours emerged of the possibility of an early break with Tokyo, a possibility that Lucio has firmly denied: "I have a contract with Honda for 2024 and it's not my intention to break it, it's the simple truth".
If anything, we could talk about it again for 2025, but even in this case it would not be easy for Cecchinello to interrupt a collaboration that has lasted for almost 20 years.
“I've been in MotoGP with Honda for 18 years, the next will be the 19th, there are very consolidated human and professional relationships, it's clear that it will be difficult for me to leave it. I feel like a Honda man” he concluded.
