‘We are a trusted platform to provide feedback to HRC’
The arrival of Casey… Investment from sunglasses company Safilo allowed the team to expand into the 250cc class with Aprilia in 2002. Aussie rider Stoner joined the team that year and a successful relationship was formed. In 2005 Stoner almost led LCR to 250cc glory, finishing runner-up to Dani Pedrosa with five victories and five further podiums. Stoner put MotoGP on notice, first with Yamaha who almost signed a deal with LCR for them become their satellite team, and then with Sito Pons’ Honda outfit. However, sponsorship woes led to Pons’ withdrawal and in December 2005, LCR became a Honda team again and kept their star rider.
“I had to set up the team to be ready for the end of January to go testing! It was crazy work for me to find personnel, the tools, the crates, the materials, wheels, suspension. I was working day and night.”
It was all worth it. Stoner secured pole for the second race in Qatar, before finishing on the podium in Turkey. Ducati lured Stoner away for 2007 and the Aussie duly won the title, a feat he would repeat in 2011 with Repsol Honda before retiring at the end of 2012.
“Casey was a very special rider, and we knew he was a big talent, but we didn’t expect him to be so competitive in MotoGP as quickly as he was. We also knew he wouldn’t have a long career because he told me in his very first year: ‘I’m going to win the title and then I’m going to retire. I want to go back to Oz and enjoy life there’. That’s what he did.”
Overcoming hard times
The years inbetween Stoner’s departure and Crutchlow’s arrival weren’t always easy. The introduction of the 800cc format in 2007 was particularly tough, with the uncompetitive customer Honda seriously lacking top speed. LCR’s Carlos Checa struggled to make it into the points most weeks.
As a result, LCR couldn’t guarantee TV coverage to their sponsors and Cecchinello admits he was genuinely worried. Randy de Puniet (2008-2010) and Stefan Bradl (2012-2014) brought some positively back either side of a tough campaign with Toni Elias, but it was the arrival Crutchlow in 2015 which reignited the fire. The Brit achieved several podiums, pole positions and the team’s first MotoGP victories, but he also boosted their partnership with HRC – to the point that LCR now run upto-date, full-factory RC213Vs. “Marc [Marquez] and Cal both fought the Honda, they weren’t clean riders. HRC realised they could use our team to develop the bike and therefore they increased our collaboration. I assured HRC that we would always have technicians, mechanics and crew chiefs who knew the bike really well. We are now a platform for them, a very trustful platform, to provide feedback for the motorbike’s development.”
LCR are now considered frontrunners in MotoGP and as race winners, and rightly so.
“The most epic moment as a team was the first MotoGP victory. It was like a dream. Just fantastic!” smiled Cecchinello.
Sponsorship savvy
A noticeable difference between LCR and other teams is the interchangeable sponsors seen at different races. From Castrol and Givi, Red Bull to Playboy, LCR have attracted a host of one-off sponsors. The idea came directly from Cecchinello, who acknowledged that his team couldn’t compete for contracts worth millions. “Dorna change their title sponsor for every event. If they can do this, why can’t I? We introduced the event title sponsorship contract. You present the opportunity to these companies to be a star for one night, instead of being a small sponsor for the entire season. With this concept, you select the markets, they can choose and pick the country which is best for them to hold events with their clients or with their salesman, and then create their own event at the race weekend.”
Five more years
LCR is a fantastic example of a true underdog story. Cecchinello’s team regularly compete with the big boys of MotoGP and have managed to stay on top of the rising costs involved. Doing so for 25 years is a remarkable achievement, one that Lucio and the entire paddock should respect and celebrate.
“I feel so proud! I want to take this opportunity to also express my deepest gratitude to all of the people who have worked with us because it’s fantastic what we’ve done.” And LCR are far from done in MotoGP. The team have just signed a new five-year deal with Dorna which keeps them on the grid until at least the end of the 2026 season. “My god, it’s incredible. My hair will be all white!” Lucio laughed. “Actually, I think Cal Crutchlow contributed to giving me more white hair!”