How far away it seems to be the time when Marc Marquez crushed all competition, winning six titles in seven seasons between 2013 and 2019. At that time, Honda reigned supreme MotoGP thanks to the magic of the Catalan, but since the repeated injuries of the now Ducati rider, HRC has struggled to return to the top. Since 2022, the Japanese have been languishing in last place in the constructors' standings, with a gap that has even widened with the competition.
The second half of the 2024 season was a little more positive, however, thanks to Johann Zarco, who joined the LCR satellite team and is the top Honda rider in the standings. The Frenchman set himself the colossal challenge of bringing the Japanese brand back to the top. Thanks to the system of concessions granted to the least successful manufacturers, Honda has certain advantages to begin its comeback, including additional testing sessions.
The Japanese were able to take to the track during the Sepang Shakedown, reserved for Honda and Yamaha riders and rookies Somkiat Chantra (Honda LCR), Ai Ogura (Aprilia Trackhouse) and Fermin Aldeguer (Ducati Gresini). In the absence of the usual regulars (Mir, Marini and Zarco), Honda launched its brand new test team composed of Japanese Takaaki Nakagami, former teammate of Johann Zarco and the recently retired Aleix Espargaro, who arrived from Aprilia.
"I haven't stopped riding since the end of last season. After Barcelona, I then rode in Jerez, then in Thailand and finally here in Malaysia." explains the Spaniard, whose experience will be of great help to Honda. The triple MotoGP winner assures that the days of testing with HRC in Sepang have been busy, as the manufacturer had planned a copious program to prepare for the entry on track of its official riders during the pre-season tests, also held in Malaysia (5-7 February), where the entire grid will take to the track for the first time this year.
Honda relies on new test team
“It’s clear that we have a mission and a lot of work ahead of us. We try to use the maximum of our track time to help the guys from the factory team. My track time here was not as high as expected. The first day was Takaaki (Nakagami)’s turn and the second day was disrupted by rain. I only really got to ride on the last day, but we were able to test a lot of things. Honda brought a lot of things to try over these three days, so I’m happy.”
Aleix Espargaro, 3rd time on the last day of the Shakedown, shared the handlebars of the RC213V with Takaaki Nakagami. The two men will share the duties throughout the season. "My schedule is going to be quite busy. I won't be doing the next test with the factory team, but I'll be in Portimao in a few weeks, and then we have Jerez and Valencia." Nakagami lists. "We need these test days to raise the performance level of the bike."
“Two weeks ago Honda already had a test in Buriram, I rode the first day and Aleix (Espargaro) the second. My plan was not to ride in the Shakedown, but after Buriram HRC asked me to come. We tried to find as many things as possible to test in order to prepare the best possible package for the factory riders. With Aleix (Espargaro) we did our best during these three days to find the best balance of the bike.”
Along with Yamaha, the official Honda team is the only one whose rider duo remains unchanged for this new season. Luca Marini will once again team up with Joan Mir. The Italian, who arrived from VR46 at the start of 2024, had a hard time finding his feet during his first few months, before making notable progress at the end of the season, helped by the overall improvement in the performance of his bike. Honda finally seems to be on the right track, but the road is still very long.
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