Mandalika MotoGP test – The final straight

If the Ducati GP22 showed what it was capable of a few days earlier in Sepang, in Mandalika, it was the Honda that stood out. The Japanese manufacturer has completely revised its copy for 2022 by developing a brand new RC213V. The stated idea is to have a machine that is less demanding on the front axle by using more of the rear. Between the lines, the objective is also to allow drivers other than Marc Márquez, an ace in the art of pushing the limits of the front tire, to impose themselves. To find a Honda representative other than the eight-time world champion on the first step of the podium, we have to go back to Cal Crutchlow in Argentina 2018. In Mandalika, it was precisely Pol Espargaró (HRC), his teammate, who shown to be the fastest. “ I've never been so fast before, did he declare. I have never had a Honda that ran this well. It's just a test. We have