HONDA TEAMS
Former TT winner and MotoGP tech pundit
Repsol Honda Joan Mir Luca Marini
LCR team Johann Zarco Takaaki Nakagami
The search for rear grip
Luca Marini has gone from the best bike on the grid to a machine that needs a lot of development to catch the likes of Ducati and Aprilia. At both pre-season tests – at Sepang and Lusail – most Honda riders complained about a lack of corner-exit traction, which is a huge lap-time handicap. The massive rear aero – the biggest on the grid – is designed to increase mechanical grip via downforce, both during acceleration and braking.
Workaholics
All four Honda riders will be super-busy this year, because MotoGP’s new concession rules, written to help the struggling Japanese get back in the game, allow them to test as much as they like. Twenty-one MotoGP rounds and maybe a dozen tests will push riders, mechanics and team crews to the absolute limit. The riders will need to make sure they don’t get injured in this hectic schedule and Honda will need to make sure they have the resources to take advantage of the concessions.
Key personnel
Honda have hired the paddock’s most successful chassis designer – Alex Baumgartel (right) from Kalex, winner of the Moto2 riders’ and constructors’ championships for the past 11 years. Baumgartel built an RC213V chassis to Honda’s spec at the end of 2022 but is now more deeply involved in the project. Note the bike’s huge KTM-style wings – two different types were tried in testing. Now it’s all about getting the front/rear downforce balance right.