It's the reigning world champion team, it won the coveted triple crown last year, and yet, at the start of the year, it's the one with the most headaches... We don't He won't go so far as to describe the latest Sepang tests as a disaster for the Repsol Honda team, but all the same, there is reason to review his copy. Certainly, but how? This is precisely where the problem lies. At HRC, we have more questions than answers and with Marc Marquez below his capabilities, we are a little lost…
A Sepang, for three days, Honda has worn his soldier to the breaking point Crutchlow to solve this sensitive problem: how to tune the new RC213V with the no less new tires Michelin ? A real concern when we know that Marc Márquez, still recovering from an operation on his right shoulder, was unable to make his usual eminent contribution.
Alberto puig, director of the Repsol Honda team, does not hide the vagueness surrounding his troops after the escapade in Malaysia: “ the quality of the Sepang test was not as good as we expected », admits the Spaniard. “ So far we have not been able to make a clear assessment of our performance. We try a few things and have a rough idea of what's going on. But we will still need the next test in Qatar on February 22-24 before we can give an accurate analysis or forecast. Then we will know more about the condition of our bike and how Marc is doing. »
There is however Cal Crutchlow which has given rise to trends which are not very engaging. For the Englishman from the LCR team, the sensations with the front are worse than those, beyond problematic, of last year: “ Normally, it is the riders who can judge the motorcycles. If he says this, we must believe him » comments soberly Puig. " This is why we are testing different prototypes and different chassis. We also have time to resolve these issues. On the chassis side, you are not under as much pressure as on the engine, where the specification is approved during the first Grand Prix and then development is frozen. You can play with chassis development all year round. »
« Cal tried a lot of things for HRC on Saturday. I think in the end he found something he liked best. But it is true that we are trying many solutions. Cal is a big help to us. We are grateful to him ». Alberto puig goes into detail as follows: “ we have no problem with the engine performance. But it's about making the power delivery even smoother "He says.
Alberto puig ends on the new Michelin tires: “ it looks like the new rear tires will improve grip. And if you have a better tire, you have to change the setting again. Because the rear tire influences the front wheel. The new rear tire may be an advantage at the rear, but you can dive into new problems at the front. So far we don't know how the new rear tires affect the front and how we should react to it. Also, while Sepang is a good track for winter testing, because of the heat we have strange conditions. During the European season we normally never have temperatures this high. » A real headache…
