Away from the eyes of Europe, HRC has been pulling out all the stops this week at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia, with Takaaki Nakagami making his debut as a test rider. After seven seasons with LCR Honda, the 32-year-old Japanese rider has embarked on a new adventure riding an all-black, carbon-finished RC213V dedicated to technical evaluation. Honda’s private test in Malaysia has highlighted the Japanese marque’s determination to return to the top of MotoGP. After several disappointing seasons, the firm with the golden wing has stepped up its efforts to develop a more competitive RC213V.
HRC conducted private tests this week on the international circuit of Sepang, in Malaysia, marking the start of the new role of Takaaki Nakagami as a test pilot for Honda. After seven seasons in MotoGP with the LCR Honda team, the Japanese 32 ans now shares development responsibilities with Stefan bradl, and a well-known veteran of the paddock, Aleix Espargaró …
These tests were crucial for the development of the Honda RC213V ahead of the 2025 season. Nakagami rode an all-black version of the bike, with a carbon finish, specially prepared for technical evaluations. Its lack of official livery reflected the urgency for Honda to catch up after several disappointing seasons.
Honda must imperatively close the gap which separates it from its competitors, in particular Ducati et KTM. At the last official test in Barcelona in November, Johann zarco, now the most successful Honda rider, finished 0,8 seconds behindAlex Marquez on his Ducati, illustrating the need for significant improvements.
Takaaki Nakagami: “ the best way to end the season »
In Sepang, the factory Honda focused on several aspects: chassis configurations, aerodynamic adjustments and engine updates. The aim was to accumulate as much data as possible before the next official tests in February on the same track.
« Sepang test completed" , said Nakagami on social networks. The best way to end the season. Now let's rest a little and continue working. See you soon"
The future of Honda now rests on these key tests. HRC engineers remain confident that the information gathered this week will help close the gap with their most successful rivals. With this intensive testing and a development-oriented approach, Honda hopes to return to the race at the top as early as 2025. The tests MotoGP officials of February in Sepang are expected to be crucial for measuring the effectiveness of the developments made to the RC213V.
