The tests of Phillip Island are finished and all eyes are now turning to Qatar and its Losail circuit. On March 10, the off-season work will continue before the big jump into the 2017 MotoGP season and the nighttime Grand Prix on the 26th of the same month. But at Honda, we will continue to work and we are even considering a detour to Europe. The HRC has in fact reserved the Jerez site for two days.
Honda is on board and working hard on its new RC213V which has shown great progress in Australia. Development was initially planned to continue at Sepang, but the lesson of bitumen which does not dry has been learned. The troops of the world's leading manufacturer will therefore make a strategic withdrawal to Europe to film for two days at the end of next week in Jerez. Information confirmed on Motorsport by Livio Suppo, Racing Consultant.
Honda has rented the circuit and is hoping for good weather, while there is no guarantee yet of the presence of the regular drivers who are Marc Márquez et Dani Pedrosa, nor even the progress of these tests, since Livio Suppo broadcasts that the final decision has not been made on this subject. The last test gallops in Jerez were completed last year by Jack Miller et Hiroshi Aoyama. Each official driver has a capital of five annual days for private tests, an opportunity that neither Márquez not more than Pedrosa have not used yet.
At Phillip Island, work on the new engine and its adaptation to the new electronics continued with good performance from the two HRC residents who stood out on the timesheet with a second time and a third time. Marc Márquez is now 24 years old and, with five crowns, is one more title than a certain Valentino Rossi, who has just celebrated his 38th birthday, at the same age.
