While at Yamaha we say we are already ready to do battle by not hiding our feeling of already having the best bike in the MotoGP field, at Honda, we are expectant. 2017 engine or resumption of 2016 mechanics? The meetings took place in Japan and the unique electronics scrutinized. HAS Sepang, the smiles only came on the last of the three days. And still, they were tense. But HRC sports director Livio Suppo specifies: last year, it was worse.
And we know how the year ended. So, there is no need for panic at Honda, which is nevertheless awaiting with interest what the Phillip Island tests which will begin on the 15th of this month will give. Livio Suppo, Racing Consultant will not be the last to observe the clock, but before getting lost in conjectures, he coldly takes stock of the situation: “ I think both Marc and Dani are happier with the bike this year than 2016 at the same stage of development » he assures speedweek.
« Of course, and logically, they are not 100% satisfied, and we still have work to do, but I think our starting point is better than last year. On the first day at Sepang, Marc and Dani were ninth and thirteenth but people who say we are struggling forget that we are testing. Everyone obviously likes to see the times fall easily, but in the end it rarely happens. ».
« You only have to look at the Lorenzo case. On the Ducati he was first seventeenth at 1s7. At the end of the tests in Malaysia, Marc was only 0.140 sec behind the best time and Dani two tenths behind. ". Reassuring certainly, but not yet convincing since the magic of the soft tires has also done its job. However, if the situation is perhaps less worse in absolute terms, it is not easy because, in 2017, competition has become even more intense.
In fact, the room for maneuver has been reduced accordingly: “ until then, only two factories could actually claim the title. Honda and Yamaha. Last year, four manufacturers came to fruition. For this season, it is difficult to make a prediction after the first tests. But it seems that this year will be played by four. Iannone was fast on the Suzuki and in addition to us and Yamaha, there will be Ducati. More adversity is good for the sport, but it also makes our task more difficult! »
We must therefore not let go of anything and exploit everything. And who counts Livio Suppo, Racing Consultant ? " Marc has incredible talent. Last year he showed that he had matured. He understood that to win a championship, you did not have to win every Grand Prix but get the most out of each race. And this aspect of things is all the more essential as there are more factories and drivers who are competitive ». Charles Pernat spoke of a candle that Honda had to burn for the faithfulness of Márquez. Suppo apparently ordered the candlestick.
