This 2016 title won by Marquez aboard a Honda is a sign of hard work. Taking stock of a campaign which will reach its conclusion in less than two weeks in Valencia, MM93 recalls that nothing has been easy. The HRC and its pilot deserve all the more merit.
Let's return to this end of the campaign marked by the consecration of Lorenzo on the ruins of the battlefield between Marquez et Red. A situation which then masked the essential new situation in distribution marked by two major facts: the arrival of Michelin as the sole manufacturer and the installation of the single electronic control unit on all motorcycles.
If some drivers suffered more than others from the Auvergne front tire, Honda took the full brunt of the Magneti Marelli chip box. During the CRT period, the firm with the winged coat of arms took a different path than Yamaha and Ducati to become accustomed to this electronics. Which didn't help him.
From the offseason, the difficulties became evident. And the first Grands Prix confirmed the problems. Marquez tells about speedweek : " the end result is there, but our worries were crucial and I must say that the start of the season was a big problem for us ».
He details: “ winter testing was complicated too. I had many meetings with Honda and promised them that I was going to drive more conservatively to score points during the first part of the season. It's up to them to give me a good bike in a second. It was a challenge for them because we were far from the high level ».
« Step by step we closed the gap and I was able to be competitive again with the RC213V ". And it is true that the second part of the season revealed the other Honda drivers who are Miller, Crutchlow et Pedrosa which have imposed themselves. In the end, with one bike at the start far behind, Honda claims nine victories this year. And there is still one Grand Prix to go.
Meanwhile, the two factory Yamaha riders shared five successes during the first seven events. And then nothing more. We therefore understand the About a Rossi calling on his employer for general mobilization for 2017.
That said, by the way, Marquez was ruthlessly consistent throughout the 2016 campaign before returning to race crashes once the title was acquired on a competitive Honda. In two Grands Prix, he dropped 35 points Red. The HRC could almost say that it is counterproductive to give too good a machine to its leader...
