Pol Espargaró is the last of the Honda riders to have suffered a violent fall in this 2021 MotoGP season. So much so that he had to end his meeting prematurely. We were in the last event of the year in Valencia. But this accident in FP3 did not end the series of accidents with an RC213V since, in the race, Nakagami added a little more to the liability of more than 70 falls recorded this year. A series that can no longer continue. From Jerez, the only Repsol driver still able to do his job reported that the world's leading manufacturer had become so aware of it that it had made it its development axis for 2022...
While other manufacturers are working on the search for performance with a view to 2022, Honda focused on the safety of its pilots on its RC213V. A priority that Pol Espargaro confirmed: “ we have two new motorcycles here. The two machines are equipped differently for Jerez. The basis is very similar. But motorcycles are designed differently when it comes to achieving fast lap times »
« This is what we tried in Misano with an improvement ". And the teammate of a Marc Marquez unavailable for an indefinite period explains said improvement: “ we need to generate more safety on the rear tire. The tire must stick better to the asphalt to avoid highsides like mine in Valencia ».
Pol Espargaro: “ it is necessary to generate more heat in the tire«
A sensitive subject, the proof: “ I'm already working with the engineers. This seems to workr, Taka is fast. It also provides better acceleration, by generating more heat in the tire. We've made a lot of improvements in 2021. If you put all the know-how from 2021 into this new bike, a lot should come out. It's nice to see all this and that we're early ».
« Stefan Bradl also tried everything », finishes Pol. “ We now simply gain more sensations and no more contact with the asphalt at the rear. Honda knows which button to press and that's really good, they have incredible experience ". Certainly, but the Ducatis are still far ahead in MotoGP.
