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MotoGP
MOTOGP: Shocker - Honda Prepares All-New RC213V
HRC is preparing to introduce a completely revamped RC213V in its attempt to counter Jorge Lorenzo and retain the MotoGP World Championship...
Repsol Honda's Casey Stoner (Photo: Dorna Communications)
PROGRAMMING NOTE: Round 9 of the MotoGP World Championship from Mugello, Italy will air LIVE on SPEED on Sunday, July 15, at 8 a.m. ET. Qualifying will air LIVE all season long on SPEED2. #SPEEDmoto
Honda will introduce a completely new RC213V for Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa in a mid-season surge to counter main rivals Yamaha and Jorge Lorenzo. It is a clear signal that Honda is intent on winning the inaugural 1000cc world championship.
The new bike will be air-freighted from Japan for the test at Mugello on Monday following Sunday's Italian Grand Prix.
The details were revealed to SPEED by HRC vice-president Shuhei Nakamoto at Mugello earlier today.
The new bike is a response to the on-going chatter and handling issues caused by the late, and illogical, introduction of a new soft-construction Bridgestone front tie after the start of the season.
Subject to the results of the Mugello test HRC are considering a rush build job to supply the new bikes and spares for the US Grand Prix at Laguna Seca for the factory Repsol Honda team.
"Laguna could be difficult but we will try," said HRC vice-president Shuhei Nakamoto. “We will have a completely new machine for the Mugello test. One each for Dani and Casey. It is a completely new design.
"It looks quite similar (to the standard bike) but there are a lot of changes. We don’t know if this direction is good or not because in Japan it is very difficult to have chatter.
"We have tested in Suzuka, Motegi and Sugo but with our test riders we have not had chatter there.”
Nakamoto admits that HRC needs Stoner and Pedrosa, who together have won four of eight races this season, to push the bike to its limits to fully assess if the bike is a step forward in performance.
Nakamoto, Stoner and Pedrosa have been openly critical of the decision to introduce a new front tire, supposedly on the basis of safety, when there had been very few complaints of front tire issues. Lorenzo's sparkling form on the impressive 1000cc Yamaha M1, he has won four races to lead championship by 14 points going into Mugello, is also trigger for this Honda response. It is in stark contrast to slow response of Ducati Corse boss Filippo Preziosi who has supplied his star rider Valentino Rossi with very few upgrades since February. The latest Honda RC213V includes a heavily revised engine specification.
“The bike is completely different but I can't discuss the details," Nakamoto said. "The engine is also a new one. Power is a little bit better and I hope also drivability but this area is different between with the test rider and a GP rider because the revs they use are different. "The lap time difference is minimum three seconds and this is mainly cornering speed, so the engine revs are different. “So we are not sure until Casey or Dani test the bike if it will be an improvement and also with the chatter the test rider feels something different (to the GP rider)."
For last weekend's German GP Stoner had put aside the modified chase which HRC had built in an effort to fix the chronic chatter issues. This chassis had made virtually no difference and was clearly a stop-gap while HRC completed all-new RC213V.
Honda will introduce a completely new RC213V for Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa in a mid-season surge to counter main rivals Yamaha and Jorge Lorenzo. It is a clear signal that Honda is intent on winning the inaugural 1000cc world championship.
The new bike will be air-freighted from Japan for the test at Mugello on Monday following Sunday's Italian Grand Prix.
The details were revealed to SPEED by HRC vice-president Shuhei Nakamoto at Mugello earlier today.
The new bike is a response to the on-going chatter and handling issues caused by the late, and illogical, introduction of a new soft-construction Bridgestone front tie after the start of the season.
Subject to the results of the Mugello test HRC are considering a rush build job to supply the new bikes and spares for the US Grand Prix at Laguna Seca for the factory Repsol Honda team.
"Laguna could be difficult but we will try," said HRC vice-president Shuhei Nakamoto. “We will have a completely new machine for the Mugello test. One each for Dani and Casey. It is a completely new design.
"It looks quite similar (to the standard bike) but there are a lot of changes. We don’t know if this direction is good or not because in Japan it is very difficult to have chatter.
"We have tested in Suzuka, Motegi and Sugo but with our test riders we have not had chatter there.”
Nakamoto admits that HRC needs Stoner and Pedrosa, who together have won four of eight races this season, to push the bike to its limits to fully assess if the bike is a step forward in performance.
Nakamoto, Stoner and Pedrosa have been openly critical of the decision to introduce a new front tire, supposedly on the basis of safety, when there had been very few complaints of front tire issues. Lorenzo's sparkling form on the impressive 1000cc Yamaha M1, he has won four races to lead championship by 14 points going into Mugello, is also trigger for this Honda response. It is in stark contrast to slow response of Ducati Corse boss Filippo Preziosi who has supplied his star rider Valentino Rossi with very few upgrades since February. The latest Honda RC213V includes a heavily revised engine specification.
“The bike is completely different but I can't discuss the details," Nakamoto said. "The engine is also a new one. Power is a little bit better and I hope also drivability but this area is different between with the test rider and a GP rider because the revs they use are different. "The lap time difference is minimum three seconds and this is mainly cornering speed, so the engine revs are different. “So we are not sure until Casey or Dani test the bike if it will be an improvement and also with the chatter the test rider feels something different (to the GP rider)."
For last weekend's German GP Stoner had put aside the modified chase which HRC had built in an effort to fix the chronic chatter issues. This chassis had made virtually no difference and was clearly a stop-gap while HRC completed all-new RC213V.
Grand Prix of The France
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