Honda and Yamaha achieved poor results last season, which is why they will benefit from concessions, a series of advantages granted by other manufacturers and the bodies that regulate MotoGP. In addition to the option of working and developing the bike during the championship while the others will have the engine frozen, the two Japanese brands will be able to carry out as many days of testing as they want with the regular riders.
The Tokyo manufacturer has decided to throw itself headlong into testing and, according to what Motorsport.com has learned, has planned a calendar of private tests to be carried out throughout 2024 which can reach up to 22 days. It must be taken into consideration that this is a first agenda and that most likely the tests will not be carried out in their entirety, given that the concessions to both Honda and Yamaha will be reviewed during the summer break. These will be recalculated based on the results obtained up to that point.
Both Joan Mir and Luca Marini, the two drivers who share the official HRC garage, will be able to take part in all these tests, although the start of the championship from the weekend of March 10th will make their participation much more complicated. Above all, if we consider that next season will have 22 events, most of the work will focus on the test team, led by Stefan Bradl.
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Joan Mir, Repsol Honda Team
In this sense, Honda has launched itself into the search for a second rider, with the intention of dividing the workload and letting the German rest a bit, who in 2024 could compete in up to 5 grands prix as a wild card, starting from the Jerez race (28 April).
The LCR satellite team, which will feature Johann Zarco and Takaaki Nakagami this year, has privately and publicly offered to help Honda develop the new bike. However, at the moment Honda has not contemplated the idea of the two riders working with them in private testing.
After the Christmas holidays, all the structures got back to work. Honda too. Next week, members of the test team and the satellite team (LCR) will travel to Tokyo to participate in the usual “schooling” period, in which the technicians will familiarize themselves with the RC213V designed for 2024. Following this initial contact , Bradl and the test team will travel to Jerez together with the Superbike teams in the week of January 22nd. This will coincide with the “internship” of the HRC garage members in Japan, which precedes the collective shakedown in Sepang, the first week of February where Mir and Marini will also be present.
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