Repsol Honda Team ready to rumble in Austin

Marc Marquez returns to happy hunting grounds in Texas as Jorge Lorenzo prepares to turn his bad luck around.

Introduced in to the MotoGP World Championship calendar in 2013, the Circuit of the Americas offers an interesting mix of tight and technical turns in the first sector and the two high-speed straights split by the tight turn 11. This mix results in a bike setup unique to the American track.

Since the Argentina GP, Marc Marquez has enjoyed time in Brazil with Estrella Galicia 0,0 as well extra time in the US.  After the most dominant dry weather win of his premier class career, Marquez arrives in Austin, Texas with winning on his mind. Having qualified on pole and won all six MotoGP races at the Circuit of the Americas, Marquez’s riding style and the strengths of the Honda RC213V have always excelled at the Americas GP.

Given Marquez and Honda’s record on American soil, Jorge Lorenzo is excited to see how he will perform on his new machine. While he was again hit with bad luck come Sunday’s race, Saturday’s sessions and Warm Up in Argentina proved he and the RC213V can challenge at the front when conditions are right and with a deeper understanding of the bike, their challenge will only grow.

The Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas begins with Free Practice 1 on Friday, April 12 at 09:55 local time.

Honda reveals a refreshed line-up on the roads as David Johnson joins Ian Hutchinson

Honda is pleased to announce that David Johnson will line-up next to Ian Hutchinson on the roads, as the Honda Racing team prepares for the start of the 2019 road race season.

Hutchinson and Johnson will lead Honda’s charge on the roads at The International North West 200 and the Isle of Man TT. Both road experts will contest the Superbike and Superstock 1000 classes aboard the CBR1000RR Fireblade SP2, with the team also preparing a CBR600RR Supersport machine for Ian.

‘Davo’ made his debut at the TT in 2010 aboard Honda machinery where he claimed the accolade of fastest newcomer that year. The Australian has since racked up three 4th place finishes at the Mountain Course and was close to a podium last year in the Superbike race. His best result at the Ulster GP has been 3rd (2018) and 7th at the NW200.

Teammate ‘Hutchy’ continues with Honda after a valiant return last year, while recovering from injury. Displaying incredible drive and determination throughout 2018, the ‘Bingley Bullet’ is coming into the new road racing season with more bike time under his belt as he looks to return to winning form.

The Honda Racing team will now embark on a comprehensive testing programme before tackling the road circuits, starting with the North West 200 in May.

2019 Road Race Calendar:
12-18 May: The International North West 200
25 May – 7 June: The Isle of Man TT

Source: Honda Racing CBR

What a gift! Pedrosa gifted championship bikes when leaving Honda

Dan Pedrosa has been given an incredible leaving present from Honda, with the Japanese manufacturer handing over not only his championship-winning RS250 but also a RC213V MotoGP machine to the departing Spaniard after thirteen years of service as a MotoGP rider with the Japanese manufacturer.

Making the announcement at their annual end-of-season thanks day at Motegi, Pedrosa also got the chance to take to the track on his championship-winning 250cc machine, lapping the circuit owned by Honda on the two-stroke machine.

Source HRC News

Marquez takes the win at Assen, in one of the best GP races of all time

The 70th Dutch TT at Assen will probably long be recalled by bike fans around the world as one of the best MotoGP races in the series’ history; the eight protagonists for a podium finish in yesterday’s 26-lap battle will definitely remember it that way.

The fight began when the lights went off and only ended when the chequered flag established the top-3 riders who fought in the closest top-fifteen of all time.

By that point, Marc Marquez had finally pulled a two-second gap on the chasing group, but until around three laps from the end he had been fighting tooth-and-nail with Rins, Viñales, Dovizioso, Rossi, and Lorenzo, without a moment’s pause.

The World Champion ultimately prevailed over all his opponents to take his 65th career win and his 39th in MotoGP, extending his advantage in the world Standings to 41 over Valentino Rossi.

Dani Pedrosa struggled to find a good pace in the early phases and was unable to make up ground from his back-of-the grid start. Step by step, he improved his speed and ended the race in 15th place.

 

Credit: HRC Team News

Solid sixth place for Lee Johnston in the Superbike TT

Honda Racing’s Lee Johnston secured a solid sixth place finish in June 2nd’s opening RST Superbike race at the Isle of Man TT, aboard the Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP2, while teammate Ian Hutchinson retired from the six-lap race.

With the Superbike race getting underway at a slightly later time than planned, due to fog and mist across the Mountain, the Honda duo set off at 1pm local time, with Hutchy fourth and Johnston 13th on the road.

‘The General’ had strong pace from the start and quickly settled into a good rhythm aboard the CBR around the 37.73-mile Mountain circuit. Coming into the first pit stop at the end of the second lap, Johnston had moved into tenth place.

With consistent, quick lap times and fast pit stops from the super-slick Honda crew, Johnston was able to make up places throughout the race, eventually crossing the line in sixth place with a race time of 1:47:42.014 (15 seconds from fifth place).

Meanwhile teammate Hutchinson retired from the race on lap four at Governor’s Bridge. Having got a good start off the line and looking strong in the opening stages of the race, he pulled in at the end of lap four having struggled with suspension set-up on the CBR machine.

The team will now prepare for the Superstock race on Monday 4 June, ahead of the blue riband Senior TT on Friday 8 June.

Credit: Honda Racing CBR Media Team

Courageous Camier clinches top-ten finish in Race 1 at Donington

Leon Camier battled through the pain barrier to score a sensational top-ten finish in WorldSBK Race 1 at Donington Park for the Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team, while Jake Gagne finished just outside the points in his Superbike debut at the demanding British circuit.

Starting from P13 on the grid for Race 1, Camier got a good start to make up a couple of positions and set a strong pace on his Fireblade. As the race went on, Camier settled into twelfth place while maintaining a good rhythm and despite being in considerable pain due to his injury, the Briton valiantly charged on and as the chequered flag was waved, crossed the finish line in tenth place.

Gagne also enjoyed some close racing in the pack and after starting the race from the seventh row on the grid, the American rookie was able to pick up positions throughout the race and at the finish line claimed sixteenth place just behind fellow Honda rider and compatriot PJ Jacobsen who took the final points-paying position.

The result sees Camier’s point tally for the season grow to 48 points and he remains in P11 in the championship, while Gagne sits eighteenth overall with seventeen points.

Credit: Honda Red Bull Team Media Team 

 

Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team aiming to bounce back at Donington

The Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team are aiming to get their season back on track this weekend as Leon Camier and Jake Gagne prepare to take on the fast and furious Donington Park circuit for round 6 of the FIM World Superbike Championship.

A rigorous recovery regime following his accident in round 3 wasn’t enough to allow Camier to race at the previous round at Imola, however following another two weeks of treatment, the British star is in better physical condition heading into this weekend. Camier is hopeful of completing the whole race weekend, however the real test to gauge his fitness will come during Friday’s Free Practice sessions around the 4 kilometre (2.49 mile) long Donington circuit.

Fronting the other Fireblade, Jake Gagne is facing the challenge of yet again visiting a circuit he hasn’t raced at previously, however the American rookie has proven this season that he is a quick learner on the CBR1000RR Fireblade SP2 and he aims to be back in the points this weekend.

The Donington Park Circuit is a track of two distinct halves, with the first section comprising fast, flowing corners and elevation changes through sections such as Hollywood and the Craner Curves, while the second half is exemplified by flatter, tighter sections like the Fogarty Esses and Melbourne Hairpin.

Action starts at the Donington WorldSBK round with Free Practice 1 at 0945 local time (GMT +1) on Friday with Race 1 on Saturday starting at 1315 on Saturday and 1300 on Sunday.

Credit: Red Bull Honda Racing Media Team

Marquez dominates at Le Mans for superb victory hat-trick

Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team RC213V) roared to his third consecutive MotoGP victory yesterday at sun-soaked Le Mans to boost his quest for a fifth MotoGP World Championship crown in his sixth season in the premier-class.

This latest success for the 25-year-old Spaniard is his 38th MotoGP victory, which moves him to fifth equal in the all-time winners list, alongside Honda’s 2011 MotoGP World Champion Casey Stoner, with only Jorge Lorenzo, Mick Doohan, Giacomo Agostini and Valentino Rossi ahead of him.

Marquez made a steady start to the race, completing the first lap in fifth position, then waited until his tyres were delivering optimum performance before he began pushing towards the front. Marquez now holds a 36-point championship lead over Maverick Vinales, who won last year’s French GP but finished seventh yesterday.

Marc Marquez takes victory at Jerez

Repsol Honda’s current champion Marc Marquez took a stunning second win of the season this weekend in the Gran Premio Red Bull de España. This is the rider’s second win at Jerez.  With 16 laps to go Marquez passed Lorenzo of Ducati and then took the title.

Things did not go as well for Dani Pedrosa and Cal Crutchlow of Honda who both crashed out prior to finishing.

Cal Crutchlow wins MotoGP in Argentina

Cal Crutchlow, riding for LCR Honda on a CASTROL RC213V took MotoGP victory yesterday for the third time in his career. He secured Honda’s 750th Grand Prix victory at the end of a thrilling battle with Frenchman Johann Zarco and Spaniard Alex Rins at Termas de Rio Hondo.

The Argentine Grand Prix was less successful for Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team RC213V) and Dani Pedrosa (Repsol Honda Team RC213V), who had dominated practice and were both expected to be in the battle for victory.

Pedrosa started from the front row, only to fall on the first lap, following an incident with Zarco. Marquez started from the second row and rode at an astonishing pace but finished outside the points after suffering several penalties.

The second round of Grand Prix racing’s 70th season was certainly worthy of history – it was a thriller from start to finish. The 24-lap race got underway late, due to changing track conditions that caused 23 of the 24 riders to leave the grid to switch to slick tires. The race finally got underway on a track that was still damp in many places from earlier rain. Marquez took the lead on the second lap, riding at amazing speed, despite the treacherous conditions. However, he was given a ride-through penalty for a grid infringement, which dropped him out of the fight.

That left a four-way contest for the lead between Crutchlow, Zarco, Rins and pole-starter Jack Miller, who later faded to leave the other three swapping positions until the very end. Crutchlow rode a superb race, saving his tires at the back of the group and only pushing forward in the final stages, when each of the trio took turns in the lead. His winning advantage over Zarco was just 0.251 seconds, with Rins a further two seconds back.

This was the 32-year-old Briton’s third MotoGP victory, all with Honda RC213V machinery, following his successes in the 2016 Czech and Australian Grands Prix.