Photo: motogp.com
The fact that Honda’s RCV100R production racer underperforms massively and offers almost no reason to be happy to any of the riders whose teams went for the Open Class HRC machines. Still, the Speedweek magazine recently got wind that Honda could change the whole Open class game for the 2015 season and beyond, following the example set by Yamaha and thus putting truly competitive bikes on the grid.
Such a move has already been made in the Moto3 feeder class, with the Honda NSF250RW, and it looks like the Japanese manufacturer is considering replicating it to a much larger scale in the MotoGP. After having announced as a major upgrade for the RCV1000R production racer machines, the addition of pneumatic valves may in fact be a completely new engine altogether.
This means that Honda might stop selling the RCV1000R to the teams, and replace it with the previous year-generation machines, a little dumbed down by the absence of the seamless gearbox. If this turns out to be true, then Honda will only field RC123V machines, with the ones ridden in 2014 by Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa devoid of the seamless transmission and passe on to an Open team.
HRC is thus rumored to follow in Yamaha’s steps and lease a rather attractive package comprising a proven engine and possibly a Honda chassis to match it, pretty much like the house of Iwata did with the NGM Forward bike Aleix Espargaro is riding this year. Technically a rebranded M1, the Forward and the young Spaniard have already given their direct rivals a run for their money, proving that the recipe is a very lucrative one.
Rumors have it, MM93’s and Pedrosa’s RC213V could end up with Drive M7 Aspar (Nicky Hayden and Hiroshi Aoyama), Bradl’s LCR Honda could receive a nice white/blue Cardion AB livery and Karel Abraham at the helm, while Alvaro Baustista’s GO&FUN Gresini could be enjoyed by Scott Redding.
So far, no official news comes from HRC, as a confirmation or denial, but declarations are definitely going to be made soon… hopefully. Need we say how much more interesting such a move would make the MotoGP?
This means that Honda might stop selling the RCV1000R to the teams, and replace it with the previous year-generation machines, a little dumbed down by the absence of the seamless gearbox. If this turns out to be true, then Honda will only field RC123V machines, with the ones ridden in 2014 by Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa devoid of the seamless transmission and passe on to an Open team.
HRC is thus rumored to follow in Yamaha’s steps and lease a rather attractive package comprising a proven engine and possibly a Honda chassis to match it, pretty much like the house of Iwata did with the NGM Forward bike Aleix Espargaro is riding this year. Technically a rebranded M1, the Forward and the young Spaniard have already given their direct rivals a run for their money, proving that the recipe is a very lucrative one.
Rumors have it, MM93’s and Pedrosa’s RC213V could end up with Drive M7 Aspar (Nicky Hayden and Hiroshi Aoyama), Bradl’s LCR Honda could receive a nice white/blue Cardion AB livery and Karel Abraham at the helm, while Alvaro Baustista’s GO&FUN Gresini could be enjoyed by Scott Redding.
So far, no official news comes from HRC, as a confirmation or denial, but declarations are definitely going to be made soon… hopefully. Need we say how much more interesting such a move would make the MotoGP?
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