Team Repsol Honda has staged a rather modest event in Bali this weekend to introduce their two official riders and the RC213V prototype with which the house of Tokyo is trying to win a third premier class for Marquez and why not, give Pedrosa a chance for his first world title. However, we could not help noticing the almost shy character of the whole thing, and what seemed to be an almost “close friends only” type of bike and team launch event.
On the other hand, Honda’s fierce rival Yamaha has organized a massive all-out event in Spain capital Madrid, live online broadcast, tons of high-definition photos made available hours after the event and all the bells and whistles. Gp-inside seems to have a theory why Honda has been so reserved in revealing too much. According to the French sport outlet, the #93 bike they showed was in fact a 2014-spec bike with 2015 colors.
An old bike with a new livery
The source says that the bike Repsol Honda brought to Bali is an “old” model, namely the one Marc Marquez rode to his second world title last year. However, the livery it wears seems to be the new, updated color scheme for the new season. The rear mudguard is painted in Repsol’s orange, while the front fender is now dedicated to sponsor Red Bull, and sports the blue and yellow scheme with a prominent raging bull on display, too. In 2014 these fenders have been black.
Apparently, the photos of the real 2015 RC213V machine are said to be unveiled at a later time. Nobody (except HRC) seems to know whether the team will bring painted bikes this week at the Sepang official test or just the plain carbon fiber bodywork. Frankly we are putting our money down on the carbon looks. Repsol Honda’s 2015 bike may just not be ready for the spotlight and we know that Casey Stoner rode both the 2014 and 2015 hardware at Phillip Island last week.
We remind you that this week, MotoGP action resumes with the first official test of the year at the Sepang circuit. A second test session will be hosted by the same venue at the end of the month. Also, Ducati is expected to unveil their 2015 bikes and introduce their team on January 16. Stay tuned.
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