Honda, starting over at the Valencia test: with what weaponry?

Things finally appear to be moving in the HRC camp. Having lost Marc Marquez, the Japanese manufacturer will field a RC213V that is completely new with respect to that used by the eight-time champion, but also different to the first 2024 prototype tested at Misano.

All change in 2024

As we’ve said, the Repsol garage will undergo an internal revolution in 2024. Alberto Puig’s role looks increasingly unstable amidst rumours of the arrival of Davide Brivio,and the Spaniard may already be replaced as of the next tests in Malaysia, though it’s more likely it will happen in 2025. In addition, Marc Marquez’s departure sees Joan Mir switch sides in the garage, the rider now set to work with crew chief Santi Hernandez and the eight-time champion’s squad. Luca Marini will meanwhile be flanked by Giacomo Guidotti, former crew chief to Mir, who previously worked for Ducati Pramac and Honda LCR Racing.

Motorcycle redesigned from scratch

The RC213V 2024 is a distant relative of the bike used this season by Marc Marquez and Joan Mir. Everything has changed, starting with the engine that, thanks to concessions, Honda will also be able to develop during the course of the season. The aim is to make the engine more responsive and communicative, limiting the filter of the electronics. A goal that has perhaps already been achieved, at least in part and particularly at mid rpm, according to initial feedback from Johann Zarco, who has moved from Ducati Prima Pramac to the Honda of team LCR Racing. The second area in which Honda has worked is weight distribution, bringing to the track a bike that is much lower and longer than the previous RC213V, following the “dragster” line that the European manufacturers adopted already a few years ago.

NEW AERODYNAMICS: THE "SALAD BOX" ALSO FOR HONDA

The final step, and perhaps the most obvious and important, relates to the aerodynamics, with the manufacturer having worked hard in recent months to bring a bike that is completely new in this respect. The top fairing remains similar in shape and size to that of the 2023 bike, but everything else looks pretty different. New side fairings with a lower section that takes up the path traced by Aprilia, with a considerable step in the middle of the fairing used to generate ground effect at maximum lean. The side wings also change, shaped to generate greater load and clean the air in the upper part of the fairing, drawing it towards the new tail section, which flaunts very obvious changes. The tail section of the RC213V is much longer and more voluminous with a considerable “salad box” reminiscent of that of the Desmosedici GP. Though never confirmed by Ducati and the other manufacturers that have chosen this configuration, the tail may contain the renowned inertial damper that helps to make the bike more stable.