MotoGP, Honda in trouble: Marquez ‘steals’ a 2019 Nakagami RCV

The 2020 Honda RCV doesn’t seem like a great creation. The feeling was already there at Sepang, but the Losail tests appear to have greatly increased Marquez and the HRC team’s concerns. At the end of the second day of testing, Marc had already said that he wasn’t so worried about his shoulder, but about the competitiveness of the RCV 2020, far from the expected level.

During the night they probably decided to take drastic measures. The technicians of the HRC Factory Team actually fetched one of the 2019 bikes from Nakagami’s garage and the fairing of the motorcycle painted with a spray can. A quick and pragmatic job, but necessary so that Marc could compare the two motorcycles. Marquez probably wants to understand how many of these issues stem from the choices the technicians made when developing the bike, and how much he was instead influenced by the new Michelins who seem to have changed the numbers on the field.

Although there are three bicycles in Marc’s garage, The Japanese rider Nakagami will now only have one bike at his disposal. The LCR driver was also the fastest Honda driver yesterday, which must have convinced Marc even more to complete this test.

NAKAGAMIS SPONSORS ON MARQUEZ’S MOTORCYCLE

Crutchlow continues to work on the 2020 bike, and the new aerodynamic appendages on the front were removed from the RCV today. It seems clear to HRC engineers that something is not working as perfectly as planned.