Honda’s new engine development is supposed to be ‘a small’ step forward – but expectations from test bench trials have not yet been met at the Jerez circuit
The two Japanese factory teams are continuing their development program at full speed. Yamaha recently tested a new engine specification for its inline four-cylinder at Monday’s test in Jerez, which is expected to be used at the race weekend in Le Mans.
Honda is also working on a new engine development. Test rider Aleix Espargaro said during his wildcard appearance in Jerez that they had hoped for “a little more.” Joan Mir recognized “a small step forward” during Monday’s test.
“Well,“ said Honda team boss Alberto Puig on MotoGP.com, ‘to be honest, this isn’t the best track to test an engine because top speed isn’t the decisive factor here.’
”We haven’t been able to achieve what we expected so far. I mean in comparison to what we saw on the test bench. But we need to investigate further and will continue with this analysis.”
“We believe that something is still missing and that when we find it, we will see the same results on the track as we did on the test bench. But regardless of that, a rider’s first impression is very important.”
Takaaki Nakagami continued Espargaro’s work during Monday’s test in Jerez. The Japanese rider will compete at Le Mans this coming weekend with a wildcard entry. It is expected that the new engine will be tested again on his bikes there.
The regular riders will have to wait for the new development. While Mir tested this specification in Jerez, Luca Marini and Johann Zarco had to do without it. Marini focused on a new chassis and a new rear swing arm.
Honda has divided the work between the riders. “Well, we’re trying to test everything,” Puig continued, “the engine, the chassis, all areas. The test team is very active, we have Aleix, we have ‘Taka’, we also have Stefan, so we’re well positioned in this area.”
“There’s no specific area we’re focusing on. We’re basically focusing on all aspects that aren’t working at the moment.” Strong vibrations are a major problem. All Honda riders have complained about this again recently.
Puig also notes that they are still puzzling over this: ”One of the problems we’re struggling with at the moment is a vibration whose cause we still need to understand. That’s where our focus is right now.”
After five race weekends, Honda is in fourth place in the manufacturers’ standings. So far, they have collected 56 World Championship points. At this point last year, they had only 17 points to their name.
