Total failures in seven Grands Prix, a total of 26 World Championship points, 22nd place in the overall standings: The first year in the official Repsol Honda team was devastating for the 2020 MotoGP world champion Joan Mir. Especially because month after month went by without the longed-for improvements to the RC213V factory machine.
But obviously something is finally happening at the largest motorcycle manufacturer. In the test on Tuesday, I swam in 13th place in the premier class field without chasing times and was surprised at how relatively easy it was for him to drive the prototype for the 2024 season. “I am happy. We have waited a long time for improvements to become noticeable. Now the motorcycle finally works. And immediately the results and the lap times are there. I had a good pace on every run, I felt strong all day,” the 26-year-old from Mallorca rubbed his hands.
Honda made the most obvious step in grip. “We’ve been complaining about the lack of grip all year long, and now the grip is suddenly better,” noted Mir. “The bike has also become lighter, which helps a little when braking and turning. I have significantly more feeling and feedback on the front wheel.”
On Tuesday morning he still had his doubts because strong gusts of wind blew through the pit lane. «I was worried because in windy conditions it is always difficult to make comparisons and evaluate modifications. But despite the wind, I felt the improvements. “That’s a good sign,” says Mir.
In the afternoon he tried out some details for the setup on the front wheel, which is why he spent a comparatively long time in the pits. «Nevertheless, I was pretty fast on my last ride on used tires, with lap times in the low 1:30 range. These are the times you need in the race to be at the front – fantastic,” he beamed.
The next step for the February tests in Sepang after the two-month winter break is that a few updates to the electronics are due. “Now that we have more grip, I would like the electronics to no longer interfere so much with the power delivery so that I can control the power more with my wrist. This is especially an advantage when the tire grip decreases,” explained Mir. “That’s what I had as a Suzuki driver, and that always made us particularly strong towards the end of the race.”
If Honda fulfills Mir’s next wishes, the previous number 2 in the team could make a surprising comeback at the top of the world – and raise the question of whether Marc Márquez might have defected to Ducati at the wrong moment.
Results MotoGP test Valencia (November 28):
1. Viñales, Aprilia, 1:29.253 min
2. Binder, KTM, + 0.028 sec
3. Bezzecchi, Ducati, + 0.093
4. Marc Marquez, Ducati, + 0.171
5. Raúl Fernández, Aprilia, + 0.263
6. Alex Marquez, Ducati, + 0.385
7. Di Giannantonio, Ducati, + 0.409
8. Bastianini, Ducati, + 0.543
9. Miller, KTM, +0.648
10. Marini, Honda, + 0.703
11. Bagnaia, Ducati, + 0.717
12. Quartararo, Yamaha, + 0.769
13. Mir, Honda, + 0.798
14. Augusto Fernández, KTM, +0.824
15. Martin, Ducati, + 0.899
16. Morbidelli, Ducati, + 0.953
17. Zarco, Honda, + 1,030
18. Acosta, KTM, + 1,223
19. Rins, Yamaha, + 1,311
20. Crutchlow, Yamaha, + 1,512
21. Nakagami, Honda, + 1,723
22. Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia, +3,059
23. Savadori, Aprilia, + 3,431