2023-09-10 19:05:43
Honda’s agony is going to last for several more months Or that is what it seems, according to the evaluations that Stefan Bradl has made. The one from HRC has admitted that the new motorcycle is a different concept, but it does not represent that radical change that all the pilots of the Japanese firm have been demanding for a long time.
The Golden Wing Test Pilot has been fighting to enter the points zone this Sunday in Misano, But it could not be. The German finished in 18th position, almost 10 seconds away from scoring, after suffering from tire wear for much of the race.
At the end of the day, #6 spoke to the press and openly acknowledged that he expected more from this bike that promised to be revolutionary, but in the end it was not like that: “We have improved a little with the new chassis and the new rear aerodynamics, but the others have improved much more than us.
Bradl has taken advantage of the Misano race to learn more about next season’s RC213V, having to risk a different set-up from one day to the next: “We are not yet in a position to attack in a race like this, but that is not really the goal for a test rider. Today I had to ride with a different setup. Because this new bike is very young, We don’t have enough parts to equip it for sprint and long distance. That’s why it was clear in the warm-up that we have a different approach for Sunday.”
The Bavarian has stated that there is no significant change with the prototype of the 2024 motorcycle, so he does not expect the situation of the Honda teams to change noticeably in a few months: “SYes, the concept of the new bike is a little different, but for now the results are the same as before. At least I was able to finish the race. I’m pretty exhausted right now because the time attacks with the Honda consume a lot of energy. And the reward for the effort is simply too low. It is not feasible to run at the necessary pace for the entire distance of the race.”
One of the main problems that most Honda riders encounter is the lack of grip they have in the rear axle, something that It seems that with next season’s bike it will still be present, as indicated by Bradl.
In the long race, the German had to resort to the same strategy as the rest of his brand colleagues, betting on the soft tire to have the necessary traction, although this caused him to suffer degradation at the end of the test.: “Like all Honda riders, I was on the soft rear tyre. That’s saying something, because the rest of the grill rode the middle at the rear. But noor we have enough traction so we need the soft compound. It is clear that with the soft compound the grip will end up diminishing at the end of the race.”
Read also: Marc Márquez: “There is a lack of facts at Honda, PDFs are no longer valid”
Finally, the HRC tester admitted that he has never felt the sensations he had during the race, so he had to survive the test without crashing and taking the bike back to the box: “The bike behaved completely differently today than it did during the day and a half of testing at Motegi and here on Friday and Saturday. And if you also go in a group with other pilots, the aerodynamic effect has a completely different effect. That’s why I say it’s Formula 1 on two wheels. We still have very little knowledge of the new bike: we cannot attack or act. “We just managed and survived,” concluded Stefan Bradl.
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