Sato, previously head of development for the Honda RC213V, will start in his new role as general technical director on October 1, the same day the Japanese Grand Prix takes place at Motegi. However, it remains to be seen whether the appointment will have any impact when it comes to the subject of determining Marc […]
Tag: MotoGP
Binder “cautious” over new KTM carbon fibre MotoGP chassis gains
KTM turned heads at the San Marino GP earlier this month when test rider Dani Pedrosa completed the weekend as a wildcard on the new carbon fibre frame. The 31-time MotoGP race winner finished fourth in both the sprint and the grand prix at Misano using the new frame, which was then tested on the […]
Yamaha MotoGP bike “needs less power” despite rider demands
Crutchlow is making a one-off MotoGP appearance this weekend at the Japanese Grand Prix for Yamaha in order to evaluate a raft of items to aid 2024 development. Due to the regulations, Crutchlow is not allowed to test the 2024 engine prototype that was brought to the Misano test and which Fabio Quartararo said he […]
Bagnaia can take “deep breath” after solving Ducati MotoGP braking issues
The reigning champion was an encouraging second-fastest on the opening day of the Motegi weekend, only 0.029 seconds shy of pacesetter Brad Binder on the KTM. Both Binder and Bagnaia, as well as third-placed Aprilia rider Aleix Espargaro, eclipsed the eight-year-old Motegi lap record that was set by Jorge Lorenzo in FP2. Having arrived in […]
Marquez feels “unlucky” to miss Motegi MotoGP Q2 after yellow flag confusion
Honda rider Marquez had set a lap good enough to make the top 10 in Friday afternoon’s second practice session and thus secure a guaranteed spot in the second part of qualifying, but this was scrubbed for a yellow flag violation. The lap would have been good enough to get him into Q2, but the […]
Martin fastest, then crashes in FP1
Martin, who arrives in Japan only 13 points behind fellow Ducati man Francesco Bagnaia, topped the timesheets with a best effort of 1m45.192s, which was enough to top the session by 0.138s from Augusto Fernandez. That came at the end of a run of three successive improvements for the Pramac rider, who knocked Bagnaia off […]
Martin ‘thought nobody would see’ open Pramac MotoGP leathers in India
Martin endured an eventful grand prix at the Buddh International Circuit on his way to second, as his leathers opened during the race before he started to suffer from severe dehydration. In the second half of the grand prix, Martin’s Pramac leathers had unzipped partially, but he avoided a penalty for not having his safety […]
Bagnaia ‘watching videos until 3am’ to understand Ducati MotoGP braking woes
Since the sprint race at the Barcelona round earlier this month, Bagnaia has seen his championship lead whittled down from 66 points to just 13 ahead of this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi. After crashing out of second last weekend in India, Bagnaia admitted he had been suffering “big problems” with braking in recent […]
Marquez “quite clear” on his MotoGP future decision
With an end to Honda’s current competitive woes nowhere in sight, Marquez has done little to quell talk of a sensational switch to satellite Ducati machinery, which would entail ending his contract with the marque with which he has spent his entire premier class career. After a disappointing first test with the 2024 prototype Honda […]
Quartararo calls record 2024 MotoGP calendar length “the limit”
The FIM announced on Wednesday that next year’s calendar will take in 22 rounds beginning in Qatar on 10 March and finishing in Valencia on 17 November. The new schedule features the return of the Aragon Grand Prix, which has been absent for 2023, as well as the second attempt at staging the Kazakhstan GP […]