RiderTua.com – Lucio Cecchinello (LCR) emphasized that his team wants to immediately extend the contract with Honda.. There have been no concrete discussions yet, but LCR intends to continue riding with Honda in the future – Lucio Cecchinello sees a spirit of optimism.. Contract between Honda and the team LCR will expire at the end of the 2024 season. There were light discussions with other brands last year, but changes are not yet apparent. It seems that LCR will remain a Honda satellite team in the future. Lucio (LCR) feels comfortable with Honda at the moment.. Even though they haven’t extended his contract and haven’t discussed it, said LCR team boss Lucio Cecchinello..
But he intends to talk about it in the coming weeks.. before the summer. He wants to wait for the season to start so they can concentrate on this season and then talk about it… LCR has been involved in MotoGP since 2006 and has always raced with Honda. Cal Crutchlow celebrates three race wins and Alex Rins wins one. This second LCR bike could be said to be intended for young Honda riders from Asia (idemitsu).
LCR Clearly Wants to Extend Contract with Honda
“I don’t want to criticize anyone, but we are the only team that has never stopped working with HRC. Eight other teams have done it. It’s just that we have continued to do it over the years. It hasn’t always been easy, but we have always found a compromise that makes sense.”
Cecchinello observed the process of change at Honda closely and is confident that we are already seeing the results of these changes. “In the last few months we have seen a significant increase in personnel. Young engineers have emerged, including from Formula 1 projects in the field of aerodynamics and engines. “Three years ago, HRC started a major transformation by combining two-wheeled and four-wheeled vehicles. For example, when the development section existed in the past, the factory team tested it. Now four sections will be present and available to all riders at the same time,” said Cecchinello, explains the new approach. Where satellite teams are treated equally with factory teams..
HRC has now implemented the same strategy as Ducati did with Pramac and KTM with Tech3. Manufacturers have understood that the more data and information is shared, the faster development goes. The risk of errors can also be minimized.
Honda is indeed making progress with its new bike, but European manufacturers are also getting faster. That’s why there are still gaps, as was clearly visible in the last four starting positions at Portimao.
However, Cecchinello is confident that Honda will be even better in the future. “The engine has more power and better stability in the braking phase. We also don’t see many riders falling anymore, the riders have more control over the bike, especially the front wheel.”
Johann Zarco was also satisfied with the speed of the bike when entering corners. But they are not yet competitive from an aerodynamics perspective. Honda also has to improve the chassis because there is still something lacking from the competition in fast corners. Together with Johann Zarco, LCR again has a rider with a wealth of experience. At the end of 2019, the French rider had already completed three races for the team when Takaaki Nakagami had to rest due to shoulder surgery.
So they know each other and Zarco also feels comfortable with Honda. Johann took a perhaps dubious decision because he was leaving Ducati, the winning bike.. But he did it because he was already riding Honda and LCR offered him a two-year contract. He often told LCR bosses that he had good feelings with Honda. This allowed him to face this challenge with motivation and less doubt.
That’s why Cecchinello is not worried about Zarco’s adaptation at Honda. With experience from Yamaha, KTM and Ducati, the French rider is an important part of the puzzle in the difficult process of catching up with Honda from its rivals.
