American MotoGP : Blessing and Curse for Repsol Honda

RiderTua.com – Thanks to the combination of unbeatable competitive technology and the extraordinary ‘tamer’ RC213V Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda MotoGP is the team with the most extraordinary statistics in the American MotoGP. Racing in Austin in 2023 also shows that the run of success at COTA Texas cannot be attributed to MM93 alone. Even though both Repsol factory bikes left the track, surprisingly Alex Rins, who at that time was a rider for the LCR Honda satellite team, actually won.

History can be both a blessing and a curse. Clearly the Honda RC213V has more advantages than disadvantages on the nearly 5.6km long track, which has been heavily criticized in recent years for its difficulty in taming it. After major technical changes in the winter of 2023 – 2024, the effectiveness of Honda engines cannot currently be clearly assessed. One thing is certain, Honda will not cut back and send its four riders to the track with ‘2023 Alex Rins specifications’.

The American MotoGP at COTA could be both a blessing and a curse for Repsol Honda

Apart from that, the track surface (asphalt) is experiencing different conditions again this year. Part of the Circuit of the Americas should reappear before the Grand Prix. For the entire team, the first training session on Friday will provide a fresh assessment of where they stand. Honda, as the manufacturer with the most wins in Austin, can only move forward from a sporting point of view.

The Austin race will be a special event for newcomer Luca Marini. No other track reminds Marini more of the vast difference between celebration and defeat. 12 months ago Marini achieved his first MotoGP podium in Texas but today he was like traveling from a no-man’s land in the world of the sport.

His brief comments drew on the strong emotions of last year’s race in America. “Austin has a special place in my heart and I have fond memories of 2023. This is a very special track and we have seen that Honda has achieved something there in recent years,” said Valentino Rossi’s younger brother.

Reflecting on the still difficult work, Marini added that they faced a different situation this year. But he remains confident that they can make more progress in America. Whatever the track, their focus and determination remains the same to continue building this project.

Joan Mir has never been on the podium in Texas. However, in 2022, the 2020 MotoGP World Champion lost the podium after a duel against Jack Miller. In 2023, one of the 24 crashes he experienced occurred at the Americas GP and made the Spaniard runner-up for ‘most crashes’ behind teammate Marc Marquez.

Ahead of the 3rd MotoGP series in Texas, USA, Mir said, “It’s always great to go to America. We only get to see the fans there once a year, so it’s important to put on a good show. COTA is one of the most unique tracks on the calendar and especially the sector “The first one is very special. Most of the track has been resurfaced since the last time we raced here. So I’m looking forward to seeing how these changes affect the track.”

A realistic view of the status of the Repsol-Honda factory team is that the American GP will only go better for Joan Mir but worse for Luca Marini, although all of that is still a prediction.