Are Honda and KTM back? Here is what Qatar MotoGP has to say

Since replacing the V5 RC211V with the V4 RC212V in 2007, Honda hasn’t done a top-to-bottom, front-to-back makeover of its MotoGP bike. Despite the shortest pre-season in decades, the all-new RC213V came close to winning its maiden race at Losail on Sunday.

Honda has ended its slump since Marc Márquez’s injury two years ago. Honda has not done any major makeover of their MotoGP bikes since they replaced the V5 RC211V with the V4 RC212V in 2007. Yet, the all-new RC213V came close to winning its maiden race at Losail on Sunday.

HRC technical director Takeo Yokoyama said, “this was perhaps the most difficult portion of HRC history.”

Pol Espargaró led the Qatar Grand Prix for 17 of the 22 circuits, setting a blistering pace until finishing 1.3 seconds behind winner Enea Bastianini’s Ducati and a second behind second-placed Brad Binder’s KTM.

Pol used soft front and rear tyres in the race, just like Márquez did. If they would have used medium rear tyres like Bastianini and Binder, they both would have battled till the end of the race.

Most importantly, the Repsol Honda duo only had one collision all weekend, when Márquez crashed in the warm-up when attempting the medium front, which is why he chose the safe option for the race.

Márquez crashed his old RC213V 22 times in 14 race weekends last year, while Espargaró crashed 20 times in 18 races. HRC will be stumped as to what to do with the millions of dollars it will save on crash parts.

The new setting on Repsol Honda suits Espargaró’s riding style. Espargaró has traditionally used the rear tyre more than the front to attack corners, but the new bike – which is more rear-biased to take full advantage of Michelin’s current rear slick – suits him better so far. After a confidence-shattering first season with Honda last year, it’s little surprise he was grinning all weekend.

Espargaró went with soft/soft for the race because he expected a large group of riders at the front, which would result in slower lap times. Instead, he took the lead from the first lap, pushing himself to the limit to maintain his unexpected lead.

KTM

Following a change in front-tyre allocation and Miguel Oliveira’s mid-season injury, KTM was gone last year. The RC16 was still not right during the first pre-season tests last month.

That all changed when KTM arrived at Mandalika with new parts, including aero upgrades.

During the winter, KTM paid extra attention to aero. It was not limited to just wings but the entire body. Now KTM has more aero kit on its bikes than any other manufacturer, except Ducati, because downforce aero is becoming increasingly important for all aspects of performance, including braking, cornering, and exiting.

It also appears that, following Honda with the RC213V, KTM has gone longer with the RC16, using more of the back tyre and less of the front. As a result, all of the V4s – Aprilia, Ducati, Honda, and KTM – have taken the same path. Spec tyres accomplish this.

Improving turning has solved one of KTM’s main issues – the exit phase of the corner – because turning the bike faster allows the rider to get on the throttle much sooner and harder.

The results were pretty evident as Binder got off to a strong start from the third row, finishing third in the first corner and setting himself up for a great race.

Márquez’s Honda touched 219.2mph/352.9 and Binder’s KTM 215.5mph/346.9km/h.

It is safe to say that Honda and KTM have made some significant changes to their machines to suit their riders better and have tackled the major problems haunting the two brands.