After it made its race debut at the San Marino GP with wildcard Dani Pedrosa, KTM has brought its new carbon fibre chassis to Japan for factory riders Binder and Jack Miller. With the new chassis offering better rear grip on the RC16, Binder used this to maximum effect on the soft rear tyre at the end the second practice to go fastest of all with a 1m43.489s, beating the eight-year-old lap record set by Jorge Lorenzo. Binder headed championship leader Francesco Bagnaia by 0.029 seconds, while Aleix Espargaro completed the top three for Aprilia, the top three all surpassing Lorenzo's 2015 benchmark. The Q1 session in qualifying will feature all three previous champions prior to Bagnaia in 2022, as crashes for Yamaha’s Quartararo and Honda’s Marquez left both outside of the top 10. Joan Mir will also join that trio having been unable to replicate his top five form from FP1 in the afternoon. The early pace was set by the sister factory Aprilia of Maverick Vinales, who got … [Read more...] about MotoGP Japanese GP: Binder tops FP2, Marquez and Quartararo crash
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Honda’s problems “still the same” with new aero – Marquez
Honda introduced a new aero fairing onto Takaaki Nakagami 's LCR-run bike at the British Grand Prix two weeks ago, with the package resembling KTM and Ducati's design philosophy. For this weekend's Austrian GP, both Marquez and team-mate Joan Mir have the new kit, with the former spending Friday's practice sessions running the old package back-to-back with the updated one. Though feeling like he was getting "better and better" throughout the day on the new aero, Marquez said it has forced him to ride the RC213V in a different way – but one in which its key issues, mainly the bike's poor acceleration, remains. "Today was a very demanding day mentally, because with this new aero, the way to ride the bike is completely different," Marquez, who ended Friday in 13th after getting blocked by Pol Espargaro on a late flying lap in FP2, said. "I've gotten used to the Honda for many years, and especially last year and the first half of this season, and now this aero was … [Read more...] about Honda’s problems “still the same” with new aero – Marquez
Honda makes significant technical reshuffle amid Marquez MotoGP future uncertainty
Kokubu has been a mainstay at the Japanese manufacturer for over three decades, having joined Honda in 1986, working on its MotoGP project and even briefly in Formula 1. He did not travel to India last week and is also not present at Motegi for the Japanese Grand Prix, and will most likely be followed in a few months by Tetsuhiro Kuwata, who has a more administrative than technical role. Kokubu's time with Honda in MotoGP is especially significant, having been responsible for the chassis of the RC211V raced by the marque in 2003 right at the beginning of the four-stroke era of the premier class. With that chassis, Honda won two world championships with Valentino Rossi and a third with Nicky Hayden before the RC212V was introduced for 2007 at the start of the 800cc era. In 2008, Kokubu was appointed as project leader of the RC212V and became technical director in 2012, before taking on the role as general manager of Honda's technical and development division in 2016. … [Read more...] about Honda makes significant technical reshuffle amid Marquez MotoGP future uncertainty
Honda’s ominous message for rivals over 2024 Red Bull engine
Honda boss Koji Watanabe says the power unit in the back of the Red Bull cars will be improved for 2024, despite the engine freeze. F1 may be in the middle of an engine freeze, which prevents any performance-related development from taking place between now and the change in engine formula for 2026, but that doesn’t mean the power units can’t be improved. Through targeting reliability fixes, which are permitted under the rules, subsequent gains in efficiency and power can be achieved – and Watanabe believes the durability of the Honda power unit can still be improved for next season. Honda targeting durability improvements for 2024 As a power unit ages with mileage, its performance can suffer through degradation. Given that teams are permitted to use just three power units and related hybrid ancillaries in 2023, ensuring the power output it can deliver doesn’t degrade over the miles is key to ensuring competitiveness throughout the season. “In terms of power and … [Read more...] about Honda’s ominous message for rivals over 2024 Red Bull engine
Indian Prodigy’s Leap to Formula E: Jehan Daruvala Bets Big with Maserati
Home Off beat -Rohit Nambiar By Rohit Nambiar Updated: Friday, September 29, 2023, 14:08 [IST] Jehan Daruvala, an Indian motor racing driver, has recently made a giant leap in his career with his move to Formula E, making him only the third Indian to drive in an official FIA world championship. Having spent four years in Formula 2, Daruvala's transition to Formula E comes as a significant advancement in his motorsport career. The young racing prodigy will be driving for Maserati MSG Racing alongside Max Guenther. He steps into the position after replacing Edoardo Mortara. Previously with Mahindra Racing in a reserve role, many suspected Daruvala's next move would be to secure a 2024 seat with the Indian motorsport team. However, according to the 24-year-old, aligning with Maserati was his top choice. This decision seemed well-founded, as Mahindra Racing struggled with their new Gen3 car and had a lackluster performance this year, … [Read more...] about Indian Prodigy’s Leap to Formula E: Jehan Daruvala Bets Big with Maserati