Honda: Six 'equal' bikes at start of 2012

MotoGP News
Date: 16/August/2011

HRC vice president Shuhei Nakamoto has revealed that Honda will once again support six MotoGP riders in the 2012 World Championship.

According to Nakamoto, HRC is facing a 30 percent reduction in its budget - and the new 1000cc rules mean that this year's 800cc factory bikes cannot be upgraded and leased as next year's satellite machines, as is usually the case.

Nevertheless, Nakamoto claims that all six RC213Vs - two of which will be for Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa in the official team and four for satellite riders - will be technically equal at the start of the season. With one exception:

"The transmission," Nakamoto told reporters at Brno. "The satellite teams that want to use the new gearbox must pay for it separately."

That's because it is no ordinary gearbox. This winter Honda introduced a new seamless-shift transmission, which reduces - and some say eliminates - the 'dead time' between gear shifts.

And acceleration is only part of the gain. The new transmission not only engages more quickly, but more smoothly, a highly-valued characteristic when a rider is leant over on the limit of adhesion.

However it has one big drawback: "The gearbox costs more than my house!" joked Nakamoto. For that reason, satellite teams will have to purchase the technology separately.

It is not clear if Honda will allow a 'try before you buy' system, but the more financially challenged team managers are sure to try and calculate how much time the gearbox gains over an average lap and if it is worth the extra cost.

This year, the four factory Hondas have the special gearbox, while the satellite bikes of Hiroshi Aoyama (Gresini) and Toni Elias (LCR) do not.

Nakamoto added that Honda will only lease complete motorcycles - ending any chance of a Claiming Rule Team, a new privateer class being created for 2012, putting an RCV engine in its own frame.

Stoner and Pedrosa are presently the only Honda riders signed for 2012. HRC is working on a budget to retain Andrea Dovizioso and Marco Simoncelli, who presently have factory status, although Dovizioso looks set to leave Repsol for a satellite team.

Elias is all-but-certain to leave LCR after a miserable season, while Moto2 championship leader Stefan Bradl is tipped to graduate to the premier-class. If Aoyama stays alongside Simoncelli at Gresini, that would create the six Honda riders.