The start of official MotoGP ℱtesting at Sepang on Tuesday saw a familiar figure in a new HRC uniform: Alex Baumgärtel, or ‘Alex from Kalex’.

HRC told mahbx.com that Baumgärtel has been employed as a "Technical Advisor contracted for a collaboration with HRC🐠".

Baumgärtel founded Kalex with Klaus Hirsekorn (the 'K'ꦯ in Kalex) in 2008. The Kalex chassis has gone on to dominate the Moto2 class, winning the last eleven riders titles, and fills most of the grid.

HRC hired Kalex to build its🌼 MotoGP swingarms in 2022 and, from last season, a full RC213V c🐼hassis.

But while Kale🐓x may have constructed the chassis, the actual design still looked to have been provided by HRC, appearing almost identical to the usual version. Honda’s riders failed to notice a significant dඣifference.

Baumgärtel’s new role suggests HRC - which has won just one race in the last two seasons, finished last inཧ the 2023 constructors’ standings and has lost star rider Marc Marquez to Gresini Ducati - is now prepared to trust Kalex with evolving its chassis d﷽esign.

Repsol branding shrinks on 2024 Honda livery?

Meanwhile, in a further hint of a significꦛant Repsol Honda livery change for 2024, the Sepang machines of Joan Mir and new signing Luca Marini feature a prominent ‘Honda’ sticker with a smaller ‘Repsol’ logo on the lower fairing (above).

In other words, the exact ꧅opposite of the sticker sizes used for previous Repsol Honda winter test liveries, see below from 2023:

Repsol began its title sponsorsh♐ip of the factory Honda team in 1995. The 2024 team livery, rumoured to feature more of HRC's red, white and blue, will be unveiled during a launch in Spain on February 13.