Honda: “Other manufacturers have made a huge step, we’re not at the same level”
Team HRC’s Jose Escamez admits Honda are still not where they need to be as testing contin𓆏ues in Catalunya.
After a disappointing first round of the 2024 WorldSBK season at Phillip Island, Hond♕a are in attendance with all four of its riders and test rider Tetsuta Nagashima.
In Australia, Ducati, Kawasaki, Yamaha and 🐠BMW all managed to achieve a ⛄podium or better, but Honda were the lone manufacturer missing in that regard.
“It’s obvious that a rider always wants something else,” Escamez told WorldSBK.com. “Other manufacturers have made a huge step and maybe🍷 we’re not at the same level yet, but I’m confident that we will get there and with all the information we got from Australia.
“We have a much꧃ clearer idꦐea about the way we want to go and what the targets are.
“When you have a crash and don’t understand why, it’s normal to be upset so I really un🦋de👍rstand Iker.”
One area of the Honda that is working very well is the engine, which has been very powerful for several year♊s.
But managing to deploy all its power in the right way seems to be a struggle,🅷 with Escamez saying: “The engine is really powerful. The only thing we are trying to solve in the short term is trying to profit from this power.
“We can’t generate the grip, we struggle to stop the bike and then in the corners, we go wide✱.
“This is the main target and this is something we already faced in the past. In Australia, we got a lot of information that’s going to help us solv𝔉e all this.
“We’ve got new items. We have a lot of faith that they’re going to work. It won’t be something that solves all our problems, it’ll be a little step that wꦏe’ve not tried on track.
“That’s why we’re here, to test them💝 on track. It’s ju🅷st to have more engine brake and it’s important to solve this aggressive response from the engine.
“It’s base setup and electr💖onics, it’s something we knew. It looks like a pointl🔜ess thing, but the way we lost a test day at Portimao in December due to rain, we delayed our development a little bit. We’re getting closer to where we want to be.”
In terms of the testing programme over the two-day test, Nagashi🐻ma is trying new 🅰parts before Xavi Vierge and Iker Lecuona (if he continues riding due to his injury) do so.
“Nagashima will test something today that our riders will test tomorrow,” began Escamez. “We wanted to try it first on track. As m🎶uch information we can get, 🎉the better. It’s part of our project.
“At the moment, aside from the electronics and power delivery, we’re still working on the base setup 🐻which is not bad but something we can still improve.
“We’re looking at lit🍬tle details to hav♍e the perfect bike… which is impossible! We didn’t get our proper base setup yet. Different tracks can adjust better.”
