Takaaki Nakagami, set to transition into a Honda test rider and wild-card participant next season. Has pinpointed the exact moment he believes Honda’s MotoGP project began to falter compared to its competitors.
Nakagami, who has been with LCR Honda since his 2018 premier-class debut, remains confident that the factory can reclaim its former MotoGP dominance but cautions that significant changes are necessary.
“HRC used to have one of the best bikes, but now something is missing,” Nakagami stated. “I believe HRC can return to the top, but it won’t be easy. There are many things that need to change.”
Honda, which once dominated the end of the 500cc era and claimed ten MotoGP riders’ titles from 2002 to 2019 under the four-stroke rules, has managed just four race wins since Marc Marquez’s arm injury in 2020. The most recent victory came as a surprise from Alex Rins at COTA last year.
With Marquez now moving to Gresini Ducati and Rins to Monster Yamaha. Honda’s best results this season have been a ninth-place finish in a Sprint and 12th in a grand prix.
When asked to identify moment Honda’s RC213V began losing ground to its rivals, Nakagami pointed to 2022 as pivotal year.
“In 2022, they completely changed the bike’s concept,” Nakagami explained. “When I first rode it, I remember thinking, ‘This is not the Honda bike anymore!’ The bike used to have a small wheelbase with strong braking capabilities, but the front was always the limit. They tried to improve rear grip, but we lost our way. We couldn’t find the right balance.”
The introduction of aerodynamic changes and ride-height devices added to the confusion, further complicating the balance issues that plagued the bike. Nakagami noted that while the 2022 bike had improved rear grip. It struggled with consistency, especially with the front end, making it difficult to control.
“Qualifying was always good because we had a lot of grip with new-tires, but maintaining consistency was challenging,” Nakagami said. “The balance was tricky, and the front end was always difficult to manage. It became a big question mark.”
These grip and balance challenges continue to be central issues for Honda, and they will likely be a focus for Nakagami in his new testing role.
Nakagami’s new responsibilities will involve extensive testing in both Japan and Europe, along with a few wild-card race appearances. He emphasized the importance of improving communication between the Japanese engineers and the European test team to accelerate development.
“In Japan, we need to connect more with the paddock and the European test team,” Nakagami said. “There’s a lot to improve, and I’m excited about this new chapter. I also want to help Somkiat Chantra adjust to MotoGP, using my experience to guide him.”
Nakagami begins his final eight rounds as a full-time rider at Misano this weekend, currently standing as Honda’s top rider in the world championship, albeit in 18th place. Moto2 race winner Somkiat Chantra will take over Nakagami’s seat alongside Johann Zarco and will make his MotoGP debut at the Valencia post-race test in November.
