MotoGP: 'BMW and Kawasaki have the right know-how', Says IRTA President Herve Poncharal
In recent months, rumours have circulated about a new KTM satellite team. According to the IRTA head, allowing another satellite team to take those spots would rule out the chance of any other manufacturers being involved.
By Divyam Dubey
There are now just five factory teams and six satellite teams in MotoGP with Suzuki's exit at the end of 2022. The IRTA still has two spots available, but Dorna is not interested in satellite teams, but rather manufacturers such as Kawasaki and BMW. There are now two places for official constructions to join the premier class, however, there does not seem to be much interest from new builders. Ducati riders have dominated the 2023 MotoGP season so far, winning seven of the first eight races to establish themselves as a serious contender to the long-dominant Japanese manufacturers. Since 1975, Yamaha, Suzuki, and Honda have all had a premier class championship-winning rider every season except Casey Stoner's dominant 2007 season and Francesco Bagnaia's comeback victory last year. Key to Ducati's recovery has been the company's aerodynamic packages, which have inspired extreme wing designs and appendages from Aprilia and KTM. Nonetheless, Honda and Yamaha still have some improvements to make.
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MotoGP: What did Herve Poncharal Say?
In an interview with a media outlet, the Frenchman stated that the squad should have 12 teams, with half of them being official and the other half being independent. There are a total of six builders, and each of them has its own satellite crew.
Additionally, he said that BMW and Kawasaki are the two manufacturers he believes might enter the MotoGP field. He believes that only these producers possess the necessary expertise and resources to compete. He added that Triumph is satisfied with Moto2 and is not prepared to join the MotoGP grid, while Suzuki might be eager to return to the competition. Therefore, the two seats are set aside for that purpose.
There have been rumblings of a new KTM satellite team joining the squad in recent months, which would make for a total of five factory structures and seven independent ones. The IRTA chief indicated that granting the slots to another satellite team would exclude the possibility of involvement from an additional manufacturer.
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MotoGP: Fast Recovery Not Possible, Says Honda MotoGP Team Boss
Honda MotoGP team chief Alberto Puig blames a "progressive confluence of issues" for the team's recent struggles and thinks that both Honda and Yamaha need to reevaluate their strategies in grand prix competition.
In 2018, Puig succeeded Livio Suppo as Honda's MotoGP team manager, and he and Marc Marquez won two championships together until Marquez was injured at the beginning of 2020.
Honda's premier-class programme was crippled by Marquez's injury woes because of how heavily the company relied on its star rider, but now that he believes he is fully recovered, the more pressing problem is the Honda RC213V's lack of relative competitiveness, with the era's most iconic rider unable to bring it to the front without putting himself in serious jeopardy.
Some have hypothesised that Honda's recent slump is due to the COVID-19 pandemic and how it affected the operations of the Japanese brands both domestically and internationally, particularly in what is still plainly very much a European championship.
