The pieces begin to fit in Honda. The mark of golden wing little by little he is recovering all the elements he needs to fight again for the most ambitious results of the World Cup and now, with the return of Marquez, there is a clear objective in the factory: to provide the ilerdense with a competitive motorcycle with which he can aspire to the title. The absence of eighth champion led to a wrong development of the RC213V that competed during the last two seasons in MotoGP, and that Marc was in charge of straightening with guidelines that in Japan have served to redirect the prototype for an ambitious 2022.
This course presents a “big redesign” with whom they intend to join again and with whom he has filmed Bradl, its test driver, in Jerez, taking advantage of the test days that SBK held in that same scenario. The German had time collect “lots of data” as commented on speedweek after the tests, and set off for Sepang with a good taste in their mouths: “It can be said that Are we heading in the right direction. We will see how strong the new Honda is in Malaysia.”
The sensations give way to optimism, although they avoid falling into excessive confidence. Bradl wants to measure the Japanese prototype with the rest of the mounts on the track and from there, they will define their level in a more realistic way for a 2022 in which they will finally have Márquez from the preseason. The presence of the driver from Lleida will not prevent the test rider from having a new opportunity to get on the Honda. The German will also shoot in Malaysia during a shake down that starts today with the test pilots and the five rookies of the queen category as protagonists, of three days that serve as a preliminary to the official test which will begin on February 5.
A shared goal
Then a Marquez will be placed on the handlebars of the Honda for whom “The eye injury is already forgotten.” “I have recovered better than expected and very quickly,” said the man from Lleida in eurosport after congratulating Rafa Nadal for achieving his 21st grand slam with his deed in Australia, and delved into what his current situation was: “Now I have to plan and be very precise with my arm, which is what has left me a little more limited. But watching this match Rafa, has given me motivation and desire to continue fighting because in a month we start the season”.
Although the humerus injury is still part of the present, both Honda and Marquez look in the same direction. The goal of the player from Lleida is to finish coming back to close 2022 in the same way that Nadal has done in Melbourne. “I’m living a very similar situation, I’ve had one injury after another for several years, and I hope I can go out like him through the front door”, the eighth champion asks, at the same time that it involves a factory that Bradl acknowledges aspires to the same end: “That (Marquez) I can fight for the title again. That’s the most important thing for Honda.” The German has done his share of the work for it and now it’s Marc’s turn and a team that is about to put itself to the test.