HRC President Dismisses Daunting Honda MotoGP Rumor
Categories: MotoGP
For weeks there has been speculation about a possible Honda exit from MotoGP. HRC President Yasuharu Watanabe puts his foot down.
In difficult times for the Honda MotoGP project, HRC president Koji Watanabe takes the courage together to give the struggling racing team a little security.
Currently last in the team standings, rumors arose around the Repsol Honda factory team, the world’s largest motorcycle manufacturer, could, like Suzuki after the 2022 season, leave MotoGP behind for good.
Seemingly struggling to get a competitive concept together and with the European manufacturers dominating the premier class, a possible exit seemed to get likelier with every race.
However, despite a currently disappointing effort, the Japanese manufacturer is keen to show the world they still got it as HRC President Koji Watanabe puts his foot down in an interview with Akira Nishimura.
“The Honda Group as a whole regards the current situation as a major problem. Including Honda Motor Co. Ltd. president Toshihiro Mibe, we believe that we must do something about this situation as soon as possible.”
"Let's Deny That Right Here"
Despite all this, Honda does not want to give up, a MotoGP exit goes against any pride of the Japanese and is out of the question.
“Let’s deny that right here. Honda will never leave MotoGP,” Watanabe insists.
And even though the company is currently at the lowest point in its long MotoGP history, giving up has never been considered. Watanabe is aware that the way back to the top of MotoGP will be difficult, but he is sure that Honda will find a way out in the future.
“I am aware that it will not be so easy but currently, the development of the 2024 MotoGP machine is progressing rapidly.”
