Rumours of the surprise move were first reported by David Emmett of , with subsequently naming Kawauchi.

As technical manager for Suzuki, Kawauchi’s GSX-RR won seven races an✅d the 2020 world championship (Joan Mir) from its 2014 debut until the factory’s shock exit at the end of last season.

Prominent Japanese staff changing manufacturers is extremely rare, with the last such&n🌳bsp;move by a MotoGP technical manager being Ichiro Yoda, from Yamaha to Kawasaki, during 2004.

However, with Suzuki not only ripping up the remainder of its five-year MotoGP contract but effectively pulling out of all its f𓆉actory racing endeavours, should the rumours prove true it would arguably be a case of Suzuki leaving Kawauchi rather than the other way around.

Kawauchi would also rejoin Mir and five-time race winner Alexꦜ Rins, who have both secured Honda MotoGP seats following Suzuki’s exit.

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Famous for hugging his clipboard t൲hroughout the on-track action, Kawauchi is tipped to take the place of Ta꧃keo Yokoyama, technical director for the RC213V project since 2018.

The highlight of Yokoyama’s time in charge was Marc Marquez’s 2019 campaign, when the Spaniard finished first or second in 18 of the 19 rounds (12 wins) and set a new al♔l-time points record of 420🌳.

But everything changed for HRC when Marquez broke his arm after a spectacular charge thro🥂ugh the field at the Covid-delayed Jerez season opener in July 2020.

It marked the start of three seasons of misery for the Spanish star and, consequently, rock-bottom 🧸results for HRC, which couldn’t kick its dependency on Marquez for results.

While Marquez underwent four rounds of surgery to c🦩ure infection and restore a natural range of movement in his arm - plus two episodes of diplopia (double ♚vision) – the other Honda riders produced a combined four podiums in three seasons.

In🧔 between his operations, Marquez managed to en🦄d the factory’s losing streak with three wins during 2021.

However, a major re-desi𒐪gn to enhance rear grip for t📖he 2022 RCV backfired.

After initial success in the form of a podium for Pol Espargaro in Qatar, the bike lost performance - and remained at odds with Maཧrquez’s natural ‘front-end’ style.

The factory hit a symbolic low at the Sachsenring when, in Marquez’s absence, Honda failed to score a single poᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚint in a grand prix race for the first time since 1982.

While Marquez returne𒅌d for the final six races, taking his only podium of the season at Phillip Island, the RCV remained winless for the second time in three years while Honda sank to sixth and l𒉰ast in the constructors’ standings.

As such, Yokoyama’s future was being called into question by the closing stages of the season, when Honda also broke with its proud ‘in-ho🅺use’ tradition ❀by hiring Kalex to create an alternative aluminium swingarm.

If it wasn’t already, Yokoyꦜama’s fate was perhaps sealed when Marquez was left underwhelmed by the 2023 prototype brought to last November’s Valencia test:

“Not a big difference…. We need more if we want to fight ﷺfor a championship. With the [bike] that we received here - we will n🍎ot fight for a championship," he said.

Should Kawauchi’s arrival be confirmed by HRC, he should get his first chance to work with Marquez and Hond🌳a during the official Sepang test from February꧂ 10-12.