Honda: “Other manufacturers have made a huge step, we’re not at the same level”
Team HRC’s Jose Escamez admit♏s Honda are still not where they need to be as testing continues in Catalunya.
After a disappointing first round of the 2024 WorldSBK season at Phillip Island, Honda are in attendance with all four of its riders anꦍd test rider Tetsuta Nagashima.
In A𒀰ustralia, Ducati, Kawasaki, Yamaha and BMW all managed to achieve a podium or better, but Honda were the lone manufacturer missing in that regard.
“It’s obvious that a rider always wants something else,” Escamez told WorldSBK.com. “Other manufacturers have made a huge step and maybe we’re not at the same level yet, but I’m confident that we will get there and with all the informatio🍒n we got from Australia🐓.
“We have a much clearer idea about the way we𓆏 want to go and what the targets are.
“When you have a crash and don’t understand why, it’s normal to be ﷺupset ♛so I really understand Iker.”
One area of the Honda that is working very w𝔍ell is the engine, which has been very powerful for several years.
But managing to deploy all its power in the right way seems to be a struggle, with Escamez saying: “The engine is really powerful. The only thing we are trying to solve in the short term is trying to profit from this p🅷ower.
“We caꩵn’t generate the grip, we struggle to stop the bike and then in the corners, we💃 go wide.
“This is the main target anꦦd this is something we already faced in the past. In Australia, we got a lot of information that’s going to help us solve all this.
“We’ve got new items. We have a lot of faith that they’re going to work. It won’t be something thatꦚ solves all our problems, it’ll be a littlꦺe step that we’ve not tried on track.
“That’s why we’re here, to test 🥂them on track. It’s just to have more engine brake and it’s important to solve this agꦚgressive response from the engine.
“It’s base setup and electronics, it’s something we knew. It looks like a pointless thing, but the way we lost a test day at Portimao in December due to rain, we delayed our development a little bit. We’re getting closer to where 🌳we want to be.”
In terms of the testing programme ov🐷er the two-day test, Nagashima is trying new parts before Xavi Vierge and Iker Lecuܫona (if he continues riding due to his injury) do so.
“Nagashima will test something today that our riders will test tomorrow,” began Escamez. “We wanted to try it first on track. As much information we can get, the better. It’s part of our pro𒆙ject.
“At the moment, asiꦺde from the🍰 electronics and power delivery, we’re still working on the base setup which is not bad but something we can still improve.
“Weಌ’re looking at little details to have the perfect bike… which is impossible! We didn’t get our proper base setup yet. Different tracks can adjust better.💟”
