The last factory Honda rider
other than Marc Marquez to win
a GP was Dani Pedrosa in 2017.
Nobody since. And by 2022, the
usually dominant manufacturer
appears to have switched off
the light at the end of the tun-
nel. Winners of nine constructor
titles between 2011 and 2019,
Honda currently languishes in
last place.
Take Jorge Lorenzo—a triple-
champion and a sublime rider,
with 47 race wins, all but three
on a Yamaha, where his super-
precise style meant he ousted
Rossi from the top spot. He
moved to Ducati, and after a
trying apprenticeship he started
winning on that as well.
Then in 2019 he joined Repsol
Honda, for a nightmare of many
crashes and a string of injuries.
And zero top-10s. At the end of
the year, he announced a pre-
mature retirement.
The next sacrificial lamb
was Pol Espargaro, who—
eyes gleaming—confirmed the
achievement of a lifetime's ambi-
tion when he signed for Repsol
Honda for 2021.
Less than two years later,
similarly battered and bruised
W
hat is one of the worst
fates to befall a Mo-
toGP rider? Funnily
enough, it's the same as one of
the best. It's joining the factory
Honda team.
This was often true in the
past. For instance, having to try
to match up to Mick Doohan was
no easy task. But it has become
all the more so recently.
For the past decade or so,
riding a Repsol Honda has of-
fered one of two outcomes. You
have all the potential to win the
championship. Or your career
hits the buffers.
P122
CN
III IN THE PADDOCK
BY MICHAEL SCOTT
Will the move to
Repsol Honda
hurt or hinder
Joan Mir's career?
History points to
hinder, but we
will see.
MIR TO HONDA …
DREAM TEAM OR
NIGHTMARE?
