The agony is shared between
Honda—still by far the most
successful factory in Grand Prix
history, with more GP wins and
more Constructors' titles even
than the long-dominant MV
Agusta. And Yamaha, second in
race wins.
Both are racing stalwarts who
built their reputations on racing
success. But over the past six
years, they have been handed a
pasting by burgeoning European
marques, mainly Ducati, some-
times by KTM, and this year
especially
by rampant Aprilia.
Whether through compla-
cency or simple human error, or
both,
they both fell well on the
wrong side of the very small
O
nce upon a time, it was
unthinkable that the two
major Japanese racing
factories would be taking a back
seat in the premier racing se-
ries. Yet that's how it's been for
the past
five years: Japan Inc.
playing an also-ran role, while
European brands dominate the
results.
P132
CN II IN THE PADDOCK
BY MICHAEL SCOTT
THE MOTOGP
STRUGGLES OF JAPAN INC.
For 2026, Yamaha
swapped its inline-
four engine for a V4.
However, like Honda,
the Japanese OEM is
still on the back foot
against Italian rivals
Aprilia and Ducati.
