I didn't hear anything about that but I am quite surprised by reading your post. If that is true it is such a big change with Honda working style. Because they are so detirmined to make everything in house. We were surprised enough with Kalex swing arm move of Honda.
What you can read in this link already shared above.In fact, already at the Misano test last September, the Japanese manufacturer used an aluminium swingarm made by the Germans - keeping it in the following races and winter tests.
Now, according to SPEEDWEEK.com, the collaboration has been extended to the chassis itself. This has been a problem area in recent seasons, and the Japanese engineers are unable to find a solution to the riders' liking - particularly Marc Marquez, who reportedly rejected the latest evolution introduced at the Portimao tests.
Thus, Kalex will have been approached to redesign the Honda RC213V chassis - which is a time-consuming task, as General Manager Alex Baumgärtel made clear in October. At the time, he recalled that the first Moto2 chassis required nine months of work before the first test.
If the renewed chassis by Kalex for Honda goes ahead, it is expected that only at the Jerez test on May 1 this novelty could be tested for the first time; or days earlier at the Spanish GP on the same circuit, where Honda test rider Stefan Bradl could be present if he participates with wildcard status.
Aye, very interesting indeed. HRC have always been a powerhouse and innovator. Perhaps they lost their way due to the overwhelming talent of Marc Marquez. Similar perhaps to how Ducati failed to realise their 2008-9-10-11 bikes were poor as it was Casey Stoner making them win previously!etusch wrote: ↑16 Mar 2023, 12:03What you can read in this link already shared above.In fact, already at the Misano test last September, the Japanese manufacturer used an aluminium swingarm made by the Germans - keeping it in the following races and winter tests.
Now, according to SPEEDWEEK.com, the collaboration has been extended to the chassis itself. This has been a problem area in recent seasons, and the Japanese engineers are unable to find a solution to the riders' liking - particularly Marc Marquez, who reportedly rejected the latest evolution introduced at the Portimao tests.
Thus, Kalex will have been approached to redesign the Honda RC213V chassis - which is a time-consuming task, as General Manager Alex Baumgärtel made clear in October. At the time, he recalled that the first Moto2 chassis required nine months of work before the first test.
If the renewed chassis by Kalex for Honda goes ahead, it is expected that only at the Jerez test on May 1 this novelty could be tested for the first time; or days earlier at the Spanish GP on the same circuit, where Honda test rider Stefan Bradl could be present if he participates with wildcard status.
https://www.motorcyclesports.net/articl ... s-to-kalex
https://www.gpone.com/en/2023/03/15/mot ... assis.html
Kalex will apparently build chassis for the Honda RC213V in 2023
The Honda RC213V since it was radically revamped in 2021 continues to be a difficult bike. In order to sort the problems out, Honda is again going to Kalex for help for the 2023 Season.
It was already in 2022, when Honda went Moto2 chassis manufacturer Kalex for help. Kalex build a brand new swing-arm for Honda. Now, apparently Kalex will also build chassis for Honda.
Honda apparently contacted Kalex to build a aluminium chassis even before the last years test in Valencia but decided to continue with the Honda "in house" made ones. Honda still brought in chassis with modified stiffness to this years test in Portimao. Marc Marquez was according to SpeedWeek not happy with the "home" made chassis from Japan. This is why Honda apparently went back to Kalex to build them chassis. However the chassis will apparently not be made until the race weekend in Jerez.
This means that the swing-arm and chassis will be made by Kalex. Together with the new exhaust system of Akrapovič, Honda only produces the engines and gearboxes themselves in Japan as one of the main features.
Looks nice but I think the frontrunners all went out with new tires!
I only could watch last 15 minutes and from a spannish stream. So I don't know. It is almost 0.9 slower compared to best time at testing. So what you said maybe true. Their tyre allocation also lesser so it maybe important to be fast with used ones. Or practising with used ones.
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Pol Espargaro was thrown from his KTM (GASGAS) at Turn 10 of the Algarve International Circuit in the closing stages of free practice. The Spaniard crashed heavily before violently shooting through the gravel pit and hitting the guardrail. The session was immediately halted and Espargaro was attended to on the track by medical personnel. The Tech3 rider was conscious.
After nearly half an hour, Espargaro was taken away in an ambulance and transferred by plane to the hospital in nearby Faro for further monitoring.
It was later determined that he suffered a lung contusion, a jaw fracture and a fractured vertebra.
Fantastic effort. 