Tag: MotoGP

Four-time MotoGP champion Marc Marquez is likely to remain loyal to current employer Honda rather than gamble on a switch to a rival manufacturer, his manager Emilio Alzamora has said. Marquez secured his fourth premier class title in the space of five years this season, and has only competed for the works Repsol Honda team since his MotoGP debut in 2013. However, the Spaniard's close links to Red Bull have prompted speculation that he could make the switch to KTM at some point in the future, as the energy drinks giant is the Austrian firm's title sponsor. Marquez, along with the vast majority of the MotoGP grid, is out of contract at the end of 2018, but Alzamora believes Marquez remains keen to stay at Honda for the foreseeable future. "Marc never forgets that Honda was the m...

Yamaha has wrapped up two days of private testing in Sepang, bringing an end to 2017's MotoGP action. Factory pair Valentino Rossi and Maverick Vinales were joined by Tech 3 satellite rider Johann Zarco, who also worked closely with the works Yamaha outfit in Valencia testing earlier this month. None of the three were present in last week's Jerez test, with Repsol Honda riders Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa also skipping it in order to save their allocation of test days. While Yamaha has not issued any official comment on the test, it's understood that the main focus during Monday and Tuesday's running was on defining the final engine specification for the 2018 M1. "In Sepang we focused on testing different engines, and once we have decided on the spec we will work on the new ch...

Suzuki MotoGP boss Davide Brivio says his team’s poor results this year have showed that it “missed” having a satellite team to speed up development. Since its MotoGP return in 2015, Suzuki has only had its two factory bikes on the grid, in contrast to rival marques Honda, Yamaha and Ducati. The Hamamatsu manufacturer endured a torrid season this year, regaining the technical concessions it previously lost after failing to score a podium finish with new signings Andrea Iannone and Alex Rins. Brivio said earlier in the year that a satellite operation was not on the horizon as it would deprive the works squad of resources – but has now admitted its poor 2017 campaign may change the situation. “This year showed we were missing a satellite team,” admitted Brivio. “If we had two