Honda Teams return for 2010 MotoGP

Honda MotoGP Team

Once again this year, Honda will compete in the MotoGP class, the premier class of the Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix (WGP)-the world’s top-level race-and take on challenges with the aim of winning all three championship titles, recapturing the rider’s title as well as the team and constructor’s.

The Repsol Honda factory team will compete with two riders: the veteran Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso, who is in his second year as a factory rider. The team has made some personnel changes to augment its total power for winning these championship titles. Kazuhiko Yamano (HRC), who has served as Team Manager, will take over as HRC Team Director and oversee all operations including the factory teams and satellite teams.

For the factory team, Toshiyuki Yamaji (HRC) will become the new Team Manager and will direct the entire Repsol Honda team. To enhance the riders’ potential, Alberto Puig (Spain), who formerly served as crew chief, has been appointed as the Pedrosa Team Manager for this season. For the Dovizioso team, Gianni Berti (Italy), another former crew chief, has been appointed as the Dovizioso Team Manager. In this way, Honda will strengthen its organization as it seeks to regain the championship titles this season.

Three teams and four riders will compete for the satellite teams. Hiroshi Aoyama of the Interwetten Honda MotoGP team, who won the championship brilliantly in last year’s 250cc Grand Prix, has stepped up to the premier class and will be the only Japanese rider to compete in this class this season. Also competing will be the Italian rider Marco Simoncelli of Team San Carlo Honda Gresini, who rode in the 250cc class last year and fought for the championship with Hiroshi Aoyama up to the final race. These two riders will be competing in the MotoGP class as rookies from Honda. Simoncelli will be joined by teammate Marco Melandri, who is returning to Honda this season. The veteran rider Randy De Puniet will participate again from LCR Honda MotoGP, aiming for a top position.

HRC plans to race six RC212V machines in this class under the guidance of Grand Prix Technical Director Shinichi Kokubu (Honda R&D). With the 2010 RC212V, Honda has developed a highly competitive racing machine by adding numerous improvements to the engine while redesigning the chassis to match the engine characteristics.

Expectations are high for success of the six Honda riders in MotoGP World Championship Round 2, the Grand Prix of Japan (finals), which will be held at Twin Ring Motegi in Tochigi Prefecture this coming April 25.