Repsol Honda’s challenger for the
2012 MotoGP season, the RC213V, has been revealed in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The new bike, which has a 1,000 cc engine in line with the increased capacity limit being introduced this year, will be ridden by Dani Pedrosa and reigning champion Casey Stoner.
Stoner is being realistic about the team’s prospects, an understandable stance given that such a significant change to the technical regulations could potentially rewrite the formbook.
Speaking at the unveiling, the Australian said: “After such a strong season in 2011, we remain focused and don’t expect to be in top form immediately. I am sure Honda have done a fantastic job with the new 1,000 cc machine over the winter break and I’m really looking forward to getting back on the bike and seeing what we can do, hoping to start strong again.
“We know there will be a lot of serious competition out there, Ducati have been putting a lot of effort in as have Yamaha so it will be interesting to get out on track and see what everyone’s got. However, it’s early days and I think we’ll have to wait until the race in Qatar before we really know our competitors’ true pace and the package they have for 2012, but we’re ready for it.”
Shuhei Nakamoto, HRC Executive Vice President, added: “The RC213V is an evolution of the last version of the RC212V based on the same concept.
“The machines we have brought here to Sepang are basically the same machines we tested in Valencia back in November with only a few differences. In fact, Casey and Dani will have one machine the same as Valencia, and the other one with a slightly different chassis, based on their own requests.”
As the launch event was the first time that HRC had returned to Malaysia since Marco Simoncelli’s fatal accident in October, the team took the opportunity to visit the Sepang circuit to lay a wreath and hold a minute’s silence in honour of the Italian rider.
Related post:
2012 MotoGP calendar
+(JPEG).jpg)
