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2020 WorldSBK TALKING POINTS<br />
Honda is back! We said it twelve months<br />
ago but now it’s the real deal…<br />
When it was announced at EICMA in late<br />
2018 that HRC would be back in WorldSBK<br />
as a full-factory effort, it set up a chain<br />
reaction of expectation. For the first time<br />
since 2002 Japan was taking an interest in<br />
winning a Superbike title. It was a massive<br />
story. It was fantastic for the series…until<br />
the opening round when suddenly it became<br />
clear this was a year of gathering data.<br />
As the season went on it became clear that<br />
the story for Honda in 2019 was “nothing to<br />
see here.” It was disappointing at the time<br />
but when the bikes rolled out in January at<br />
the Jerez test the initial buzz from EICMA<br />
came right back! The bike looks tiny, it’s<br />
got a strong engine and seems to be cutting<br />
edge at every angle. This is what HRC is all<br />
about. With lots of Japanese engineers com-<br />
ing from HRC HQ this is clearly a proving<br />
ground for them, maybe before they move to<br />
MotoGP, and the same can be said for me-<br />
chanics and crew members. They are shy on<br />
experience in Superbike racing, but maybe a<br />
clear set of eyes can be used to their advan-<br />
tage.<br />
The excitement around Honda also comes<br />
from their acquirement of Alvaro Bautista.<br />
The Spaniard won the opening 11 races of<br />
2019 and has the tools to be a WorldSBK<br />
champion.<br />
“Compared to Ducati this is different. I was<br />
comfortable with the Ducati straight away,<br />
it was like putting on a glove because the<br />
engine character was the same as MotoGP<br />
with the V4 engine. <strong>No</strong>w I’m using an inline<br />
four and that’s different, but this is a very<br />
new project and we’re working in a good<br />
direction with the bike and evolution of the<br />
bike. We need more kilometres but Honda<br />
are working day and night in Japan.”<br />
Bautista and Leon Haslam offer a strong rider<br />
line-up with Takumi Takahashi also join-<br />
ing WorldSBK for a full season. Hiring Domi<br />
Aegerter as a full-time test rider also shows<br />
their ambitions. This project will leave no<br />
stone unturned but 2020 is likely to be an<br />
inconsistent year. The key for Honda will be<br />
to maximise their good weekends and come<br />
away from those races with podiums.<br />
When Honda puts all their chips to the centre<br />
of the table they expect to win big other-<br />
wise heads will roll. Patience might be key at<br />
the start of the campaign but it’ll wear thin<br />
very quickly if the Fireblade isn’t cutting it at<br />
the front.<br />
“This is a full factory team and it’s just like<br />
in MotoGP,” Bautista said recently. “It’s full<br />
of Japanese engineers from HRC. There’s<br />
nothing for us to be envious of because the<br />
level is high. Honda is serious and we’re<br />
supported by HRC. I’m convinced that we’ll<br />
fight for good results. Alberto Puig and<br />
Kuwata-san have been at the tests and that<br />
shows how serious they are about this pro-<br />
ject.
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