Where once MotoGP’s Japanese powerhouses Honda and Yamaha were the undisputed dominators of the championship, times have shifted and the European onslaught has set in – with Ducati, KTM and Aprilia the benchmarks now.
This wasn’t an overnight takeover. Ducati has been slogging away since 2003 to deliver a title challenger and went through some abysmal times in the early 2010s before finally building a bike that was a true frontrunner - its years with Casey Stoner, including his championship campaign in 2007, flattered to deceive thanks to the Australian’s unearthly talent - in the last two years.
Aprilia’s embarrassing early years of its comeback pegged it firmly as the paddock’s laughing stock before it started to make genuine strides in 2021 with a maiden podium that gave way to a first win and title challenge in 2022.
And KTM has steadily improved since starting its time in MotoGP in 2017 3.5s off the pace in the opening qualifying of that year. Having shown intermittent form through 2020, 2021 and 2022, the Austrian manufacturer now appears to have built a genuine title contender after poaching numerous Ducati engineers over the winter.
Narrow-mindedness and a steadfast belief bordering on arrogance that its ways of working were the best set in the rot for Yamaha and Honda. Last year, the latter failed to win a grand prix for the second time in three campaigns, while Yamaha has gone from champions in 2021 to runners-up in 2022 to scoring just one podium so far in a tough 2023 in which Fabio Quartararo has conceded “we are too far away” from the title already.
Honda, of course, ended its victory drought at the Circuit of the Americas in April with LCR’s Alex Rins. But this is currently looking like an exceptional circumstance, Rins’ riding style minimising the Honda’s acceleration problems at the flowing Texas venue.
Over the winter, both took steps to reverse their fortunes. The most significant was Honda entrusting chassis development to German manufacturer Kalex. The marque’s chassis have won every Moto2 title since 2013, and at the French GP last weekend became the second most successful manufacturer in the intermediate class, behind Honda and overhauling Yamaha. What’s more, Kalex is a tiny company of just 10 people.
Source: Autosport