Honda convinced chain problems now resolved
The Honda MotoGP team is confident that the chain issues that have affected Marc Marquez and Jorge Lorenzo in the last two rounds have now been resolved.
Marquez was first to suffer as his chain came loose in fourth practice at Termas de Rio Hondo immediately before qualifying, although this did not stop the reigning champion from going on to qualify on pole and then dominate the Argentina race.
Two weeks later in Austin, Lorenzo suffered a similar issue, but this time it occurred at the start of second qualifying - forcing the Spaniard to park up, run the length of the pitlane and switch to his spare bike. He went on to qualify 11th.
Sources have confirmed to Motorsport.com that the root of the problem that caused the chain to come off every time the bike was on the kerb as the rider changed gears has been isolated, and that it will be fixed for the fourth race of the season this weekend at Jerez.
Even though Honda prefers not to go into details - all the signs indicate that the part replaced is the chain tensioner - it is convinced that the problem will not be repeated.
Following the Austin race, Honda shipped the four factory RC213Vs used by Marquez and Lorenzo to its Japanese headquarters to establish what it was that caused Lorenzo's engine to cut out and forced him to retire.
Takaaki Nakagami was Honda's sole finisher at the Circuit of the Americas, with Marquez and Cal Crutchlow both crashing out. It trails Ducati by six points in the constructors' championship heading to Jerez as a result.
Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda Team bike
Photo by: Gold and Goose / LAT Images
Share Or Save This Story
Honda signs David Alonso for 2027 without confirming which team he will join
Honda chooses Luca Marini's crew chief for Fabio Quartararo's arrival
How Trackhouse is preparing for the post-Davide Brivio era
Jorge Lorenzo: Marc Marquez less explosive now, but smarter than ever
Maverick Vinales and Jorge Lorenzo's partnership cools down after early enthusiasm
How Jorge Lorenzo is pushing Maverick Vinales beyond his limits in MotoGP
MotoGP's single-bike proposal on brink of collapse
MotoGP 2027 grid: All confirmed rider signings
Joan Mir baffled by recent MotoGP crashes: “It’s difficult not to repeat them”
Mercedes is open to team orders now – but it’s not what you think
Honda signs David Alonso for 2027 without confirming which team he will join
Alex Palou “was not confident at all” in outlasting late pressure to win Nashville
David Malukas “never driven so hard in my life” going last to third in Nashville
Does nobody want to win the 2026 MotoGP title?
What we learned as MotoGP's title fight tightened in German GP
Five things we learned from MotoGP’s action-packed Dutch GP
Aprilia faces its biggest challenge right now – and Marc Marquez is just one part of it
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments