At the end of November, Johann Zarco participated in the MotoGP test in Valencia, marking his first contact with the LCR Honda. Throughout the day, he had the opportunity to ride both the 2023 and 2024 versions of the Honda RC213V… and the differences were noticeable.
Lucio Cecchinello, the LCR team director, revealed to Sky Sport MotoGP: ‘Zarco tried the 2023 bike and then the 2024 version; he noticed a significant difference in the entry into corners, in rear grip. We were surprised; it seems like a significant step has been taken’.
The Italian then delved into the specifics of what was requested for the new bike: ‘The instructions we vigorously gave were about load distribution. If we analyze all the crashes this year, the main cause was the loss of the front-end. We requested a bike with a different balance and a center of gravity more shifted towards the rear. Even in terms of size, the new bike is slightly longer’.