Tetsuhiro Kuwata is set to depart from Honda’s MotoGP project. The official announcement has not yet been made, but if the rumors are confirmed, he will be the third Japanese leader to leave in a short time after former management director Takeo Yokoyama and technical director Shnichi Kokubu.
The Japanese manufacturer is going through one of the most challenging periods in its MotoGP history. It hasn’t won any titles since 2019, and competitiveness has declined considerably – they didn’t win any races in 2022, and last year, the only rider who won with an RC213V was from the satellite LCR Honda team.
According to Motorsport.com, Kuwata is now leaving his position as the general manager of the racing operations division. His replacement is Taichi Honda, who was part of the off-road department – involved in activities such as Dakar participation. Crash.net cites a source from Honda clarifying that Kuwata’s departure ‘is part of HRC’s normal management rotation’.
Kuwata joined Honda Motor in 2000 but has been with Honda Racing Corporation since 2011. Five years later, he was promoted to the position he has held until now, replacing Shuhei Nakamoto. He supervised activities not only in MotoGP but also in motorcycling in general, including Dakar.