Crash.net are reporting that Honda’s satellite teams are set to start 2016 testing at Sepang with last year’s engine.
They also say that the teams could also be forced to use the complete 2015 bikes, or that factory Honda riders Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa will be using the same frames as their satellite counterparts, suggesting that the Repsol Honda Team will again be using the old 2015 frame.
It still seemingly looks likely that the new 2016 Honda engine, something that will be crucial to a potential championship campaign after the 2015 engine turned out to be a massive disaster, will only be available to the factory riders at Sepang. It may also be that the satellite teams may have to wait until the Qatar test, which is only a few weeks away from the season opener, to receive the new engines.
Marquez was heavily critical of the 2015 bike’s engine, complaining about aggressive engine behavior last season. Marquez and Pedrosa also gave a lukewarm response to the new engine in the November tests, leading HRC to put further development into it. The introduction of Michelin tyres from Bridgestone tyres and the introduction of a single ECU software is also complicating matters for HRC, who are trying to determine what was causing the issues.
The Satellite teams in 2016 will be lead by Cal Crutchlow, who will return with the LCR Honda team, who have downsized to one bike this year. Crutchlow’s former teammate, Jack Miller, will join former Moto2 World Champion Tito Rabat at the Marc VDS Honda Team after Scott Redding made the move to Pramac Ducati.
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