Jakarta - The Repsol Honda (HRC) Team has presented design, color and technical updates for the 2024 RC213V motorbike which will be the ride for their two racers, Joan Mir and Luca Marini, in MotoGP this season.
Quoted from the team's official statement, Tuesday, the 2024 Honda RC213V brings a number of improvements to the entire engine, from aerodynamic revisions to improvements to the engine and chassis.
“This will be another season of development, working together with our riders, partners, sponsors, engineers and team members as we strive to get better,” said HRC General Manager Tetsuhiro Kuwata.
Apart from that, the most striking thing about the introduction of the new HRC motorbike today is the color scheme which is not only dominated by orange but also includes dark blue.
This also marks 30 years of cooperation between HRC and Repsol. This relationship has resulted in 15 world titles, 183 MotoGP race wins, 455 podiums and nine triple crowns.
Apart from the new characteristics, this partnership is also entering a new era with the introduction of renewable fuels in MotoGP in 2024.
"2024 is a special year because we celebrate 30 years of cooperation with Repsol and enter a new era with renewable fuels," said Kuwata.
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On the other hand, Mir and Marini admitted that they were excited to immediately carry out the second pre-season test at the Lusail International Circuit, Qatar, in the middle of this month before starting the 2024 season which will start on March 8-10.
“Last year taught me a lot and I want to apply everything to this year to help the Repsol Honda team return to its best performance. "Let's enjoy this moment and immediately prepare for the upcoming season," said Mir.
Marini, who filled the seat left by Marc Marquez after joining for more than a decade, said he already felt connected to the members and technicians in his new team.
“We have just started our journey together, but I already feel part of the team and well supported by the engineers,” said Marini.
"I've only been on the bike for six days, so we want to make the most of the last test and start the year in the best way," he added.
Arab control over the ideal lineup for the 2023 Asian Cup but in the absence of the most prominent star
Arab national team players dominated the ideal squad for the 2023 Asian Cup, with 8 of the 11 players from Qatar, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Iraq, while Jordanian Musa Al-Taamari was unexpectedly absent.
The Qatar national team retained the title of Asian Cup champion, by defeating its Jordanian counterpart (3-1) last Saturday, at Lusail Stadium in Qatar, in the third Arab final in the history of the competition, after 1996 and 2007.
The organizers of the Asian Cup announced the ideal lineup for the tournament, with the presence of four players from the Qatari national team that won the title, namely goalkeeper Mishal Barshim, defender Lucas Mendez, captain Hassan Al-Haydos, and star Akram Afif, who also won the best player and top scorer awards.
The Jordanian duo, defender Abdullah Nassib and striker Yazan Al-Naimat, entered the ideal lineup, while the star of the “Nashma” team, Musa Al-Taamari, was absent.
From Saudi Arabia, defender Ali Al-Bulaihi, along with Iraqi Ayman Hussein, who stole the spotlight with his level and goals.
The lineup was as follows:
Goalkeeper: Mishal Barshim (Qatar)
Defense line: Abdullah Nassib (Jordan), Lucas Mendez (Qatar), Ali Al-Bulaihi (Saudi Arabia)
Midfield: Hassan Al-Haydos (Qatar), Mehdi Qaedi (Iran), Craig Goodwin (Australia), Lee Kang-in (South Korea)
Attacking line: Akram Afif (Qatar), Yazan Al-Naimat (Jordan) and Ayman Hussein (Iraq).