Stefan Bradl: “Healthy competition among Honda riders” / MotoGP

Stefan Bradl flew to Spain last Monday afternoon to test his new Honda RC213V together with the Superbike World Championship teams on Wednesday and Thursday. But on the first day it rained and stormed, the SBK drivers stayed in the pits. Bradl took to the track with rain tires every day. “I drove 30 laps on both days. But the conditions were bad, ”he said. “Land under.”

 The  HRC test team with crew chief Klaus Nöhles and the new data engineer Gerold «Hugo» Bucher stayed in Andalusia afterwards, because HRC reserved the route for Monday and Tuesday of the coming week (25/26 January) had been. Meanwhile, bad weather is also announced for these two days. “That is why we have now booked the Jerez Circuit for Wednesday to Friday”, Stefan Bradl reported today in an interview with SPEEDWEEK.com.

 The  Bavarian also tested in Jerez in December, but new material has been prepared in Japan since then.

By the way: Sunshine is announced for Jerez for January 27th to 29th: maximum temperatures on the three days 19 to 24 degrees.

Since the February test in Sepang / Malaysia (three days for the test teams, three days for the regular drivers) was canceled without replacement due to Corona, test kilometers are urgently needed to get the new components to the Losail test in Doha (from March 5th) to try out.

Honda will compete in the Repsol team in 2021 with Marc Márquez and Pol Espargaró, at LCR Alex Márquez and Takaaki Nakagami, all four of them with 2020 machines, because further development was banned due to Corona, at least with the engines.

Bradl assumes that Marc Márquez will be out of all winter tests. However, he has not yet received exact information from HRC on the comeback schedule of the eight-time world champion. We hear from Spain that the Honda star will also be canceled for the first two or three Grand Prix.

“

 The  competition among the Honda teammates, between Marc and Pol and between Alex and Taka, will be very good.

 The y may be able to push each other quite well, that will create healthy competition ”, Stefan Bradl is convinced. “You have seen with Morbidelli and Quartararo that such competition is not necessarily harmful. It won’t hurt at LCR if a driver like Crutchlow doesn’t keep doing ‘BlaBla’, but rather if there is cooperation in the pits and the battles are then fought out of the track. That makes more sense.”

 The  updated MotoGP calendar 2021 (as of January 22nd)

March 28: Doha / Q *
04. April: Doha/Q*
18. April: Portimão/P
02. Never: Jerez / E
May 16. Le Mans / F
30. Never: Mugello / I
June 06: Barcelona / E
June 20: Sachsenring / D
27. June Assen / NL
July 11: KymiRing / FIN **
15. August: Red Bull Ring/A
29. August: Silverstone/GB
12. September: Aragón / E
19. September: Misano/I
October 03: Motegi / J
October 10: Buriram / TH
October 24th: Phillip Island / AUS
October 31: Sepang / MAL
14. November: Valencia/E

Without a date:
Termas de Río Hondo / AR
Circuit of the Americas/USA

Reservestrecke:
Mandalika International Street Circuit/IDN**

* Night races
**

 The  route is still pending homologation

 The  planned winter tests for MotoGP (as of January 14th)

Shakedown test in Qatar: March 5th (for test drivers and rookies only)
Official test in Qatar: March 6th and 7th
Official test in Qatar: March 10-12

Winter tests of the Moto2 and Moto3 class

Jerez test: March 16-18

Private Tests Moto2
Jerez: 24./25. Februar
Portimão: 2nd / 3rd March