We have made a good la time; we have a good race pace; we’ve found an optimal set-up; we are still working on the suspension settings; we’ve used the first qualifying tyre; we’ve set the fastest time of the starting grid;
Behind each and every of this phrases, which are usually heard in the statements of the World Championship riders and behind the images that travel worldwide on TV weekend after weekend, there is a pool of people, professionals with faces and names. Spain, Japan, France, New Zealand, Australia, England, Belgium and Italy: as if it would be a world map, the Repsol Honda MotoGP Team is a global team, in which the passion for competition and highest professionalism is one of its strong linking features.They are technicians and professionals to give their best, weekend after weekend, for the two riders of the Repsol Honda MotoGP Team. They live the victories and defeats of Nicky Hayden and Dani Pedrosa in the Motorcycle World Championship throughout the year. Engineers, mechanics, suspension and tyre technicians, coordinators… Meet the Repsol Honda MotoGP Team!Makoto Tanaka Age: 43 Nationality: Japanese Job: Repsol Honda Team Manager Joined Honda in 1987 as an electrical engineer working on ECU/timing systems. Moved to the Repsol Honda Team in 2004 and became team manager in 2005. He has been leading the team since then and already celebrated on world championship title.Chris Herring Age: 42 Nationality: British Job HRC Sporting Manager Third year with Honda in MotoGP. Was the marketing and PR manager for Honda’s World Superbike and World Supersport team for 8 years between 1996 and 2003. Has worked with Carl Fogarty, Aaron Slight, Colin Edwards, John Kocinski, Simon Crafar, Tady Okada, James Toseland and Chris Vermeulen.Roger van der Borght Age: 50 Nationality: Belgian Job: Repsol Honda Team Coordinator Has been working with Honda since 1981, starting in motocross before moving to the Grand Prix team. Has worked with Wayne Gardner, Tady Okada, Shinichi Itoh, Mick Doohan, Sete Gibernau, Tohru Ukawa, Alex Criville, Alex Barros, Max Biaggi, and now Nicky Hayden and Dani Pedrosa. Coordinates and organised the material transport from race to race, the teams travels and anything needed. A key component of the Repsol Honda TeamCedric Laprael Age: 43 Nationality: French Job: Parts Control In his ninth year with the team. He’s worked with Mick Doohan, Alex Criville, Sete Gibernau, Tohru Ukawa, Valentino Rossi, Alex Barros, Nicky Hayden, Max Biaggi and Dani Pedrosa. He is in charge of managing all spare parts of the Honda RC212V machines. This means that the less work he has the better things are going. A crash means loads of overtime for Cedric.Patrick Isacco Age: 51 Nationality: French Job: Michelin Tyre technician He’s been with the factory Honda team for 14 years. He has been watching over the tyre that have given the victory to all riders of the Repsol Honda Team. He has helped Mick Doohan, Alex Crivillé, Sete Gibernau, Tohru Ukawa, Valentino Rossi, Alex Barros, Nicky Hayden, Max Biaggi and Dani Pedrosa among other to do the right choice. An expert with an inestimable value. Norihisa Matsuura Age: 48 Nationality: Japanese Job: HRC Race Engineer (Dani Pedrosa) Third year with the Repsol Honda Team. He’s been with HRC for 17 years and has worked with Wayne Gardner, Daryl Beattie, Max Biaggi and now Dani Pedrosa.Guido Giavazzi Age: 35 Nationality: Italian Job: Hospitality Chief He has been working at Grand Prix for 20 years and is the chief of the hospitality at the Repsol Honda Team. His kitchen prepares the food for the whole team, riders and guests during races. He knows better than anyone else the culinary tastes of Mick Doohan, Alex Crivillé, Tohru Ukawa, Valentino Rossi, Alex Barros, Max Biaggi, Nicky Hayden, Dani Pedrosa and others. Gemma RodésAge: 35 Nationality: Spanish Job: PR & Marketing Began working in MotoGP World Championship at 2000 as a journalist and in 2004 moved to Movistar working as PR & Press Manager. This is her second season with the Repsol Honda Team. Worked with Dani Pedrosa, Sete Gibernau, Colin Edwards, Marco Melandri, Nicky Hayden and Hiroshi Aoyama. Steve Westlake Age 35 Nationality: British Job: Press Officer Second year with the Repsol Honda Team. Before this he was the deputy editor of Bike, the UK’s best-selling motorcycle magazine, where he had the chance to ride a few Grand Prix bikes including Alex Criville’s 1999 championship-winning Repsol Honda NSR500. He is in charge of communications of the team, manages interviews with the media and writes the press releases. Cleverness and loads of patience is essential to be able to do this job professionally.NICKY HAYDEN’S TEAMPeter Benson Age: 44 Job: Chief Mechanic Nationality: Australian Has worked with Honda for thirteen years. From 1995 to 1997 he worked with the Honda World Superbike team with Aaron Slight. In 1998 he joined the Repsol Honda team and has worked with Mick Doohan, Tady Okada, Tohru Ukawa, Valentino Rossi, Alex Barros and Nicky Hayden. Mark Lloyd Age: 32 Nationality: British Job: Mechanic Has been with the Repsol Honda team since 2003, working with Alex Barros and Nicky Hayden. Before that he spent eight years with the Honda World Superbike Team.Craig Burton Age: 30 Nationality: British Job: Mechanic With Repsol Honda since 2004. He’s worked with Alex Barros, Max Biaggi and Nicky Hayden. Worked with the Honda World Superbike Team from 1996-2002.Koji Beppu Kaminakabeppu Age: 38 Nationality: Japanese Job: Mechanic With Repsol Honda from 1997, then worked for Honda in Japan, returning to the factory team in 2005. Worked with Nobuatsu Aoki, Sete Gibernau and Nicky Hayden.Tetsuo Kinoe Age: 42 Nationality Japanese Job: HRC Race Engineer (Nicky Hayden) Has been with Honda for 24 years including spells in World Trials, Grand Prix and British Superbikes where he worked with Ryuichi Kiyonari and Michael Rutter. For the last three years he’s worked for the Repsol Honda team with Nicky Hayden.David GutiérrezAge: 31 Nationality: Spanish Job: Mechanic This is David’s fourth year with the Repsol Honda Team, having worked with Alex Barros and Nicky Hayden. He celebrated his first ever world title with the rest of Hayden’s team last year.Ramón AurínAge: 41 Nationality: Spanish Job: Telemetry analyst This is his second year with the Repsol Honda Team, having transferred from the Pons Honda team. He’s been in GP racing since 1990 and has worked with Alex Criville, Carlos Checa, Alberto Puig, Alex Barros, Loris Capirossi, Troy Bayliss and now Nicky Hayden.Yuji KikuchiAge: 37 Nationality: Canadian Job: Tyre technician In his first season with the Repsol Honda Team, Yuji Kikuchi brings the experience of his work as engine engineer in the Konica Honda Minolta Team in 2005 and 2006. Yuji had been working nine years at Suzuki until signing for Honda America in 2003 and 2004 as mechanic and engine engineer for Miguel Duhamel in the AMA Superbike Championship.Takeshi AraiAge: 38 Nationality: Japanese Job: Showa suspensions technician With the factory Honda team in the Motorcycling World Championship for the second time. He worked from 1992 to 1994 with the Rothmans Honda for Wayne Gardner and Mick Doohan. Then he changed to Superbikes with Honda working for Aaron Slight, Colin Edwards and John Kocinski. He is back to Road Racing this year as suspension technician for Nicky Hayden.DANI PEDROSA’S TEAMAlberto Puig Age: 40 Nationality: Spanish Job: Team Manager Dani Pedrosa Former Grand Prix winner for Honda in the 500cc class, where he finished 5th in the championship in 1994 and won the Spanish Grand Prix in 1995. Also competed in the 250cc world championship with a best championship finish of 6th. He currently takes care of all daily details of Dani Pedrosa at the circuits to allow the rider focussing 100 per cent on racing. Mike Leitner Age: 43 Nationality: Austrian Job: Chief Mechanic Second year with the Repsol Honda Team. Was with Dani Pedrosa at the Telefonica Movistar Honda 250cc team in 2004 and 2005. He spent two years with suspension firm Ohlins in 2002 and 2003, and before that eight years with Honda. From 1987-1990 he raced in the 125cc Grand Prix, finishing tenth in the championship in 1987.Jordi Prades Age: 47 Nationality: Spanish Job: Mechanic Second year with the Repsol Honda Team but has been with Honda for ten years. From 1996 to 2003 he was with the Honda Pons team, and worked with Dani Pedrosa in the Telefonica Movistar Honda 250cc team in 2004 and 2005.Mark Barnett Age: 50 Nationality: New Zealand Job: Mechanic Has been with Honda in Grand Prix racing for 16 years, working with Mick Doohan, Daryl Beattie, Alex Criville, Nicky Hayden and Max Biaggi among others. Currently in the group of mechanics of Dani Pedrosa.Masashi Ogo Age: 35 Nationality: Japanese Job: Mechanic Has been with the Repsol Honda Team since 2005, when he worked with Max Biaggi. In 2000 he was with the Shell Advance Team and from 2001 to 2004 was working in the HRC development department in Japan.Christophe LeonceAge: 35 Nationality: French Job: Mechanic Now in his third year with the Repsol Honda Team, he has been in Grand Prix racing since 1987. He’s worked with Loris Capirossi, Alberto Puig, Luca Cadalora, Alex Barros and Max Biaggi.Johnny Eyre Age: 26 Nationality: British Job: Mechanic/Tyres Started in GP racing in 2001 with the Shell Advance team, working with Leon Haslam. Has worked with Pramac Honda with Tetsuya Harada and Makoto Tamada. Joined the Repsol Honda Team in 2005 working with Max Biaggi. He races a Honda RS250 in his spare time.Jose Manuel AllendeAge: 34 Nationality: Spanish Job: Telemetry analyst Second year with the Repsol Honda Team. Before that he was with Dani Pedrosa in the Telefonica Movistar Honda 250cc team and celebrated the world championship title with them. Toshihiko SawadaAge: 47 Nationality: Japanese Job: HRC Race Engineer (Dani Pedrosa) This 47-year-old engineer has spent more than half of his life working at Honda, since 1978. Five years later he moved to HRC’s motocross department, where he worked from 1983 to 1996. He joined Honda Japan the following year in a Superbike project. Since 2003 Sawada has been working with the Grand Prix motorbikes of the brand with the golden wind. In 2004 he became part of Dani Pedrosa’s and Hiroshi Aoyama’s team in the 250cc and this year is part of the MotoGP team as HRC engineer for Dani. Manuel Oli OlivenciaAge: 36 Nationality: Spanish Job: Showa Suspension Technician Second year with the Repsol Honda Team, but has been involved with Honda for 10 years, including in the World Superbike Team working with Aaron Slight, Colin Edwards and Tady Okada. He has already worked with Dani in the 250cc.
