Riders Joan Mir and Luca Marini are the protagonists for a key year due to the arrival of renewable fuels to MotoGP.
Repsol Honda’s Joan Mir and Luca Marini, following on from the preseason tests in Sepang, were in Madrid on 10:00 morning for the team’s 2024 presentation, attended by more than 500 guests.
The Espacio Warner Music Station in Príncipe Pío began the commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the Repsol and Honda alliance. Together they have earned 15 World Championships, 183 race wins and 455 podiums in the premier class.
The event was attended by Repsol’s Director of Communications and Branding, Marcos Fraga, the Director of Honda Racing Corporation (HRC), Tetsuhiro Kuwata, and the Team Manager of the Repsol Honda team, Alberto Puig, as well as the CEO of Dorna, Carmelo Ezpeleta.
In the presentation, Fraga, Kuwata and Puig highlighted the importance of this season, not only in sporting terms, but also for the first step being taken towards a more sustainable future in MotoGP, with the introduction of 40% renewable fuel.
The collaboration between Repsol and Honda has made it easier for the use of this type of fuel to become a reality in MotoGP, through several tests to guarantee that the performance of renewable fuel is identical to conventional fuel. Repsol continues to use high-level competition as a testing ground for product development.
Before renewable fuel’s arrival in MotoGP, Repsol began to use it with Isidre Esteve during the 2022 Dakar Rally, extending its application to the Toyota Gazoo Racing team during the recent edition of the competition, where they ran a fuel with 70% renewable origins.
In 2022 and 2023, the Spanish energy company provided the French Formula 4 series with 100% renewable fuel, making it the first single-seater competition in the world to use these new fuels.
Thanks to the lessons learned in motorsport competitions, there are more than 60 Repsol service stations in Spain and Portugal where 100% renewable fuel can now be purchased, a figure that will reach 600 by the end of year.
Joan Mir faces his second season with the Repsol Honda team willing to lead a new project that is seeking to return to the top. The 2020 MotoGP World Champion has 13 podium finishes and a race victory in the premier class, numbers that he wants to increase with the RC213V.
Luca Marini has made, in his own words “a dream come true” by joining the team. The Italian embarks on a new challenge in his sporting career, with a very clear goal: To make Repsol Honda a winning team again. In 56 races in MotoGP, he has taken 2 pole positions and 2 podium finishes, and wants his maiden victory in 2024.
Joan Mir:
“It’s amazing to be part of a team with such history and success in MotoGP, I am as excited to start this season with the Repsol Honda Team as I was the last one. These team launches are always really nice, especially to see what everyone thinks of the new design. I think the colours for this year are really different and very bold, certainly something unique from the team. We have had a positive first taste of the bike and five productive days in Sepang, now we have to look ahead to the Qatar Test and the race. Last year taught me a lot and I am looking to put everything into practice for this year to help the Repsol Honda Team return to where I know they can be. Let’s enjoy this moment and quickly prepare for the season that is to come.”
Luca Marini:
“For me it is an honour to join the Repsol Honda Team, when I was a young child I already had some leathers in their colours for racing minibikes. Now to be here, at the launch, in the leathers and with the bike – it is a dream come true, something from destiny. This bike looks really beautiful, the colours are something very new and I am proud to represent them. We are just at the start of our journey together, but I already feel a part of the team and well supported by the engineers. I’ve ridden just six days on the bike so we are looking to make the most of the last test and begin the year in the best way possible.”
Marcos Fraga – Director of Communication and Brand at Repsol:
“This is not just any season. It marks the entry of renewable fuels into the MotoGP World Championship. In this way, top competition continues to be the best test bed to improve our fuels, which then reach our service stations and our customers. In MotoGP, we have the challenge of creating, together with our partner Honda, the best renewable engine-fuel combination with the aim of achieving sporting excellence and also the highest quality in our products.”
Koji Watanabe – Head of Corporate Communications Supervisory Unit, Honda Motor Co., Ltd. and President of Honda Racing Corporation:
“2024 is a special year as we celebrate 30 years collaborating with Repsol and enter a new era with renewable fuels. Inside Honda HRC we have been working very hard in order to deliver a package to both Joan Mir and Luca Marini that they can be competitive on. Both riders are young, hungry and are already providing clear feedback for further improvements. It will be another season of developments, of working together with our riders, partners, sponsors, engineers and team members as we strive to improve.”
