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Repsol Honda team riders visit the Repsol Technology Centre, the scientific heart of the energy company, and experiment with the technology and innovation present in as demanding a competition as MotoGP.
A week before the start of the MotoGP season, Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa enjoyed a day surrounded by scientists and researchers during their visit to the Repsol Technology Centre in Mostoles (Madrid). Marquez and Pedrosa swapped their leathers for white overalls, as they played scientist for a day.
Both experimented with elements of the technology most worked on at both the Honda factory in Saitama (Japan) and the Repsol Technology Centre in order to face the challenges of MotoGP: Aerodynamics, lubricant viscosity and its effect on engines, combustion of fuel and liquid and solid densities, amongst other aspects.
Researchers at Repsol put the knowledge and skills of Marc and Dani to the test, but rather than riding a motorcycle, they were quizzed on their scientific understanding in one of the laboratories of the Repsol Technology Centre –where about 400 people work and where gasoline and lubricant used by the Repsol Honda Team is designed and developed. The pair better understood the extent to which science and technology is vital in competition and saw firsthand some fundamental aspects of the bike, fuels and lubricants that they use in testing and racing.
Fuels and lubricants used by the major teams sponsored by Repsol are specific to each competition. Toni Bou’s trials bike needs an explosive start from a standstill, and Pedrosa and Marquez’s Honda machines require maximum performance with the lowest possible fuel consumption.
Changes for 2016
In recent months much has been said about the new Michelin tyres and spec ECU. However, the regulations set out by the FIM for the premier class this season have forced the experts at the Repsol Technology Centre to seek new formulas for maximum engine performance, knowing that the maximum fuel capacity has increased from 21 litres to 22 –and that some seven engines may be used throughout the season.
During the day, Marc and Dani also visited the production area for racing fuel, from which fuel for the opening round of 2016 in Qatar has already been shipped.
For Repsol, the close collaboration with Honda that has run for more than 20 years is an incentive to develop products for as demanding a competition as MotoGP –later made available to customers at the more than 4,000 petrol stations served by the company.
The union of Repsol and Honda, who operate in different sectors and combine in a quest for continuous improvement, is a lasting example of collaboration between two global companies that aspire to excellence and to go beyond conventional sports sponsorship. There is a close relationship between the Honda laboratories in Saitama and the Repsol Technology Centre ‒two facilities that have been able to maximize their strengths with a common goal: To win the MotoGP World Championship.
