While our 2023 Grand Prix’s teams continue the seasonal struggle for the title of champion, the CEO of Dorna Sports gives his own reaction to how European bike brands are faring in the fray.
Frankly, Ezpeleta is surprised at the strength of this year’s European manufacturers – and there’s a reason for his astonishment.
Let’s take a look at some past figures.
As of 2023, the bike brand holding the most MotoGP wins is Honda, clocking in 313 top podiums – 11 of those in the past 23 years, the most of any brand (via Wikipedia).
Honda’s streak of luck seems to have dipped, however, with Marquez. The Ant of Cervera joined Honda in 2013 and rode the seasonal highs to a series of triumphant finishes, with equal lows emerging as injuries started accumulating in 2020.
This year, Yamaha has entered the paddock with 245 wins; not as many as Honda, to be sure, but then again, the main spotlight isn’t focused as much on Honda – or Yammie, for that matter.
They’re looking to Ducati and KTM, Ezpeleta included (that’s a good thing, considering the man is MotoGP’s rights holder).
“’I never thought this would happen,” admits Carmelo Ezpeleta, Dorna’s Chief Executive in coverage from Motorcycle Sports.
“The Europeans looked at the Japanese and said: ‘I want to beat them’, before looking for different ways to do it. They have taken an incredible step, and the Japanese have realized that they have to change their system.”
Looking at the past few years, Japanese competition has leaned out a bit. 2020’s victor may have been Suzuki, but they’ve since backed out in lieu of a hefty about-face into carbon neutrality – and while Yamaha’s 2021 win with Fabio Quartararo proves the marque to have a magical package more than deserving of the 2023 championship title, word is that there’s a bit of work to be done before Yammie’s bikes jive with their rider like they used to.
This year, the big up-and-comers are Aprilia and KTM, who showed considerable progress, “even outperforming the factory Yamaha, Honda and Suzuki structures in the [2022] team championship.” Ducati also makes headlines with four factory teams – eight bikes – and the largest brand effort across the circuit (this following Ducati’s initiation of new era with their all-encompassing 2022 triple crown win).
Who do you think will win MotoGP, and how do you think our favorite teams will do in the coming years?