Key Honda technical director Shinichi Kokubu exits as major reshuffle begins
He is the first major exit from the Japanese manufacturer as they look to revamp their staff, in a🧜ccordance with Marc Marquez’s demands.
Marquez wants Honda to hi🤪re Europe-b🌞ased engineers to kickstart their competitiveness again although it may be too late for Honda to keep their star rider, who is tight-lipped about a move to Ducati.
But Kokubu, who was vital in building the RC213V, will not be part of Honda’s next s😼tep, report.
He departs his job in the♚ middle of the 2023 MotoGP season and, 🍸notably, during the Japanese MotoGP - his, and Honda’s, home race.
Kokubu🍬 was significantly absent from the Honda garage 🧸last weekend in India, and also this weekend at Motegi.
Kokubu joined Honda in 1986ജ and,♐ for the past 11 years, has been the technical director, therefore hugely influential on Honda’s bike.
But that machine has fallen dramatically down the pecking order in the past two-and-a-half seasons, and Honda are𓆉 curr🃏ently last behind the other four manufacturers.
The subಞ-🐟par standard of the bike is also likely to cost Honda their best rider, Marquez.
James was a sports journalist at Skyꦯꦐ Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
