Silly Season Round Up: Mir To Stay With Honda, Seats Filling Rapidly, WorldSBK Moves

By David Emmett |

With Marc Marquez slotting into the second factory Ducati seat, prompting Jorge Martin to leave for the factory Aprilia squad, the other pieces of the MotoGP rider puzzle are starting to fall into place. With Assen now just under two weeks away, the rider market is starting to move.

Motorsport.com's Germán Garcia Casanova brings news of one of the most surprising moves on the market. Motorsport is reporting that Joan Mir is set to sign a new two-year deal with Repsol Honda. This is rather unexpected, as Mir has suffered a difficult first part of the season, and has been open in his criticism of HRC and the current iteration of the Honda RC213V. There were even credible rumors that the 2020 MotoGP champion was pondering retirement.

As Germán Garcia Casanova reports, however, Honda's responsiveness and recent change of direction have prompted a change of heart for Mir. The bike Honda have been using since the first part of the season was a step in exactly the wrong direction, but in private tests which Honda are allowed under the concession system, HRC have made positive use of that data to move the project in exactly the direction which both Mir and teammate Luca Marini have been asking for.

With the prospect of progress, and perhaps prompted by a lack of other options, Mir has chosen to take HRC up on their offer, and stay for two more years. Honda have been happy with the feedback received from Mir, his input being very useful in the development of the RC213V.

Mir's decision to stay with Honda will cause a few problems for the other riders currently looking for a seat in 2025 and beyond. After KTM chose to put Maverick Viñales and Enea Bastianini into the Tech3 seats, Miller has been put out of a job, and the Australian had been widely linked to a seat in Repsol Honda. But HRC now has three of its four seats filled for 2025 - Marini and Mir at Repsol, Johann Zarco at LCR Honda - and the fourth is being held for a rider from Southeast Asia, who can help promote title sponsor Idemitsu's brand in the region. 

So the battle is hotting up for the remaining open seats. As things stand, Marco Bezzecchi looks like taking the second Aprilia seat alongside Jorge Martin, Aprilia bosses openly praising the VR46 rider and making no secret of their desire for an Italian rider. Arguably, his teammate Fabio Di Giannantonio deserves that seat more, but the Italian is rumored to be looking at a seat at Pramac. 

That team is looking set to make the switch to Yamaha, as Ducati are said to want to drop the sweetheart deal they have for bikes with Pramac, and wanting the market rate for the bikes. Yamaha are believed to be offering Pramac major funding to sign with them, as well as paying for their riders. And with the Yamaha M1 making steps forward in competitiveness, it is a more appealing proposition than it was a year ago.

If Pramac drops Ducati for Yamaha and Di Giannantonio leaves VR46 for Pramac, then that would open up two slots at VR46. That team would also inherit the factory spec bikes currently held by Pramac, which would give Ducati a place to put Fermín Aldeguer. A move back to Yamaha would also free up Franco Morbidelli, who would likely slot into the other VR46 team, as a VR46 Academy rider.

All of these permutations, if they come to pass, would leave a seat open at Pramac, plus both seats in the Trackhouse Aprilia and the Gresini Ducati squad. There is going to be a fair amount of jockeying for position for those seats, and they are not likely to get settled until the rest of the contracts are signed, sealed, and delivered.

While the MotoGP paddock has been on an enforced hiatus, there has been much going on at the WorldSBK round at Misano as well. Before the weekend, what was the Kawasaki team announced that they will be keeping Alex Lowes and Axel Bassani to race the Bimota superbike which is taking the place of the ZX-10R. And after the weekend, BMW announced that Michael van der Mark will keep his place alongside Toprak Razgatlioglu in the factory BMW team.

This is a problem for Garrett Gerloff and Scott Redding. The Bonovo team they currently ride for is being dissolved at the end of 2024, with team owner Jürgen Röder saying that the withdrawal is for 'personal reasons'. According to the ever-reliable Ivo Schützbach of Speedweek, the decision has been a long time coming, and due in part to high costs and a lack of results. 

 

MotoGP
World Superbikes
Aprilia
BMW
Ducati
Honda
Kawasaki
Yamaha
Fabio Di Giannantonio
Franco Morbidelli
Jack Miller
Joan Mir
Johann Zarco
Luca Marini
Marco Bezzecchi
Alex Lowes
Garrett Gerloff
Scott Redding
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Comments

Honestly, as a huge fan of Mir, I was disappointed to read this. I want him to enjoy racing again, and I want to enjoy watching him race. Maybe he really believes Honda is going to be turning a corner soon. Or maybe he just wants familiarity and continued financial security. Either way, I guess that’s fine. After two more years as a factory rider, he’ll never have to work another day in his life (although that’s probably true right now). But it’s not what I had dreamed about. I’ll ask him about it when I’m at the Valencia GP this November. :-)

I've definitely felt sorry for Mir this season. It has often seemed that he misses out on returning to the pits actually on his bike. He deserves a little good fortune to compensate for bouncing down every stretch of track they throw at him or he throws himself at. Would be nice for him to ride a better bike. At the same time I'm quite happy Honda will keep him. If they manage to make some decent progress then they will have the riders to demonstrate that progress. Hope it comes soon. 

Very well put Wavey. I imagine that they figure they want at least one world champion on their bike. And they probably also want a rider or two that isn’t just collecting data while collecting a pay check. Mir rides every race like he thinks he could get in the top 10. Of course that could be a sign that he’s hit his head a few too many times. But I think it’s just that he has that undefinable attitude of a winner. 

Sorry UZWEEM I just don't see it. His championship came in a very unique year against a teammate who did everything not to win it on a bike that at the time was probably the most complete out there.
I don't think he had too many options in front of him bar HRC

I won’t argue with you. These are very subjective things. I’m definitely 100% convinced that Mir is a big talent. But I’m comfortable with the fact that there are those who disagree. :-)

If you are a Mir fan and a recent convert to MGP you should go back and watch his awesome M3 WC. I spent much of the year wondering how is he going to win this time which is unusual watching M3 chaos.

Thanks for the great idea Rick! I have gone back and watched a few of Mir’s 2020 races, but nothing else. His Moto3 season was epic. I’m going to add that to my to-do list. :-)

I'd agree that a watch of the 2017 Moto3 season is worth one's time. Mir wasn't just fast - the Leopard Hondas are always fast. His tactical sense was also outstanding (well, with one minor exception (no giveaways here)). 

I also wanted to thank you lamhbomb for the additional suggestion about watching Mir’s 2017 season. I’ve watched the first four races already, and wow, just wow. I had never watched Moto3 races before, so I wasn’t prepared for the amazing amount of passing, using the slipstream. A totally different experience compared to watching today’s MotoGP. I’m super excited to see the season unfold for Mir! :-)

Thanks again for the tip about watching Mir’s 2017 season. I’ve watched the first four races already, and wow, just wow. I had never watched Moto3 races before, so I wasn’t prepared for the amazing amount of passing, using the slipstream. A totally different experience compared to watching today’s MotoGP. I’m super excited to see the season unfold for Mir! :-)

I have nothing against him and I’m sure he is a nice guy but his performance since 2020 has been underwhelming and I think he is fortunate to continue with Honda.

He had an excellent 2021. Came in 3rd. 2022 was going fine for him and Rins until Suzuki announced it was pulling out. They both really struggled for a while after after that. Then Mir had an epic high side that  shattered his ankle and cost him to miss much of the season. He came back for the final three races not fully recovered. But if you remember those three races, he actually did quite well, even with arm pump in one race, improperly inflated tires (due to a broken gauge) in another and then having the bike’s electronics completely failing in the third race.

As for 2023 and this year, well the Honda sucked so bad that Marc quit Honda. They both had about equal the number of crashes in 2023, with Marc having a couple more.

Then this season the bike continues to suck. But Mir is never going to be the kind of racer who can just ride around collecting data (and a paycheck). He’s out there to win, or at least get a top ten finish. And Honda needs at least one rider exactly like him. That’s why they appear to be resigning him.

As for complaining… hardly. Mir is one of the most consistently professional riders on the grid. He publicly holds him tongue unless things get really bad. And they are really bad right now. He’s hardly a Fabio Quartararo or a Jorge Martin when it comes to overl-zealous complaining. And I imagine his recent vocal complaints were actually a bargaining strategy. And it looks like it worked.

Anyway, no worries if you totally disagree with my views. Just thought I’d throw them out there. :-)


 

Good on you standing up for your rider Uzweem.

Suzuki was already at a near standstill in 2020. 2021 was always going to be an uphill battle as other factories/riders combo's would be able to make more progress. And expectations are nonetheless there, comes with the imaginary number 1 plate.

2022 was out of the riders' hands really.

I just thank god we got to witness such a beautiful bike those last few years with the most sexy exhaust on the grid.
 

I don't mind him speaking his mind when things aren't going the way they should. He's putting it all out on the line every time he jumps on that bike, hence it's his prerogative to do so. And if at some point HRC thinks it's a bit too much, they'll tell him. No need for us to do that.
And as you said, these last few races, he's been doing this on purpose. You don't have to learn these guys any tricks.
He damn well knows his value to Honda. It's that value that differs him from Marini or Zarco. Make no mistake, he's the n° 1 rider at HRC and they don't want to see him jump ship.

I appreciate your support and thoughts. 

I didn’t know that Suzuki was at a standstill in 2020 and was already being surpassed by other factories in 2021. I only became a fan of MotoGP in early 2022. 

I did watch a lot of things to catch me up on 2020 and 2021, but my knowledge is still rather limited from those two seasons. And my knowledge of things prior to 2020 is extremely limited.

Now I’m completely obsessed with MotoGP! So it’s fun for me to chat with others like you who are also big fans of the sport. :-)

Cheers!

MotoGP videopass is what you need if you want to dive into the history of the sport (well the races that is anywayz).

I went back 10 years when I first caught the microbe.

Also nice and sometimes so surprising to see how big stars started their careers in 125cc. Seeing them qualify all the way at the back, knowing that some day they’ll go ont to win GPs and world championships. That’s totally different these days with Moto3 bikes being more or less equal, they’re a lot closer to the front from the start.

I do have VideoPass, but I find with my limited time and many passions, it’s hard to squeeze in extra races. But I’ve definitely watched a few from the past. I also find that it’s hard for me to get too excited about races from the past… even the recent past. Not really sure why. 

What I would like to watch more of are the Moto2 races. I find it difficult to even make the time to watch the current Moto2 races, even though I’m a fan of some of the riders. If only I had a few more hours in the day! ;-)

If memory serves me right Suzuki made a lot of progress in 2021. They became the 'powerful' inline 4, kept their sweet handling bike and grew the needed ride height devices. Mir got 6 podiums which was, as his 3rd in the points suggests, only beaten by Fabio and Pecco. Really good season. Big things were expected for 2022 but they fell flat. It was also the first year that Ducati really started to show the way at all tracks. Decisions were made. Fabio was running away on the Yamaha in the first half too. 

Rins had two wins at the end of a poor season. He had a better year than Mir but that's Rins. Team is finished, 2 wins. A Honda so bad Marc leaves Honda...their only win is from Rins. 

Vid Pass. Go back, way back, the old Assen ! What a loss. 

Interesting information on the 2021 bike. I did read that the changes to the 2022 bike suited Rins much more than Mir. Not taking anything away from Rins. I think he’s a similar level talent to Mir. They just both have different strengths and weaknesses. I hope Rins gets a new two year contract with Yamaha and his leg fully heals. Like Mir, he’s a class act and a nice guy.

Today WSBK released the (tantilizing?) new bit that for 2026 the bikes of WSSp300 are getting changed to "faster" ones. Zero info nor conjecture re what bikes particularly. Since the lightweight sportbike production market has been a changing upward in displacement and power, they may just be doing a "catch up" update. For example, the Kawasaki mainstay went 250 to 300 to 400 and just now 485ish. Most bikes around it are too. Sales have been high.

There is also a creep towards where the Middleweight Twins used to be, where bikes like the 400cc inline 4's can race. KTM may be bringing larger singles or a parallel twin into this segment. We are likely to see something mimicking WSSport where a wider range of bikes are balanced to a standard torque curve (R6). Whether this be a Ninja 500 Twin, Aprilia RS457, or something else entirely we should find out soon. Expect a Chinese bike w a big displacement advantage, and wonder if it doesn't sneak a competitive shite bike in. Nearly inevitable eventually. Should be an improvement though, right?

Anyone have breadcrumbs yet?

From what I've read, It'll be sort of a Supertwin class, with twins between 600 and 700 cc, but probably with allowance for something like the Triumph Daytona 660 too. I wish manufacturers would stick more to universal capacity classes, so that we wouldn't need that horrible 'Balance of Performance' trick. Even in Supertwin it varies between 645 (Suzuki) and 690 cc (Yamaha).

Personally I wish they would replace it with the brilliant SS400 class of the 90's. If only more manufacturers would follow Kawasaki with its ZX-4R example. Even though that bike is not as racy as the ZXR400 was in its day, but at least in 2024 we finally have a 400 that's more powerful than the 400's of over thirty years ago...

Actually I think that the issue with SS300 is not that they have too little power, it's that they are not really race bikes. Those bikes are budget bikes with relatively high weight, cheap frames and forks and they move way too much (the KTM RC390 being a positive exception, but that bike seems to be penalized by the regulations for being lighter than the competition). Putting on a racing shock, upgraded fork internals and slick tyres only makes the chassis more overwhelmed. I've ridden a Ninja 400 in full SS300 trim and it actually felt a bit scary in fast corners, so you need a special kind of riding skill almost. That's why they are not a good preparation for the Supersport class. I believe also John Hopkins has pointed that out a few years ago. And I think that by replacing the budget 300/400's with budget 650's, the real issue isn't being addressed. Although the chassis quality likely will be better in most cases; the Aprilia RS660 especially, and the Daytona 660 also seems a bit more serious. Still, a racier SS400 class like from yesteryear would be better I think.

^ Well said, agreed, and THANKS for the info Pvalve! Going to absorb this and stay curious. The SSp300 bikes have not been enough for the big tracks I think, closer to a kart track bike for full sized people. 

How the RC390 SINGLE ended up competitive has me surprised. It had a reliability fault 1st gen that annoyed, but is a "real sportbike." The segment may be, hopefully, moving sportier on the chassis side? The Triumph 660 evidently is good there relatively but stock the suspension is NOT at all. The benchmark is currently R7 and RS660. Brings a tad of shoulder shrug from me if that is our 2026 World lightweight class done and dusted. BUT, if the ZX4R makes it in the mix, AND the Triumph 660 triple, AND perhaps (fun addition like a RC6-7/Duke w a fairing? Ducati pops out a Panigale Jr using an existing Monster motor?)...it could get interesting. 

Oddly, does Honda have anything for it? No, I don't think so. But there are Chinese 4 cyl CBR650 knockoffs that have lower power ratings plus overplayed gadgetry/displays that could...ironic insult if you are Honda, compete here. Hmm.

Looks like TopRak might actually join Motogp for 2025. Hope it's on the factory Aprilia or satellite Ducati rather than the very poor Honda bike! 

About to announce signings on Break, add Bezzecchi to Aprilia. The uninteresting to me but interesting that it is included in a highlighted manner and dramatic strong handbag wielding..."The VR46 staff" anon talking w journos takes a shot at the Marquez/Ducati signing. "Ducati ruins their legacy and future, VR46 changing their regard for the project" blah blah blech.

Yeah, yeah. Smart talk when you are negotiating your Yellow step up to Factory bikes as Pramac goes Blue? No. Just pissy and pulling from the past. NONE of the VR46 kids were in line for that seat. 

Maybe your reactivity and posturing is, again, reflecting a perceived difficulty on track you are manipulating? Hmm, like what? Concern already about the top Red rider next year? 

Drama schrama, nice to see Bezz get a good spot! Congrats to DiGi for a likely coveted Factory bike at VR46, or no? Are he, the new Aldeguer kid from Moto2 and Morbidelli all after those? I am a but confused again maybe, been focused elsewhere...headed up to a cabin in the mountains on a river in an hr for the wknd. 

Cheers!

Just read that too! Great news, I was hoping for Bezzecchi to make the move! His 2024 season hasn't been great so far, but he showed last year that he can win and be consistently near the front. And he seems much more liked by the public than Martin, so for Aprilia it's great PR if he can deliver results. I'm thinking back to Assen last year, for instance, where he was enjoying himself so much with the audience. Also, with Martin and Bezzecchi I think they have two different kind of riders, so there's more chance one of them will suit the Aprilia, and they can probably learn a thing or two from eachother.

Also, the VR46 Academy has brought one more of their riders into a factory team. Another mission accomplished. Lookong forward to 2025 already, like so many others!