The six-time MotoGP champion will get to journey final yr’s GP22 bike at Circuit Ricardo Tormo on November 28, two days after the ultimate spherical of the season on the Spanish venue.
It follows a mutual agreement between Marquez and Honda to terminate their contract a year early, leaving the Spaniard free to affix his youthful brother Alex on the satellite tv for pc Gresini squad.
Though the departure of Marquez is a giant blow for Honda throughout its worst-ever section in grand prix racing, the Japanese producer is already engaged on a future with out its largest star.
Honda additionally acknowledges the function Marquez has performed in its success during the last decade, and each events have tried to make their separation as amiable as attainable.
One of many requests Honda made to Marquez was to not discuss his new workforce or bike till the top of the season. As issues stand, no official announcement has been made about his transfer to Gresini in 2024, though it’s set in stone.
However the Japanese producer is just not standing in the best way of the six-time champion getting an early likelihood to check out the class-leading Ducati Desmosedici earlier than he switches camps in 2024.
Which means that Marquez will be capable to acclimate himself with the Gresini squad and journey a Ducati within the conventional post-season check, simply days after his remaining race weekend with Honda in Valencia on November 24-26.
Marc Marquez, Repsol Honda Group
Photograph by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Though producers normally enable departing riders to check for a rival workforce on the finish of the yr, there have been some circumstances the place such permission wasn’t granted. Most famously, Honda didn’t enable Valentino Rossi to journey the Yamaha till January 1, 2004. Nevertheless, it have to be famous that Rossi didn’t announce he could be leaving Honda till November 10, eight days after the top of his title-winning 2003 marketing campaign.
Extra lately although, Jorge Lorenzo was capable of get on the Ducati on the 2016 Valencia check forward of his high-profile transfer to the Italian model in ‘17, having obtained the mandatory approvals from Yamaha.
Two years later he made his Honda debut on the similar venue, after the Japanese marque signed him from Ducati to affix Marquez.
Lorenzo went on to retire from MotoGP after a solitary season with Honda and the second manufacturing facility RC21V has since been raced by numerous riders, together with Marquez’s personal brother Alex, Pol Espargaro and most lately, Joan Mir.
Mir will keep at Honda subsequent yr as a part of his two-year deal, and the Repsol-backed workforce has lately shortlisted RNF Aprilia’s Miguel Oliveira as its main goal to interchange Marquez.
