Those of you who follow MotoGP and WorldSBK are certainly familiar with the bikes, and just how much technology goes into these race-winning machines. Indeed, countless hours of testing, trial and error, and hardcore data analysis has gone into each and every racing machine we see on the grid. When it comes to shaving milliseconds off lap times, even the smallest thing can make a huge difference.
That being said, for the 2022 season of the WorldSBK, Honda has announced that it will be ditching its Öhlins and Brembo hardware in favor of Showa and Nissin components. Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge recently got to run the 2022 race bike through its paces in Jerez. Apart from it being their first time aboard the new Honda WSBK race bike, it was also the chance for Honda to run preliminary testing on the new braking and suspension hardware.
Following tests done with both Öhlins and Brembo-equipped bikes, alongside the newer bikes with Showa and Nissin components, it seems that Honda was satisfied with the new setup, as it has chosen to switch out the components for all machines for the 2022 season. Now, whether or not the decision to swap out two major components was the right one remains to be seen. Surely, many more tests will be conducted with the bike, and chances are Honda’s team of race engineers will dial in the setup even further, and perhaps even make some more modifications to the bike’s chassis ahead of the 2022 season.
Now, given the recent development, Japanese suspension specialist Showa stands the chance to bolster its already impressive track record in the racing world. Apart from Honda, Kawasaki has long been running Showa suspension systems. Surely, the technology it’ll be using in the 2022 Honda race bike will eventually trickle down to the consumer market in the years to come. Meanwhile, Nissin, too, is stepping up its game and also provides braking components for BMW’s M 1000 RR race bike.
