It is bad enough that he could not extract the best out of Ferrari in the four years he was at the team, a feat Sebastian Vettel did so in just one year. Now the Spanish double world champion is having a torrid year at Mclaren.
There is news that he could take a sabbatical in 2016 or even race in the World Endurance Championship. But that may not be all.
Pictures have surfaced of Alonso taming the Honda RC213V, the same race bike that Marc Marquez raced in 2015.
But before you get all excited, you should know that it was all part of a program organised by Honda Japan as part of its annual end of season ‘Thanks Day’ at the Motegi race circuit. Alonso took on Marquez’s race bike, while Marquez straddled up to tame Honda’s new NSX Concept GT.
Also at the program was Indy Car winner Takuma Sato to drive Honda’s 1968 RA301 F1 car.
Alonso also drove Honda’s 1991 MP4/6, the same car driven by Ayrton Senna and Gerhard Berger.
There is no official video out yet, but the video below shows Alonso doing a great job on two wheels.
Remember Honda’s ‘City Adventure’ adventure scooter which was revealed at the recent EICMA show in Milan? (more…)
In its announcement, the firm confirmed that it would not be applying for a Moto2 constructor’s license for 2016.
For 2016, the firm did announce that all of its efforts would be concentrated on the development of the Mahindra Moto3 machine whilst supplying a range of parts for various outfits and factories in said junior class.
Suter’s withdrawal was a move many had expected after the firm declined to reveal as to how many bikes it would have supplied in the Moto2 class for 2016. This year saw just two bikes line up the Moto2 grid in the Qatar season-opener.
Suter has had several high points in the class starting with its three consecutive constructors’ titles won in 2010, 2011 and 2012, followed by one riders’ title claimed by Marc Mar quez in 2012. Despite this and several strong performances in 2014, the switch to Kalex bikes en masse by most teams was inevitable, leading to Suter’s decline and eventual resignation from the Moto2 class next year.
2016 will see just three constructors remain in Moto2, with the bulk of it comprised of Kalex bikes (26 entries in total) other alongside independent constructors Tech 3 and Speed Up.
Suter’s exit is in part down to its performance, however this is also a strong sign of the strong conservatism reigning within the paddock. It is more or less a clear case of most teams seeing other teams winning and trying to copy their success by acquiring the same, of not similar, equipment.
Another interesting thing to note here is how exactly will organisers and commercial rights holders Dorna intend to resolve the situation since the Moto2 class was conceived with the creation of a diverse environment in mind. A good reminder of that was back in 2010 when the class was held for the first time and saw up to 14 constructors that entered and scored points.
Sources: Suter Racing Facebook via Asphaltandrubber
Even though the cup is only two years old, it has already produced a world championship rider – Adam Norrodin.
2016 will once again see the championship contested over six rounds in five different countries each round hosting two races. Sepang will see the season kick off with two days of testing in February before the Cup heads to Thailand to race alongside the WSBK Championship.
Qatar will host races three and four from March, the Shell Advance Asia Talent Cup racing alongside the MotoGP World Championship. Mid-May will see the Cup riders return to Sepang for their first races at the Malaysian circuit, once again alongside the WSBK Championship before heading to the Zhuhai circuit in China. This race will run with the highly popular Pan Delta event.
The final two rounds of the 2016 Shell Advance Asia Talent Cup season will see the youngsters follow the MotoGP riders to Motegi and Sepang in October for last four races. 12 races and ample practice time offer riders a chance to learn the tracks and continue to improve their race craft.
The riders who will be participating in the 2016 Shell Advance Asia Talent Cup are:
Tom Stewart William Edwards (Australia)
Ahamed Kadai Yaseen (India)
Irfan Aradiansyah (Indonesia)
Dwiki Hardhiana Suparta (Indonesia)
Faldhan Novayaser Mardani (Indonesia)
Alif Akbar Utama (Indonesia)
Basyiruddin Samhan Mashuri (Indonesia)
Riku Sugawara (Japan)
Yuki Kunii (Japan)
Shogo Kawasaki (Japan)
Muhammad Izam Ikmal (Malaysia)
Muhammad Khairul Ikhwan Bin Ajis (Malaysia)
Amirul Hakim Bin Mohd Rizal (Malaysia)
| Date | Event Type | Coinciding Event | Circuit | Country |
| 9 th – 10 th February | Test | None | Sepang | Malaysia |
| 11th – 13th March | Races 1&2 | WSBK Thailand | Buriram | Thailand |
| 17th – 20th March | Races 3&4 | MotoGP Qatar | Losail | Qatar |
| 13th – 15th May | Races 5&6 | WSBK Malaysia | Sepang | Malaysia |
| 16th – 19th September | Races 7&8 | Pan Delta | Zhuhai | China |
| 14th – 16th October | Races 9&10 | MotoGP Japan | Motegi | Japan |
| 28th – 30th October | Races 11&12 | MotoGP Malaysia | Sepang | Malaysia |
