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 accordance with Marc Marquez’s demands.
Marquez wants Honda to hire Eu🐻rope-based 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 step, report.
He departs his job in the middle of the 2023 MotoGP se♔ason 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 1986 and, for the past 11 years, has been the technical director, therefore hugely influential on 💜Honda’s bike.
But that machin🐷e has fallen dramatically down the pecking order in the past two-and-a-half seasons, and Honda are currently last behind the other four manufacturers.
The sub-par standard of the bike is also likely to cost Honda their best🌸 rider, Marquez.
James was a sports journalist at Sky Spoꦫrts for a d✅ecade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
