        Without Marc Marquez, the Sachsenring circuit went from being favourable to more than challenging for the Honda, with only one of the four RC213V riders, Stefan Bradl, able to finish the race, albeit outside the points zone. Conditions were extreme for everyone, with unusually high temperatures, and this was clear to see from the faces of the exhausted podium sitters, but the Honda factory riders also faced other problems. Excessive overheating for Honda at the Sachsenring  The German test rider crossed the line sixteenth and admitted: &ldquo;I had a big issue with riding the bike in this heat&rdquo;. He goes on: &ldquo;After following people for the first few corners, I couldn&rsquo;t brake because my right hand, the lever, became so hot and I couldn&rsquo;t control the bike&rdquo;. At that point, he lost contact with the other riders: &ldquo;After a couple of laps, I had to drop back to get some fresh air for the bike and for my body. I just tried to finish the race, it was physically more than on the limit and I also have a burn on my right foot because it was so hot. It&rsquo;s not acceptable to have this situation.&rdquo; The reasons for Pol Espargar&oacute;&rsquo;s retirement  Pol Espargar&oacute;&rsquo;s situation was different, as he was also dealing with a physical issue after an incident during FP1: &ldquo;The ribs just need time to recover but putting more stress on them each day doesn&rsquo;t help. I tried to do what I could in the race, but the pain got worse and worse and with the heat, I was struggling to breathe. We also had a lot of heat on my right foot which added to the pain&rdquo;. The only solution was to retire, thus putting a premature end to a weekend that had already begun on the wrong foot. Translated by Heather Watson German GP, disaster for Honda at the Sachsenring: from riches to rags       

Honda put on a dismal display at the German track, with both riders citing overheating issues &nbsp;

Germany GP, Bradl: “Physically on the limit, I also got burned”

We&rsquo;re only a few days into the new year but (luckily) it&rsquo;s already time to talk about the first tests. Kicking off the 2022 season on the Superbike side is a two-day test at Jerez, organised by the KRT team on Wednesday 26 and Thursday 27 January, during which we&rsquo;ll be able to see some initial battles against the clock.  Considering the team that is promoting the test, Jonathan Rea and Alex Lowes will of course be in action, keen to learn more about the level of the ZX-10R after the December tests in Andalusia. The pair won&rsquo;t be the only Kawasaki riders though, as Puccetti man Lucas Mahias will also be out on track.  Redding in the spotlight, Honda to work on two fronts   The Jerez tests will also be a good opportunity to see the new BMW pairing, with Scott Redding keen to clock up some miles, and perhaps even steal a few secrets from team-mate Michael Van Der Mark, who was able to put the German manufacturer back on top last season, handing it its first win in a long time.  There is also a lot of interest in Honda, which will be working on both its Superbike and MotoGP projects at Jerez. The factory SBK team will be in action with Xavi Vierge and a returning Iker Lecuona (after he fractured his little finger in December), but Stefan Bradl will also be hard at work as he continues to develop the RCV213V with a view to 2022.  And then, just a dash of Supersport, thanks to the presence of the Motozoo team (with Jeffrey Buis and Ben Currie) and new team Prodina, which will entrust its Kawasaki to Tom Booth-Amos.  Translated by Heather Watson  MotoGP, no Desmo for Pecco, Bagnaia prefers... Turbo! 

Kawasaki, BMW and Honda will be on track on 27-28 January. The latter will be able to count on both Lecuona and Bradl, who will continue to develop the RCV2013V for MotoGP

WorldSBK: a first taster of the 2022 season at Jerez

        For the Honda team, the second Portim&atilde;o round has already begun, albeit in a negative light. Yesterday&rsquo;s news regarding Marc M&aacute;rquez&rsquo;s absence has altered the perspective inside the orange garage, Stefan Bradl the natural substitute for the Spaniard on the second RC213V this weekend. The German will be competing in his first MotoGP for several months, and will be able to use the weekend to collate some useful data ahead of the winter tests, during which the German test rider will christen the 2022 version of the Honda. &ldquo;First of all I hope Marc is recovering well and he can be back on track soon. I am looking forward to riding again as Portim&atilde;o is an enjoyable circuit where we had a good result towards the end of 2020. It&rsquo;s never easy to jump on the bike, but we have had a lot of good bike time this year between the races and testing.&rdquo; Espargar&oacute;: &ldquo;I&rsquo;m highly motivated&rdquo;   On the other side of the garage is Pol Espargar&oacute;, galvanised by the podium scored at Misano, and ready to fight for a top ten finish in the general standings, considering the very few points separating him from the current tenth-placed rider, Miguel Oliveira. &ldquo;We had a great weekend in Misano&rdquo;, confirms Pol, &ldquo;and we were able to show what we can do on the Honda but now we have a new challenge. Having already raced in Portugal this year will be good as we already have knowledge of the track but I think conditions will be different compared to the last time here so we have to understand what adjustments we will need. The motivation is so high to push in these final rounds and reward the team again. I want to wish Marc a speedy recovery.&rdquo; Translated by Heather Watson Moto2: Baldassarri "Agostini for a day" prior to Portimao       

As expected, the German test rider will stand in for the Spaniard: &ldquo;I have good memories of Portimao, but it won&rsquo;t be easy". Espargar&oacute; motivated: "I showed my potential at Misano, but now a new challenges awaits"

MotoGP Algarve: Bradl confirmed in place of Marquez

        The weekend&rsquo;s tests in Qatar proved positive for the Repsol Honda team, despite the ongoing absence of eight-time champion Marc Marquez. With the Spaniard not yet knowing when he&rsquo;ll be back on the bike, it was test rider Stefan Bradl and recent hire Pol Espargar&oacute; who took to the track, the pair doing so well as to exceed expectation&nbsp;in fact. A new RC213V?  It should be said that Stefan Bradl has lapped more than any other test rider this winter, Honda even taking part in the Jerez tests alongside the Superbike riders. The reason? Considering Marquez&rsquo;s absence, the Japanese engineers have clearly decided to follow a new path and test some new elements that, at least as far as the Qatar test was concerned, appear to have benefitted both Bradl and Pol Espargar&oacute;. A positive start for Pol  No one knew how quickly the former KTM rider would adapt to the RC213V, but it clearly hasn&rsquo;t taken Pol long, the Spaniard rounding out day two in twelfth place, just seven tenths from first-placed Fabio Quartararo. A feat that not even riders of the calibre of Jorge Lorenzo were able to do when debuting with the Honda. The KTM is probably more similar to the Honda, and Pol has a more aggressive style that suits the new bike, but it was still a surprise to see him in action. If we take a look at the timesheets, he was in fact the fastest of the riders who have changed manufacturer this season. Has Team Honda got its smile back?  It had been a while since we'd seen smiling faces in the HRC garage. We will have to wait and see whether initial impressions are confirmed over the coming days as riders return to the track for the next test sessions, but last weekend&rsquo;s performance appears to show that the RC213V is now better suited to different riders. A sign that the Honda racing department has done some truly excellent work over the winter. But to what extent has the RC213V really changed in Marc Marquez&rsquo;s absence? A question that might only be answered once #93 returns to the track. Until then, Pol Espargar&oacute; takes the lead and although he&rsquo;ll need time to adapt, it already looks as if he&rsquo;s on course for a top ten finish in the first race of the season. Translated by Heather Watson Marc Marquez confirms: &ldquo;I'll be back in the saddle soon, but not on a MotoGP&rdquo;       

No one knew how quickly former KTM rider Pol Espargar&oacute; would find the right feeling. The race department and Bradl have done a good job

MotoGP, without Marquez, the Honda takes flight with Espargaró and Bradl

When will Marc Marquez be back? There is no clear answer to this right now. The Spaniard continues to reassure everyone, regularly updating his fans as to his recovery following the incident at Jerez, but his entourage doesn&rsquo;t want to push too hard.  On hand to step in for him in the meantime is Stefan Bradl, a now irreplaceable figure in the Repsol Honda garage. The German continues to clock up the miles aboard the new RC213V and after testing at Jerez, he will also ride at Losail from 5 March.  Stefan&rsquo;s dual role   His dual role as test rider and replacement rider for Marc is raising questions in the paddock. According to certain members of staff, the fact that he has carried out so many tests gives the German an unfair advantage, as he&#39;ll have many more miles under his belt than other riders by the time they get to the opening race.  &quot;HRC has had chance to carry out tests in the way that only a team with concessions can. This is unfair with respect to the other manufacturers&quot;, sporting director KTM Pit Beirer tells Speedweek. &quot;We&rsquo;ll talk about the fact that, in future, a test rider should be authorised to replace another rider a maximum of three or four times per year. We don&rsquo;t have an issue with Stefan, it&rsquo;s about equal opportunity&quot;.  On a similar wavelength to Beirer is Johan Stigefelt, Petronas Team Director.  &quot;Stefan is an excellent test rider and last season he took part in several races, thanks to which he has definitely grown and shown to be competitive&rdquo;, stated Stigefelt during the Zoom conference following the 2021 team presentation.&ldquo;During the winter, he&rsquo;s carried out various test days and we&rsquo;ll talk about this in Qatar&rdquo;.  We&rsquo;ll see how this story plays out at Losail. The idea is to limit the number of races in which a test rider can compete over the course of a season.  Translated by Heather Watson  MotoGP, Pol Espargaro: &ldquo;It&#39;ll be memorable in Qatar with Honda&rdquo; 

The German will compete in the Qatar GP on 28 March in place of Marc Marquez and has covered a lot more miles than his rivals thanks to tests completed over the winter. A situation that doesn&rsquo;t sit well with KTM and Petronas Yamaha

MotoGP: the paddock against Stefan Bradl

Despite bad weather, Stefan Bradl has completed his first laps with the Honda RC213V during the second day of testing at the Jerez circuit, on 21 January.  The session was not particularly useful for the SBK riders in attendance, but the German test rider did get out on track for a brief shakedown with the 2021 Honda MotoGP.  Jerez WorldSBK test, Rea: &ldquo;A waste of money not to ride, but the regulation limits us&rdquo;  &nbsp;Significant development work   Unable to work on the engine, as per the regulation, the Japanese engineers are focusing their efforts on the frame, electronics and aerodynamics.  Honda&rsquo;s work has involved the development of a frame that differs from that used during the second half of last season (it looks like the engine fastenings have changed in order to alter the weight distribution), as well as a new, redesigned swingarm for increased stiffness. The goal is to improve the bike&rsquo;s dynamic qualities, making it easier to ride and enhancing rider feeling. The Japanese technicians also want to get the Michelin tyres working as well as possible, with the 2020 compounds set to remain the same in 2021. The exhaust system is also updated, now a different length and with collectors that are smaller in diameter.  In Japan they want to &quot;tame&quot; the RC213V so that it can be ridden by everyone, and not just Marc Marquez. It is not yet known when the Spaniard will be able to return, and he will almost certainly be replaced by Bradl during the first part of the season.  With the Sepang MotoGP test now cancelled, Stefan Bradl and Honda will be back at Jerez next week, ahead of Pol Espargaro&rsquo;s first outing, scheduled to take place during the Qatar test sessions on 6 and 7 March.  Translated by Heather Watson  Ducati, Zarco: &ldquo;A future in WorldSBK? Yes please!&rdquo; 

The adverse weather conditions in Andalusia didn&rsquo;t stop Stefan Bradl from completing some initial laps aboard the new RC213V

6 risultati per 'EN Stefan Bradl'

Germany GP, Bradl: “Physically on the limit, I also got burned”

WorldSBK: a first taster of the 2022 season at Jerez

MotoGP Algarve: Bradl confirmed in place of Marquez

MotoGP, without Marquez, the Honda takes flight with Espargaró and Bradl

MotoGP: the paddock against Stefan Bradl

MotoGP: first laps for the 2021 Honda at Jerez