The other Suzuki signing that could transform Honda's MotoGP form

Honda was the only brand that failed to win a MotoGP race in 2022, finishing last in the world constructors' standings. The factory team, traditionally considered the paddock's biggest superpower, finished no higher than ninth out of 12 places in the teams' rankings. Meanwhile the best placed Honda rider in the championship was Marc Marquez in 13th, and he only scored in 10 of the 20 grands prix. Injuries that continued to plague him meant he missed eight races.

Honda's negative performance last year triggered a profound restructuring for 2023 both in its rider ranks, with the arrival of Joan Mir to the factory squad and Alex Rins to the satellite LCR structure, and at its technical level. Arguably the most interesting development is the hiring of Ken Kawauchi as the new technical manager. He replaces Takeo Yokoyama, who will now be in charge of supervising the engineering staff that Honda has in Japan.

"HRC has signed Ken Kawauchi as technical manager, taking advantage of Suzuki's withdrawal from the world championship," confirmed HRC team manager Alberto Puig in an interview with Autosport. "The signing responds to a series of circumstances that have combined. We do not pretend that he alone will solve all the problems of the bike."

To get a better picture of the new technician and understand what he can bring to Honda, Autosport sought out paddock insiders who, until a couple of months ago, were his colleagues at Suzuki before the marque elected to quit MotoGP.

PLUS: How the MotoGP paddock has offered refuge to Suzuki's former team

"I'm very happy about Kawauchi's signing with Honda," explains Rins, who had spent his entire MotoGP career at Suzuki until it quit, and he moved to LCR for 2023. "Ken was a key player in the Suzuki project. He helped to create the bike and to evolve it until we became world champions [with Mir in 2020] and won the last race. I'm delighted to have him by my side again in this new challenge."

If anyone knows Kawauchi well, then it's Manu Cazeaux. The track engineer for Rins in recent years, he previously worked with Maverick Vinales when Suzuki returned to MotoGP in 2015.

"From my point of view, it's a difficult signing to evaluate because I don't know exactly what Honda's needs are or what Takeo stops doing," explains Cazeaux, who in 2023 will be back with Vinales at Aprilia. "What I can say is that, for his work at Suzuki, at least with me and how I understand racing, he is a person with a very great experience, 360-degrees. That is, he dominates several sectors; from the chassis to the electronics, passing through all the points, such as the engine or tyres. He knows all areas of the bike well.

Manu Cazeaux knows Kawauchi well and thinks he "dominates" in several key areas

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

"Ken has always worked in racing, he has no experience in other sectors, and I think he can bring this to Honda. His experience, knowledge and his way of management, which at Suzuki he proved, is a method that works. He understands what the demands of the riders are and transmits them to the factory so that they can react and develop the bike according to the real needs.

"He is a person who has shown he has a good dialogue and has been able to work with other nationalities without any problem. I think he's a good signing."

Another who has worked side by side with Kawauchi is Frankie Carchedi, Mir's crew chief during his title-winning campaign three years ago.

"His signing with HRC is very good news," reckons the Briton, who moves to Gresini to become Fabio Di Giannantonio's crew chief. "He won the 2020 world championship with Joan, so he knows exactly what it takes to make it happen.

"He can speed up Joan's adaptation to Honda, because he knows his riding style perfectly, what he needs and, in short, he will be a familiar face" Frankie Carchedi

"He's been technical director of one of the smallest factories in MotoGP, if not the smallest, and that means he has a huge amount of knowledge on a technical level. But he is also aware of the importance of the human factor in winning. I think he can speed up Joan's adaptation to Honda, because he knows his riding style perfectly, what he needs and, in short, he will be a familiar face. It would have been a pity if no factory in the paddock ended up benefiting from his knowledge."

Claudio Rainato was Mir's data engineer in recent years, so he knows perfectly well what the new Honda technician can contribute.

"He's the right man at the right time," sums up Rainato, who will work at VR46 Ducati in 2023. "Ken has a wealth of experience as a technical coordinator, which allows for prolific cooperation between the developments taking place in the factory and the needs of the race teams. He respects everyone's ideas and is able to contain the European side of the garage from wild approaches.

Kawauchi had overseen Suzuki's success since returning to MotoGP in 2015

Photo by: Kevin Wood / Motorsport Images

"Because of his profile, he probably won't bring any magic formula or idea, but he will bring a method of success. The small steps approach he has followed at Suzuki could be the path that can get Honda out of the crisis it is in, and with his poker face he will be able to cool down the garage when it suits.

"He could also be a great ally of Mir, as their relationship is very good. He was a permanent guest at Joan's barbecues in Andorra during the pandemic."

Former Suzuki performance engineer Francesco Munzone, who will become a track engineer for the MV Agusta Moto2 team in 2023, also recognises Kawauchi's ability to bring harmony.

"With the experience he has gained at Suzuki, he can bring a new concept of communication between the Japanese engineering group and the European engineering group," Munzone says. "A better integration of people, both on the track and in the factory.

"In the end, that's the key: gathering the right information on the track and then transmitting it to the factory, as faithfully as possible. He can take advantage of his experience at Suzuki to take advantage of the tools they already have at Honda, and use them in a different way."

With Kawauchi therefore, Honda will gain the capacity to identify and simplify what the bike needs. It is clear too that one of his main virtues is interpretation. If he can hit the ground running, Honda may better optimise the gears and chain of communication between the riders, the group that works with them at grands prix and with HRC's base in Tokyo - a gear that in recent years had been badly in need of greasing.

Is Kawauchi the final piece of the puzzle for Honda's hopes of resurgence?

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images