The factory Honda MotoGP team has launched its 2012 bike, the RC213V. A presentation and press conference was held in Kuala Lumpur on Monday night, with reigning World Champion Casey Stoner present alongside Dani Pedrosa.
Champions of 2011, Honda presented its new contender at Kuala Lumpur’s Pan Pacific Hotel, with a welcome conference being staged afterwards. From Tuesday to Thursday, the first three days of pre-season testing will take place at Sepang.
“The off season has been really good - we got to go back home and spend some time with family and friends in Australia over Christmas, which was great,” said Stoner. “Then we came back to Switzerland to get everything in order for the baby's arrival - Adriana's due in just a few weeks and so we've been preparing, as best possible!
“After such a strong season, we remain focused and don't expect to be in top form immediately. I am sure Honda have done a fantastic job with the new 1,000cc machine over the winter break and I'm really looking forward to getting back on the bike and seeing what we can do, hoping to start strong again.
“We know there will be a lot of serious competition out there; Ducati have been putting a lot of effort in, as have Yamaha, so it will be interesting to get out on-track and see what everyone's got. However, it's early days and I think we'll have to wait until the race in Qatar before we really know our competitors’ true pace and the package they have for 2012, but we're ready for it.”
On Saturday, the team returned to the Sepang International Circuit for the first time since Marco Simoncelli’s fatal accident on 23 October. As a mark of respect, each team member visited the scene to lay a wreath of flowers and hold a minute’s silence.
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