MotoGP, Private tests for Honda: Marquez and Pedrosa at Jerez

As we know, you can never be too careful and so Honda, despite the good results achieved at Phillip Island, has decided to use two of the five private test days that it has available this year. The HRC team has confirmed its plans on Twitter, with Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa taking to the Jerez track this coming Thursday and Friday, 24 and 25 February.

We had already anticipated the team's desire to carry out an additional test before the official tests in Qatar and the decision has now been taken. Why? Honda might be in a very different position to last year (in Australia the 4 RC213V bikes all finished in the top nine) but there is one important new element: the Big Bang engine.

Bear in mind that this engine will be sealed before the first GP of the season, preventing further development, so any error now will cost the team dearly during the season. Having already considered this, Honda chose not to test last November, preferring to use the days at a more opportune time.

And that time has now come. In calm surroundings, Marquez and Pedrosa will be able to iron out the final details in Spain and, if something happens to go wrong, the Japanese engineers will still have time to react.