Ducati warned: Honda’s move on Moreira changes the market; Moto2 talent ready for the big leap

For years, Ducati’s philosophy has rightly been applauded: locking down the best prospects from the Moto2 World Championship, investing in them for the future, and “molding” them to the controls of the Desmosedici GP. A successful philosophy borrowed, where possible, from others. Rivals scouting Moto2 talent can’t currently offer the most competitive bike on the grid, but they can offer a project: just like Honda did with Diogo Moreira.

After losing Ai Ogura, whom they had nurtured from day one, the golden-wing marque moved very early for Diogo Moreira. They offered him a three-year contract over the summer, convincing him despite interest from others (see Yamaha). Diogo Moreira wasn’t yet the Moto2 world championship leader, but he had already shown plenty of good things. Enough to convince HRC’s top brass of his potential and to snatch him from the competition.

With the MotoGP’s imminent return to Brazil at Goiânia and Honda’s commercial interests in the country, some have suggested (wrongly) that this was more a move with other aims, outside the purely sporting sphere. That may be part of it, but it’s only an “also.” Diogo Moreira is above all the reigning Moto2 World Champion, with a blistering end to the season that left everyone in agreement. If the Moto2 world champion doesn’t deserve MotoGP, who does?

Diogo Moreira, whose story is one of sacrifice to come from Brazil to the Old Continent and break onto the world stage, can ride all kinds of bikes—on track and off-road. His debut with the LCR team’s RC213V at the Valencia test was nothing short of convincing: a contained gap (1.8s) from the top, progress every outing, no mistakes, and the right approach. Working with his new crew chief Klaus Nohles—once a fleeting presence in the 125cc and 250cc world championships and Germany’s most promising motorcycle talent of the early 2000s—who then built solid technical credibility with Bridgestone, the HRC Test Team, and in recent years with LCR Honda alongside Takaaki Nakagami and Somkiat Chantra.

With Moreira, Honda wants to rebuild for the future by going back to its roots. Before its TT debut in 1959, the first international motorcycle competition the golden-wing brand took part in was the 1954 Grande Prêmio IV Centenário da Cidade de São Paulo, an event at Interlagos celebrating the 400th anniversary of the city of São Paulo. With only Mikio Omura as rider and Toshiji Baba as the mechanic and engineer supporting him, Honda made its motorcycle debut outside Japan with an R125 entered past the deadline, to the point that they had to rely on rival Meguro for the journey from Japan to Brazil. Meguro is a marque now owned by Kawasaki—the very manufacturer for whom Moreira raced in junior Brazilian Motocross at the start of his career...

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