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The MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship has moved past the quarter post for 2026 and with three rounds in May we will be at halfway before we know it. Unfortunately, the sight of Honda struggling in WorldSBK is nothing new in this era. The much-heralded return of Team HRC to the series in 2020 filled the paddock with excitement. The biggest and best race department in history was coming back to the series and there was so much optimism for this.

EARLY SUCCESS THE HIGHLIGHT: Bautista and Haslam near the front

Ultimately, we’ve seen false dawns from the land of the rising sun since Honda came back. Their first two years with Alvaro Bautista (Barni Spark Racing Team) and Leon Haslam have been as good as it has been for HRC. Bautista came and crashed but he had podiums and front running pace. There was potential in the Fireblade that just needed to be unlocked into a more rounded, less knife-edged package. When Bautista returned to Ducati he dominated the series for two seasons. It was clear the rider wasn’t the problem.

A RESTART IN 2022: Lecuona and Vierge join the Japanese manufacturer

Honda changed all in 2022 and brought in two Grand Prix exiles. Iker Lecuona was a raw MotoGP racer while Xavi Vierge was an underrated Moto2 rider. Both proved to be solid riders but results never matched what it seemed Honda had been capable of with Bautista. A few podiums and a pole position was the reward for four years of hard work. Lecuona and Vierge left in the winter and since then they’ve impressed Ducati and Yamaha with their speed and work ethic. It’s now clear that riders weren’t the problem.

A SECOND RESET IN 2026: Dixon and Chantra’s troubled start to WorldSBK

Jake Dixon and Somkiat Chantra were hired to ride in 2026, but both have been injured for much of the season. Dixon is yet to race, he will be replaced by Yuki Kunii this weekend, while Chantra has been injured for two of the three rounds. They are both Grand Prix winners, but Chantra’s confidence has taken a beating over the last year and Dixon is yet to ride his bike in anger. A wrist fracture in pre-season testing has sidelined the British rider. It has proven to be very complicated to rehab and recover from, so he has had to be patient. This isn’t a skill usually associated with riders so Dixon sitting out another round shows how serious the injury is. For Honda’s sake they need Dixon back on the bike as soon as possible as he will be their leader going forward.

INSTABILITY NOT HELPING HONDA’S CAUSE: Lots of different riders on the CBR1000RR-R

Throughout this season there has been a revolving door of replacement riders. Ryan Vickers and Tetsuta Nagashima raced in Australia. Six-times WorldSBK champion Jonathan Rea stepped up in Portimao and Assen while now we’ll see Kunii on the bike in Hungary. Teams need stability to succeed and Honda hasn’t had it in recent years. Stability is a requirement in WorldSBK but Honda’s mantra has been “out with the old and in with the new.” Team management and structure is now on its third iteration with Leon Camier, Jose Escamez and Yuji Mori having acted as Team Manager. The structures in place for Honda have meant they have leaned on MotoGP and Grand Prix experience to turn around the ship. This has proven to be a mistake and until it’s rectified it’s difficult to see how they can find improvements.

LOOKING AT THE POSITIVES: No pressure this year, building towards 2027

Year seven of the HRC project look like another rebuilding year. With their lead rider still at least one round away from returning they can have a year of data gathering to be ready for 2027. Honda has torn down the structures across the board multiple times but always faced pressure to deliver results. That pressure has been removed for this year due to the injuries for their riders and as WorldSBK heads towards the summer this might allow Honda to fly under the radar over the next few months. They are chasing their first title since James Toseland in 2007 and while there is a long road ahead for them WorldSBK is waiting patiently for Honda to turn things around.

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