Honda enjoyed a rare moment in the sun when 𝐆a key area of promise was uncovered in Burir🍎am.

Luca Marini wa🍃s responsible for raising some optimism at the manufacturer which lagged behind its ri🉐val last season.

Marini’s pace over a single lap on Day 1 of the MotoGP preseason Buriram test will🎃 give Honda something to work with.

“Four riders lapped in the low 1.29s ♔- Alex Marquez, Marc Marquez, Pedro Acosta… and Luca 🌠Marini,” Dorna’s Louis Suddaby explained.

“Clear from Sepang that, in ter🧸ms of race distance and long runs, Honda have a long way to catch up.

“But their single lap pace has closed the gap.”

Jack Appleyard replied: “Two and a half hours in, with temperatures high, Marini was three tenths of a second adrift of Honda’s best-ever lap ar🎃ound here.

“Which is a very positive sign, indeed.

“Joan Mir and Johann Zarco w🐎ere able to under the fastest-ever times in Sepang.”

Did a Honda experiment fail?

Honda and KTM b𒉰rought a nꦺew seat unit to the Sepang test, in an attempt to get rid of the rear chatter which cost them in 2024.

But in Buriram, both manufactur🐓ers showed subtle signs of ignoring that developꦆmental experiment.

“On Honda’s side, it’s only Somkiat Chantra running it. M📖ir, Zarco and Marini have moved away from it,” Appleyard said.

“You would have to say that, right now, the direction is to start൩ the season without it.

“Same for KTM. Brad Binder and Acosta haven’t had it, Enea Bastianini hasn’t been seen w✅ith it.

“Only Maverick 🌜Vi🍬nales is continuing to work with the seat unit.

“It was one of the big innovations that came to Sepang, with both Honda and KTM trying to solve the issues that plagued their seasᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤❀⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚon [last year].

“But we haven’t seen it on the majority of theirꦇ ꦫbikes.

“It goes without saying that if it was a big improvement, it’d still be on the🐷 bike…”