Honda f🀅inally showed some progress in WorldSBK at the end of last season, challenging for top-six positions in the final races of the year, and the start of 2025 has continued in that direction despite ✃a change in suspension brands.

After using Showa since 2022, Hond🧜a has reverted to Ohlins – which it last used in 2021 – for 2025, and the first impressions have been positive.

“It’s been quite good,” H🍌RC team manager Jose Escamez sa🌼id of Honda’s initial time back on Ohlins when speaking to WorldSBK.com.

“We have found, quickly, the right way to keep going. We have been workin𝐆g to find a good base setup, and this will help the riders feel comfortable for lap times.

“Of course, and there are some dif🍎ferences with the previous suspension we’ve been using.

“Just trying to understand, but the𝓀re’s not much difference, though.

“There🎐’s a small improvement in performance and also feedback from riders. It’s a fair enough reason to let them ride with this one.”

Ikꦏer Lecuona is missing this week’s 🍬test through injury, and said that the change in suspension makes it

“It’s [the suspension brand change] another reason that I’m not happy to not jump o🦋n the bike,” Lecuona 🅺said.

“We changed the brand, we changed the full sꦗuspension, so that is a big change on the bikꦬe.

“For sure I don’t know how much [the Ohlins suspension has] changed the bike, compared to the Showa from last year. Let’s sꦦee in Portimao if I can try [it].”

In general, despite the absence of Lecuona, HRC’s𝓰 first day of testing in 2025 had been positiv♐e, according to Escamez, as they’d picked up from where they left off at the end of 2024.

“The day has been good because the weather has respected the predictions from Tuesday,” Escamez said at the end of the first𝕴 day of testing in Jerez.

“So far, we are good ♚enough, we can say, but not happy🍸 at all. It’s quite good.

“Xavi [Vierge] has been doing ൩laps and everything looks as we expected.

“This means we’re in the same way that we🎃 finished last year, which is already a posi🍬tive point. We’re still looking forward.”