In recent years, the decline in competitiveness of Japanese constructors in MotoGP has been evident – both Honda and Yamaha. Both are trying to return to good results and investing in that direction, in a process that is slow.
However, Marco Melandri doubts that will happen and even foresees a MotoGP… without Japanese. The former rider was asked by the site InSella.it if he expected Honda and Yamaha to continue to struggle. In response, he stated: ‘Yes, to tell the truth I am convinced that in a few years there will no longer be a Japanese bike on the grid‘.
Melandri justified his opinion and even anticipated that Chinese manufacturers could eventually make their debut: ‘Because these are eras, first there were the Italians with [Giacomo] Agostini, then they all disappeared and the Japanese arrived, and now the Europeans are coming back. Maybe the Chinese will come next, I don’t know. I have this feeling that they will disappear from the grid. I don’t know how they can be competitive again’.
In fact, the Chinese Kove already entered the World Supersport 300 last year, while this year QJMotor makes its debut in the World Supersport. In the MotoGP paddock, CFMoto is represented as a brand in Moto3 and Moto2 even though they do not manufacture the bikes, just like QJMotor which is a partner of Gresini in Moto2.
