Camier: Quality of Showa unquestionable, first impressions very good

Leon Camier believes lifting the ten day WorldSBK test limit for manufacturers under concession rules - Honda and BMW - would be greatly beneficial as they look to close the gap on Ducati, Yamaha and Kawasaki.

After finishing last in the 2021 manufacturers’ championship standings, Honda will need significant improvements if they are to challenge for consistent podiums this season.

And while pre-season testing has looked positive for the team who have two rookies in the shape of Iker Lecuona and Xavi Vierge, it remains to be seen how close the two Spaniards can get to title favourites Toprak Razgatlioglu (Yamaha), Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki) and Alvaro Bautista (Ducati). 

Speaking after Team HRC’s virtual 2022 bike presentation, Camier said ‘we would like’ more testing but that it would only be beneficial depending on how many new parts can be produced in Japan. 

"Of course we would like as much (testing) as possible. The reality is that you cannot test every day of the week for sure," added Camier. "If we did have open testing then it wouldn’t be just for the sake of riding. It would be when we have specific parts to test and it would be based around what Japan could make in terms of new parts. 

"It’s not something that we would just go to the track and roll around, there has to be some specific goals to the test. But for sure we would like to have more testing." 

Regarding on track action so far in 2022, Honda have been busy testing their new suspension parts from Showa after the factory team moved from Ohlins to the Japanese company. 

With Honda making such a move, it now means they join Kawasaki as the two manufacturers using Showa, while Ducati, Yamaha and BMW all use Ohlins. 

When discussing the change, Camier added: "The reason for the change of suppliers is that we feel there is room to improve with the new suppliers. 

"With Showa, they’re doing a lot of work behind the scenes to try and improve their product. The rest of the field are on Ohlins apart from Kawasaki. They’ve won the last six world championships until last year. The quality of Showa is unquestionable. 

"The same with Nissin. We feel they’re having a big push behind the scenes and this is something we want to be involved in. It’s something we tested earlier on, the first test with both riders was on Showa suspension. 

"First impressions were very good. As time goes on, we will keep improving the setup we’ve got. There are many options, many parts with Showa that we still have to test."