For the first time in MotoGP history, Honda will have the technical direction of a European engineer. In a revolutionary move, given the peculiar inbreeding tradition of Japanese factories, the brand with the golden wing announced this Friday in Motegi the incorporation of Romano Albesiano (61 years old, Carrù, Italy) as its new technical director. This aeronautical engineer has held the same position at Aprilia for the last decade, where he replaced Gigi Dall’Igna, current technical guru of the premier category with Ducati.
“It’s an interesting change. We’ll be able to see how the other builders approach it. Romano has a lot of experience, he has done a great job at Aprilia for many years and has a very important background in this world. He is a calm person, he is not a child, he is of a certain age and can fit in with the Japanese mentality,” said Alberto Puig, HRC sports director, in Dazn. The other Japanese manufacturer in the competition, Yamaha, already made a move in this direction last year by giving the keys to its project to Max Bartolini, from Ducati, the factory that has five manufacturers’ titles in the category.
Albesiano, who began his World Championship career with Cagiva in the nineties, has been in charge of leading Aprilia’s return to MotoGP since 2013. In this period, the Noale factory has achieved the best results in its history in the premier class. Led by veteran Aleix Espargaró, who will serve as a tester with Honda starting in 2025, they achieved the first podium for the brand in 2021 and the first victory in 2022. Recognized for his innovations at the aerodynamic level, the Italian engineer was the maximum responsible for this department for Mercedes vehicles in the World Touring Car Championship, where he won the title in 1995. In 2005 he joined the Piaggio group, where he combined responsibilities in the sports area and the production of street motorcycles until his appointment as replacement for Dall’Igna.
To make room for the Italian, Honda has transferred the Japanese Ken Kawauchi, who had served as technical director since 2023 from the 2020 world champion Suzuki, to the management of the test team. In the last year, the golden wing factory had made other notable changes to its dome, always promoting men from the house. The previous general technical director, Shinichi Kokubu, was replaced by Shin Sato in this same scenario a year ago. Months later, it was the general director, Tetsuhiro Kuwata, who gave his position to Taichi Honda.
“Times change. The important thing is that he can team up with the people of Japan, and can contribute all his experience from all these years. It is important to have a technical director in Europe who makes things easier. Relationships on the circuit are sometimes easier for European people than for non-European people. The important thing is that it has a lot of system, it has done many things in this world and there we can take a step forward,” Puig added in his analysis of the movement. The former Spanish driver, with more than three decades of experience within the Japanese organizational chart, did not pay attention to the rumors that placed him outside the factory.
In the midst of notable movements in the offices, Aprilia immediately announced Albesiano’s replacement. Fabio Sterlacchini, who was once Dall’Igna’s right-hand man at Ducati and until a month ago led the KTM project, will take on the position of technical director for the Noale brand. What for many is the second bike with the greatest potential on the grid will undergo a complete facelift in 2025 with the incorporation of the World Championship leader, Jorge Martín, and one of the promises of the Rossi academy, Marco Bezzecchi, to its lineup. pilots. “We are in the process of strengthening the Aprilia program with two young riders, and now we take another step with a new technical director with a lot of experience in Ducati and KTM. We are delighted to welcome him,” commented Massimo Rivola, head of the team.
In the run-up to the Japanese GP, KTM also confirmed the shake-up of its leadership with the departure of the Italian Francesco Guidotti and the entry of the Finnish Aki Ajo as head of its official team in MotoGP.