Team LCR has unveiled the Honda RC213Vs it will campaign in the 2026 MotoGP season. The French team will continue its approach of running different liveries on each bike instead of a single unified design, as it enters the final year of the current regulation cycle.
Team leader Johann Zarco remains with LCR Honda, riding the #5 RC213V in Castrol’s signature red, white, and green colours. Rookie Diogo Moreira, the reigning Moto2 champion, will compete in Pro Honda colours, with the Japanese lubricant brand serving as the main sponsor on his bike. This comes after LCR’s long-standing partnership with Idemitsu ended.
Diogo Moreira, Team LCR Honda
Idemitsu’s sponsorship had previously required LCR to field Asian riders, a condition met between 2018 and 2024 by Takaaki Nakagami, followed by Thai rider Somkiat Chantra last year. Chantra’s performance fell short of expectations, leading Honda to promote Moreira to the premier class, even replacing the Idemitsu-backed seat. Chantra has since moved to Honda’s World Superbike roster.
Last season, LCR recorded mixed results even as Honda’s RC213 showed major improvements. Zarco remained Honda’s benchmark rider, highlighted by a spectacular win at the rain-affected French GP—the first victory for both him and LCR in two years, marking an important milestone in Honda’s rebuilding phase.
However, Zarco’s performance declined later in the season as he struggled to adapt to the upgraded Honda. He finished as the highest-classified Honda rider in 12th, six points ahead of Luca Marini on the factory bike. Meanwhile, Chantra managed a few top-15 finishes but scored only seven points after missing five races due to injury.
Johann Zarco, Team LCR Honda
LCR ended the season 10th out of 11 teams, with 155 points compared to 238 for factory Honda.
Expectations are high for Moreira, who steps up to MotoGP after winning the Moto2 title last year. The Brazilian kicked off preparations for his rookie season during the Sepang Shakedown, a test exclusively for rookies, test riders, and Group D manufacturers, where he recorded the sixth-fastest lap aboard the RC213V.
With LCR’s 2026 launch complete, Honda remains the only other team yet to reveal its livery, with an online presentation scheduled for Monday ahead of the full test at Sepang from 3–5 February.
Sources: motorsport. “LCR Honda reveals split liveries for 2026 MotoGP season” motorsport.com, 1 Feb. 2026.
