Honda LCR's Carlos Checa claims there is a consensus of opinion among the six RC212V riders regarding the reasons for the new machine's relative lack of competitiveness.
HRC was widely rumoured to have been pushing for the new 800cc engine rule, introduced at the start of this season, and therefore was expected to be among the best prepared for it.
However, four races into the new season and the company's new RC212V is yet to win a race - leaving the top Honda rider (Dani Pedrosa) a distant third in the riders' championship, Repsol Honda third in the teams' championship and Honda third in the manufacturers' standings behind race winners Ducati and Yamaha.
All four Japanese teams have been caught out by Ducati's drastic horsepower advantage but, according to Checa, front end chatter is also a problem - meaning the RCV struggles on both straights and corners.
"All the RC212V riders are suffering the same problems with the engine power and the front chatter and I'm sure that HRC can find a solution soon," said the Spaniard ahead of the Le Mans weekend. "The engine power is not so important [here] compared with Istanbul and Shanghai so we have more chance of finishing near the front. I hope the weather's good and we find the best solutions for the tyres because
Bridgestone is very strong now. Michelin is working hard together with my technicians and I am pretty confident for the weekend."
