LCR runs two bikes under two different sponsor identities. Zarco’s RC213V continues in Castrol colours, while Moreira’s bike became Pro Honda LCR for 2026, with Pro Honda replacing Idemitsu as the title partner on that side of the garage. Team principal Lucio Cecchinello described the Pro Honda deal as “a significant milestone” for the team.

The split-livery set-up is increasingly common in MotoGP. Rather than relying on one title sponsor for the whole team, LCR sells each bike’s identity separately, which gives both partners more visibility and makes the team less dependent on a single backer. It also lets the team match sponsors to riders: an established French star for Castrol, and a new Brazilian champion for Pro Honda.

Johann Zarco — the Le Mans hero

Zarco is one of the most experienced riders on the grid, a two-time Moto2 world champion who has raced MotoGP for several manufacturers. His defining moment with LCR came at the 2025 French Grand Prix, when he won at Le Mans in changing weather conditions. It was the first home win for a French rider at Le Mans since Pierre Monneret in 1954, Honda’s first victory since Álex Rins won at the Circuit of the Americas in 2023, and it ended Ducati’s run of 22 consecutive Grand Prix wins.

That win showed what Zarco can still do, particularly in tricky conditions where experience counts. His 2026 has been harder: he’s 17th in the standings on 45 points, although he was the best-placed Honda in Austria, finishing tenth. At this stage of his career, his value to LCR goes beyond points. He brings feedback, consistency and a calm presence alongside a rookie team-mate. Zarco has had his share of dramatic moments too, including the incident covered in our report on Álex Márquez and Zarco’s crash.

His path to LCR has been a long one. After winning back-to-back Moto2 titles in 2015 and 2016, he moved up to MotoGP with Tech3 Yamaha, then had short spells with KTM and Avintia Ducati before several strong seasons at Pramac Ducati, where he took his first premier-class win at Phillip Island in 2023. He joined LCR Honda in 2024, bringing that experience to a manufacturer in the middle of a rebuild.

Diogo Moreira — Brazil’s champion

Moreira arrived in MotoGP as the 2025 Moto2 world champion. Born in Guarulhos, São Paulo, in 2004, he became the first Brazilian to win a world title in any Grand Prix class, and he’s the first Brazilian in the premier class since Alex Barros retired in 2007. He came up through Moto3 with MT Helmets – MSI, where he won a race, and then took four Moto2 wins with Italtrans Racing before his title.

His title was sealed at the final round in Valencia, where tenth place was enough to confirm the championship with 287 points. It capped a season of consistency rather than outright dominance, and that consistency has carried into MotoGP. Scoring points regularly as a rookie is often a better sign of long-term potential than the odd spectacular result.

His rookie season has been impressive. Moreira is 14th in the standings on 65 points, 20 ahead of his experienced team-mate. That’s a strong return for a first-year rider on a Honda, a bike that isn’t the easiest on the grid. He replaced Somkiat Chantra at LCR, and his arrival also explains the change of sponsor on his side of the garage: Idemitsu’s partnership had been closely tied to LCR’s Asian riders.

LCR races the Honda RC213V, the same bike used by the factory Honda HRC team. It’s powered by a V4 engine, like every bike on the MotoGP grid, and Honda supplies LCR with technical support as its satellite partner.

Honda has been rebuilding after a difficult few seasons. Once the dominant force in MotoGP, it spent several years struggling for competitiveness and benefited from MotoGP’s concession rules, which give less successful manufacturers extra testing and development freedom. Zarco’s Le Mans win in 2025 was a sign of progress, but the RC213V is still some way behind the leading Aprilias and Ducatis in 2026. The factory riders’ positions reflect that: Luca Marini is 11th and Joan Mir 18th after Austria.

There are signs the rebuild is heading in the right direction. Honda has invested heavily in its engineering structure, brought in fresh technical leadership and used its concession testing to push development harder than in recent years. It has also committed to its future line-up: Fabio Quartararo is set to join the factory team in 2027, a strong statement of intent from a manufacturer that wants to win again. For LCR, a stronger factory programme means better parts and faster progress on the satellite bikes too.

That context matters when judging LCR’s results. Moreira’s 14th place makes him one of Honda’s best performers this season, and he’s only 33 points behind Marini on the factory bike. For how engines like the V4 work, see our guide to how engines work.

Here’s how the four Honda riders compare in the 2026 standings after the Austrian Grand Prix.

It’s worth comparing LCR with the leading independent team in 2026, Gresini Ducati. Gresini has had the benefit of Ducati machinery, including factory-spec equipment for Álex Márquez, but its own season has been mixed, with Márquez eighth and Fermín Aldeguer tenth. LCR is further back, but on a bike that is still catching up. Our Gresini Racing profile has the full picture of that team.

The standout is Moreira. Scoring more than both Zarco and Mir as a rookie is a genuine achievement, and it suggests Honda was right to invest in young talent. Zarco’s season has been quieter, and the gap to his team-mate will be something he wants to close in the final seven rounds.

At the Austrian GP, Zarco finished tenth, the best of the Hondas on the day. Our MotoGP news briefing has the full result and the championship picture, with Jorge Martin leading Marc Márquez by 12 points.

LCR is named after its founder, Lucio Cecchinello, a former 125cc Grand Prix race winner who turned team owner after his riding career. The team is based in Monaco and has been part of the MotoGP paddock for many years, building a reputation as a well-run independent squad that punches above its weight.

Cecchinello’s approach has been a big part of that success. He’s known as a careful, business-minded team owner who builds long partnerships with sponsors and with Honda, and who gives riders a stable, professional environment. For a rider rebuilding confidence or taking a first step into MotoGP, that matters as much as the bike.

LCR also plays an important role for Honda. As the manufacturer’s only satellite team, it doubles the number of RC213Vs on track, which means more data, more feedback and more chances to test new parts. When Honda brings updates, LCR’s riders often help evaluate them. That relationship is one reason Honda has trusted the team with young talent like Moreira.

That record is what makes LCR special. Independent teams rarely win in MotoGP, yet LCR has won with several different riders across different eras. It has also often been a place where riders rebuild or launch their careers.

The next round is the Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi, 2–4 October. The circuit is owned by Honda, which makes it the manufacturer’s home race and always adds pressure on its riders. Honda’s Joan Mir finished third there in 2025, a reminder that the RC213V can be competitive on the right day. For LCR, a strong result at Motegi would be a welcome boost in front of Honda’s senior management.

What to watch in the final seven rounds

After Motegi, the calendar heads to Mandalika, Phillip Island, Sepang and Lusail before finishing in Portimão and Valencia. Phillip Island is worth watching for Zarco: it’s where he took his first MotoGP win in 2023, and its fast, flowing layout has often suited him. For Moreira, the goal is simple: keep scoring points, finish as the leading Honda rookie, and strengthen his case for the factory seat.

There’s also a team goal. LCR will want to finish ahead of at least some of the factory and satellite teams in the teams’ standings, and Moreira’s rookie form gives them a better chance than Honda’s recent seasons might suggest. Every point matters for prize money and for the team’s standing with its sponsors.

Motegi itself should suit Honda better than some recent tracks. The circuit is all about hard braking and strong acceleration out of slow corners, and stability under braking has long been one of the RC213V’s strengths. It won’t turn Honda into a front-runner overnight, but a top-ten finish for either LCR rider would be a realistic target, and in front of Honda’s own staff it would carry extra weight.

Looking further ahead, Zarco is set to stay at LCR for 2027. The other seat depends on Honda: Moreira and David Alonso are both contracted to Honda, and the manufacturer hadn’t confirmed which of them joins Fabio Quartararo in the factory team and which stays at LCR. Our 2027 MotoGP grid guide explains the full picture. Moreira’s rookie form makes a strong case for him either way.