Current Honda HRC MotoGP Technical Manager Mikihiko Kawase will take on the role of Team Manager for the factory team starting in 2027, with Alberto Puig advising and assisting.
This is a press release from HRC…
(June 18, 2026) — Current MotoGP Technical Manager Mikihiko Kawase will take on a new challenge as he steps into the role of Team Manager for the factory team starting in 2027 with Alberto Puig advising and assisting.
Appointed as MotoGP Technical Manager in 2024, Mikihiko Kawase has experienced a variety of roles and responsibilities during a lifetime spent in racing. A lightweight class racer in Japan from 18 to 27 years old, he funded his racing career by working for various parts manufacturers before joining Honda. Transferred to HRC in 2012, Kawase-san became involved in the Moto3 World Championship project and would lead Honda to the lightweight class crown in 2019 as Large Project Leader (LPL) for the NSF250RW. Joining the MotoGP side of the project soon after, the Miyazaki Prefecture native worked diligently to help Honda progress and has been the MotoGP Technical Manger since 2024.
For 2027 he will take up the mantle of Team Manager for the Honda HRC factory team, robustly supported and assisted by current Team Manager and future Honda HRC Advisor Alberto Puig and his decades of experience in the Grand Prix paddock.
Mikihiko Kawase – Technical Manager Honda HRC: “I am honored to have this opportunity to lead a team with this much history and success. I must thank Honda for this opportunity and also Alberto Puig who has already been a great mentor and advisor for many years. The support of both will be crucial to the future success of the team. 2027 will be a landmark year for MotoGP with the biggest changes to rules and regulations since the championship went from two-stroke to four-stroke. Inside Honda we must continue to give our maximum to start this new era strongly and return to fighting at the front.”
