Team Profile
From a rider-founded operation to Honda’s long-term partner
Honda LCR was founded by Lucio Cecchinello in 1996; LCR abbreviates his name and Racing. Starting as a small operation, it grew through the 125cc and 250cc world championships before entering MotoGP in 2006. It is independently operated and a longstanding premier-class racing partner of Honda.
LCR’s history includes several riders who later joined works teams or won in the premier class, notably Casey Stoner, Cal Crutchlow and Johann Zarco. Zarco’s victory for the team in France in 2025 added an important recent result. With the team marking its thirtieth anniversary in 2026, continuity of experience is important context for understanding it.
One team, two liveries
Both riders use the Honda RC213V in 2026, but each side of the garage has different partner names and colours: Zarco’s is Castrol Honda LCR, while Moreira’s is Pro Honda LCR. When broadcasts show different names or colours, rider numbers and identities confirm that both belong to the LCR organisation.
LCR shares Honda’s brand and bike platform with the works team, but handles race preparation, rider coordination and team operation through its own organisation. Honda receives track feedback from more riders, while LCR gains manufacturer technical support without losing its organisational independence.
Experience and a rookie in 2026
The race pairing is number 5 Johann Zarco and number 11 Diogo Moreira. Zarco enters his third LCR season with accumulated Honda experience. Moreira moves into the premier class as the 2025 Moto2 world champion and an important representative of Brazil’s new generation of riders.
The riders are at different career stages: Zarco can build on existing experience to seek higher positions, while Moreira must adapt to premier-class machinery, tyres and race rhythm. Cecchinello continues to lead the team, and this combination of experience and youth carries on LCR’s longstanding role in developing and supporting riders.
What to watch
Use Zarco as one reference for Honda’s performance at a round, then follow Moreira’s learning. As viewing analysis, a rookie’s qualifying gap, late-race lap times and finishing consistency reveal adaptation better than one isolated position. Comparing both LCR riders with the Honda works team also shows how different garages use the same brand of bike.
Rider Line-up
Last checked: 1 October 2026 · Historical statistics and current points are maintained separately