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A QUARTER CENTURY OF ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE |
A QUARTER CENTURY OF ENGINEERING EXCELLENCE
Honda Racing Corporation celebrates its 25th birthday on September 1
2007
Racing has always been at the heart of Honda, indeed racing is Honda’s
very DNA. From the very beginning company founder Soichiro Honda
insisted
that his engineers prove the company’s engineering capabilities and
accelerate development by testing their creations in the white heat of
competition. It has always been thus, from Honda’s very first Model A to
the current RC212V MotoGP weapon. As current HRC president Masumi Hamane
says: “A racing motorcycle is a rolling laboratory that provides us with
live information and the racetrack is the stage where our dreams come
true.”
Initially, Honda’s racing efforts were run from within the Honda Motor
Company, but in the early 1970s RSC (Racing Service Center) was
established as a separate company to look after the company’s racing
programme. On September 1 1982 the Honda Racing Corporation was founded,
its mission the development, manufacture and sales of motorcycles and
parts for racing. Since then HRC has become a byword for
high-performance
engineering excellence and winning performance.
HRC: YEAR BY YEAR
1982
Honda Racing Corporation founded on September 1, replacing RSC (which
was
established as a separate entity from Honda Motor Co. Ltd in 1973) and
the
NR technology group. Legendary engineer Shoichiro Irimajiri is first HRC
president. NS500 triple unleashed. Freddie Spencer wins Honda’s first
two-stroke Grand Prix victory aboard the NS at July’s Belgium GP. Cyril
Nevue wins Honda’s first Paris-Dakar victory. Eddy Lejeune wins first
World Trials Championship with Honda RTL360. Shigeo Ijima, Shinji
Hagiwara
and CB900F win Suzuka Eight Hours (shortened to six hour due to typhoon)
Pro-link rear suspension and cartridge fork developed in motocross.
1983
The wondrously talented Freddie Spencer wins Honda’s first 500 World
Championship with the NS500, a beautifully balanced motorcycle that
encapsulates HRC’s philosophy of creating machines that deliver
all-round
performance. ATAC exhaust system developed on NS500. King of the Roads
Joey Dunlop wins Honda’s fourth title in the road-based TTF1 World
Championship with the RS850R V4 four-stroke. Honda begins sales of RS500
GP production racer, based on NS500. Hiroyuki Yoshino replaces Irimajiri
as HRC president.
1984
Honda debuts the awesomely fast single-crank V4 NSR500, with
experimental
underslung fuel tank, which an injury-hit Freddie Spencer takes to
fourth
place in the 500 World Championship. RS750R rams home Honda’s
four-stroke
genius with Gerard Coudray and Patrick Igoa winning World Endurance
crown,
Mike Baldwin and Fred Merkel taking Suzuka Eight Hours victory and Joey
Dunlop the TTF1 crown. Andre Malherbe wins second 500 Motocross World
Championship. Eddy Lejeune completes hat-trick of World Trials
Championships. Ricky Graham wins Honda’s first US Grand National dirt
track title.
1985
Freddie Spencer and Honda enjoy their greatest year together, taking a
unique 250/500 World Championship double with the NSR500 and the new
NSR250 V-twin. For good measure, Spencer wins Daytona 200 aboard a
VF750F
superbike. Stunning new RVF750 wins endurance crown with Gerard Coudray
and Patrick Igoa, TTF1 title with Joey Dunlop and Suzuka Eight Hours
with
Wayne Gardner and Masaki Tokuno. Mike Baldwin and Honda win fourth US F1
title in a row. Britain’s Prince Charles and Princess Diana inspect HRC
race bikes during official visit to newly built Honda Motor HQ in
Aoyama,
Tokyo. Isamu Goto appointed HRC president.
1986
The RVF750, now with single-sided swingarm, wins endurance world title
with Patrick Igoa and Suzuka Eight Hours with Gardner and Dominique
Sarron. VFR750 rider Fred Merkel completes hat-trick of US Superbike
crowns. Briton David Thorpe wins his second consecutive 500 MX title,
Honda monopolise championship top three. Tough Aussie Wayne Gardner
takes
the baton from injured Freddie Spencer and takes second place in the 500
World Championship with the NSR500.
1987
Honda two-stroke technology dominates GP racing, Wayne Gardner winning
seven 500 GPs to take 500 title, German veteran Toni Mang winning the
250
crown with his NSR250. Computer-controlled variable exhaust valve
developed. Hi-tech NR750 racer with oval pistons contests Le Mans 24
hours, scoring pole position. Up-and-coming Californian talent Wayne
Rainey wins US Superbike crown and Daytona 200 with VFR750. Eric Geboers
scores Honda’s first 250 MX world success. Dirt track legend Bubba
Shobert
completes hat-trick of US Grand National dirt track crowns, riding an
RS750D. Takeo Fukui is new president of HRC.
1988
Honda returns to 125 GP racing with RS125, a low-cost two-stroke. Ezio
Gianola wins two GPs on the RS and finishes second in 125 World
Championship. Spanish hero Sito Pons wins the first of two successive
250
world titles with NSR250. HRC begins development of electronically
controlled two-stroke fuel injection system. Big-talking American Fred
Merkel takes inaugural World Superbike title aboard RC30, Honda’s hugely
acclaimed V4 superbike. British privateer Carl Fogarty wins TTF1 crown
on
RC30. Wayne Gardner finishes a close runner-up in 500 GPs. Eric Geboers
and Jean-Michel Bayle win MX title double with 500 and 125 successes.
Katsumi Ichida appointed president.
1989
Master of smoothness Eddie Lawson joins Honda and carries off the 500
World Championship with his NSR500. Honda wins tenth 250 Constructors’
World Championship. Merkel, Fogarty and their RC30s repeat their World
Superbike and TTF1 titles. Privateer John Ashmead wins Daytona 200
aboard
an RC30. Frenchmen Dominique Sarron, Alex Vieira and RVF750 win Suzuka
Eight Hours. Gilles Lalay proves Honda power in the most gruelling of
conditions by winning Honda’s fourth consecutive Paris-Dakar race aboard
his NXR750. Jean-Michel Bayle and David Thorpe win 250 and 500 MX
titles.
Takeo Fukui begins second term as HRC president.
1990
Seventeen-year-old debutant Loris Capirossi wins Honda’s first
two-stroke
125 World Championship on an RS125R, the first of two back-to-back title
successes for the little Italian. Alex Vieira, Jean-Michel Mattioli,
Stephane Mertens and RVF750 win Honda’s sixth consecutive victory in the
hugely popular Bol d’Or 24 hours. Eric Geboers wins his second 500 MX
title with Honda. Jeff Stanton and CR250 win the second of their three
US
Supercross championships. Aussie veteran Malcolm Campbell wins his
second
consecutive Australian Superbike title aboard RC30.
1991
Luca Cadalora joins Honda and wins 250 world title on NSR250, Honda’s
tenth 250 riders’ crown. Wayne Gardner and Mick Doohan win Suzuka Eight
Hours aboard RVF750. Honda two-stroke technology dominates the world of
motocross and Supercross, George Jobe wins the 500 MX world title,
American Trampas Parker wins the world 250 crown, Jean-Michel Bayle
moves
to the US and wins Supercross title with CR250 and US Motocross
Championship with CR500. Miguel DuHamel and RC30 win Daytona 200. NR750
streetbike in production.
1992
HRC’s newest star Mick Doohan dominates 500 World Championship with new
‘big bang’ configuration NSR500 but loses title due to injury.
Nevertheless Honda wins 500 Constructors’ World
Championship. Italian Luca Cadalora wins second consecutive 250 World
Championship. Australian GP riders Daryl Beattie, Wayne Gardner and
RVF750
win Suzuka Eight Hours. Greg Albertyn takes the laurels in 125 MX with
CR125. Takashi Shinozaki becomes president
1993
Shinichi Itoh and fuel-injected NSR500 break the 200mph barrier at the
German GP at Hockenheim. Diminutive German Dirk Raudies takes the 125
World Championship aboard his Honda RS125R. Ricky Graham wins US Grand
National crown, 11 years after his first title success. CR250 dominates
the motocross word with Greg Albertyn winning the 250 MX title, Doug
Henry
scoring the first of back-to-back US 250 MX championships and Jeremy
McGrath taking out the 250 US Supercross series.
1994
Mick Doohan wins the first of five consecutive 500 World Championship
with
his NSR500, Honda also wins constructors’ title for seventh time. New
Zealander Aaron Slight and American Doug Polen score Honda’s tenth
Suzuka
Eight Hours success, riding the new RC45 Superbike, the latest product
of
HRC V4 technology. Honda wins its tenth 125 Constructors’ World
Championship. Swede Marcus Hansson wins 500 MX World Championship.
Jeremy
McGrath continues his domination of 250 US Supercross. Suguru Kanazawa
appointed managing director of HRC.
1995
RC45 four-stroke scores more major international successes with Belgian
Stephane Mertens and Frenchman Jean-Michel Mattioli winning the World
Endurance Championship, Miguel Duhamel taking the US Superbike title and
Aaron Slight and Tadayuki Okada winning the Suzuka Eight Hours race.
Haruchika Aoki scores the first of back-to-back 125 World Championships
aboard Honda RS125. Alessandro Puzar wins 125 MX crown.
1996
Mick Doohan, Alex Criville, Luca Cadalora, Alex Barros and the NSR500
take
the top four places in 500 World Championship, the NSR500 wins 13 of 15
GPs. Haruchika Aoki scores second 125 title.
Miguel Duhamel wins Daytona 200 on RC45. NSR500V twin, ridden by
Tadayuki
Okada, scores pole position on GP debut. Stefan Everts wins the first of
two back-to-back 250 MX world prizes aboard CR250. Jeremy McGrath and
CR250 win fourth US Supercross title in a row, taking Honda’s unique run
of success to nine consecutive crowns.
1997
Mick Doohan wins fourth 500 title riding NSR500 with ‘screamer’ firing
order. Honda machines monopolise top five places in series, Doohan,
Tadayuki Okada, Nobuatsu Aoki and Alex Criville on NSR500s, Takuma Aoki
is
fifth on NSR500V twin. The NSR500 wins all 15 GPs, Honda wins tenth
premier-class constructors’ World Championship. Max Biaggi joins Honda
and
wins 250 title on NSR250. Production version of NSR500V goes on sale.
RC45
continues to dominate four-stroke racing, John Kocinski wins World
Superbike crown, while Japanese stars Shinichi Itoh and Toru Ukawa win
Suzuka Eight Hours. Stefan Everts retains 250 MX crown.
1998
Led once again by the mighty Mick Doohan, NSR500 riders dominate the 500
World Championship, taking the top five places in the points chase. HRC
introduces new twin-crank NSR250 which Toru Ukawa rides to fourth place
in
250 World Championship. More success for the RC45: Doug Polen and
Christian Laveille win the world endurance prize, Shinichi Itoh and Toru
Ukawa score second successive Suzuka Eight Hours and Ben Bostrom takes
US
Superbike crown. Yasuo Ikenoya takes over as new president of HRC.
1999
Quietly spoken Spaniard Alex Criville and his NSR500 wrap up Honda’s
tenth
riders’ 500 World Championship, following Mick Doohan’s exit from the
sport due to injury. Emilio Alzamora and RS125R win 125 World
Championship, Honda’s tenth 125 riders’ prize. Tadayuki Okada and Alex
Barros win the Suzuka Eight Hours, Miguel Duhamel wins the Daytona on
200,
all on the hugely successful RC45.
2000
Honda launches its first big twin supersport bike, the VTR1000, which
Colin Edwards takes to a debut victory in the World Superbike
Championship. The VTR1000SPW also wins the Suzuka Eight Hours with Toru
Ukawa and Daijiro Kato. Premier-class debutant Valentino Rossi joins
Honda
and finishes second in the 500 World Championship aboard his NSR500.
Frederic Bolley wins second consecutive 250 MX world title on CR250R.
Dougie Lampkin wins the first of four back-to-back Trials World
Championships.
2001
Valentino Rossi closes GP racing’s 500 era by winning the final 500
World
Championship aboard his NSR500. The Italian superstar also wins Honda’s
500th GP victory at the Japanese Grand Prix and wins the Suzuka Eight
Hours riding a VTR1000SPW with partner Colin Edwards. Major Japanese
talent Daijiro Kato wins the 250 World Championship aboard a Honda
NSR250.
RC211V MotoGP machine seen in public for the first time at Motegi,
ridden
by Honda legends Mick Doohan and Freddie Spencer.
2002
Valentino Rossi wins inaugural MotoGP title aboard HRC’s acclaimed
RC211V.
Honda also takes Constructors’ World Championship by a large margin. The
V5 – which takes motorcycle racing
technology to a whole new level – wins all but two of the 16 GPs. Colin
Edwards wins his second World Superbike Championship aboard the
VTR1000SPW
and backs that up with another Suzuka Eight Hours success, riding a VTR
with Daijiro Kato. In the United States up-and-coming talent Nicky
Hayden
takes the US Superbike crown and Daytona 200 victory on a VTR. Frenchman
Fabien Foret scores Honda’s first World Supersport title riding a
CBR600R.
Suguru Kanazawa appointed HRC president.
2003
The RC211V once again dominates the MotoGP World Championship, winning
15
of 16 races. Valentino Rossi wins the riders’ title ahead of fellow
RC211V
riders Sete Gibernau and Max Biaggi. RC211V equipped with rotary
steering
damper. Dani Pedrosa wins his first world title in the 125 class, aboard
RS125R. The new CBR600RR, packed with HRC-derived MotoGP technology,
wins
the World Supersport title with Chris Vermeulen. Miguel Duhamel wins
Daytona 200. Yukio Nukumi and Manabu Kamada give the VTR1000SPW its
fourth
consecutive Suzuka Eight Hours victory. Ricky Carmichael wins second
consecutive US Supercross crown on CR250.
2004
Honda completes hat-trick of MotoGP Constructors World Championship with
the RC211V, now equipped with Intelligent Throttle Control system. Dani
Pedrosa wins 250 World Championship at his first attempt, with RS250RW.
Italian youngster Andrea Dovizioso takes 125 crown on RS125R. Toru
Ukawa/Hitoyasu Izutsu give the inline four CBR1000RR Fireblade its first
Suzuka Eight Hours success. Aussie Karl Muggeridge wins Supersport world
title on CBR600RR. Takahisa Fujinami wins Trials World Championships.
Satoru Horiike appointed managing director of HRC.
2005
Dani Pedrosa wins second consecutive 250 World Championship, which gives
Honda its 15th 250 riders’ crown and 19th 250 constructors’ title. Swiss
Thomas Luthi takes 125 World Championship aboard RS125R. Toru Ukawa and
Ryuichi Kiyonari win Honda’s 20th Suzuka Eight Hours victory on a
CBR1000RR. CBR600RR continues to dominate middleweight supersport
racing,
Sebastien
Charpentier taking the Supersport world title and Miguel Duhamel winning
Honda’s tenth Daytona 200 success.
2006
Nicky Hayden wins the final 990cc MotoGP title, riding new generation
RC211V using lighter, more powerful V5 engine. The Kentucky Kid also
wins
Honda’s 200th premier-class victory at the Dutch
TT. This is Honda’s 14th premier-class riders’ title and 17th
constructors’ crown. During MotoGP’s four-year 990cc era the V5 won an
astonishing 58 per cent of the races. At the Sachsenring Yukio Takahashi
secures double century 250cc class victories. Another great year for the
CBR600RR, Sebastien Charpentier takes second successive Supersport world
title and Jake Zemke wins Daytona 200. Takeshi Tsujimura and Shinichi
Itoh
win Honda’s tenth Suzuka Eight Hours win in a row, riding CBR1000RR.
2007
New MotoGP technical rules reduce engine capacity to 800cc. HRC
introduce
the RC212V 800cc four-stroke V4. Masumi Hamane appointed president of
HRC.
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