Freddie Spencer won the race before Honda Motor's Founder, Soichiro Honda, pushing forward to reclaim the title.
The start of the 500cc class final at the 1985 World Grand Prix opening race, the South African GP. From the right side of the photo, Spencer is in pole position, Eddie Lawson (Yamaha Team Agostini) is in second place in the qualifiers, Christian Sarron (Sonauto Yamaha) is in third place, Ron Haslam (Honda Britain) is in fourth place, and Wayne Gardner (Honda Britain) in fifth place. Haslam and Gardner were riding NS500s. Until the following year, 1986, the start of the World Grand Prix was a push-start. (Photo/Jiro Ishida)
The NV0B that competed in Daytona was sent to South Africa. On the other hand, parts such as a countermeasure chamber with thicker steel plates were brought from Japan as hand luggage by the HRC staff. The 1985 World Grand Prix opening race, the South African GP, was also the first GP race where Honda Works was in the colors of Rothmans (A British cigarette brand that was the main sponsor of Team HRC during the World Grand Prix from 1985 to 1993). In the qualifying round, Spencer and NV0B won the pole position and led from the start of the final. However, on the eighth lap, they were passed by Yamaha's Eddie Lawson and could not overtake, finishing in second place.
They couldn't win because they suffered from chattering (a phenomenon in which the front tire bounces finely and the steering shakes) halfway through the race. For Spencer, whose riding was free thanks to the front's stability, this was a matter of life and death. This phenomenon didn't become apparent at Daytona, where they used tires with a harder structure and compound, but it appeared in the first race of the World Grand Prix.
Spencer + Honda NSR500 and Lawson + Yamaha YZR500 competed for the lead in the South African GP final. The NSR won at Daytona but was defeated when the stage moved to the World Grand Prix. HRC was made painfully aware that their rivals had also powerfully evolved their machines, and they could not let their guard down. (Photo/Shigeo Kibiki)
HRC tried to increase the NV0B's front load to suppress chattering. The method they used this time was to move the position of the steering head pipe on the frame by about 10 mm toward the center of the bike. They removed the head pipe from the NV0B frame, hollowed out the holder to enlarge the hole, and repositioned the head pipe to the desired position, which was then welded together. A 16 mm-longer swingarm, or one chain link, was manufactured and combined, allowing the engine and rider's riding positions to be relatively forward without changing the wheelbase, increasing the front load.
The NV0B, with the measures taken, was brought to Rijeka, Yugoslavia, where Spencer conducted testing. After confirming the appropriate effect, the standard specification from the second round, the Spanish GP, was made.
Soichiro Honda was at that Spanish GP. He often showed up at HRC and was interested in motorcycle racing activities. However, in the qualifying session, Spencer + NV0B came in second place, only 0.03 seconds behind.
With the arrival of Soichiro Honda, HRC's pit at the Spanish GP was inevitably filled with tension. The person (pictured in the center) explaining the situation to Soichiro was Takeo Fukui, HRC's general manager of development and racing operations. (Photo/Shigeo Kibiki)
"Remove the reed valve because it's resistance! Generate power and win!" Soichiro yelled. It must have been his first-class scolding, but the pressure on Team HRC inevitably increased. Then, Spencer fell during the warm-up session on the morning of the final day, and the tension in the team reached its peak.
The only frame with a modified head pipe position was the one from the fallen bike, so HRC rushed to repair it. Spencer also had a cracked thumb bone. However, he forced himself to participate in the final and won the race before Soichiro.
Soichiro Honda came to the Spanish GP. This race was like a "match for the Emperor" for Honda, and despite an injury, Spencer won the race by more than 13 seconds over the second place. (Photo/Shigeo Kibiki)
