HONDA The Power of Dreams

Honda participated in the 2006 Goodwood Festival of Speed held in Goodwood, Sussex, England from Friday, July 7 to Sunday, July 9, 2006.

In the time trial held on the second day, Saturday July 8, and the final day on Sunday, Honda’s various machines from the 60s to the present day raced on the 1.16-mile (1.856 km) hill climb course that runs through the vast Goodwood grounds. A large crowd watched Honda motorcycles thunder by ridden by riders from the past such as Luigi Taveri and Tommy Robb, Ron Haslam, nicknamed “Rocket Ron” for his brilliant race starts, and current MotoGP rider Casey Stoner and Isle of Man TT race champion John McGregor, and the Isle of Man TT race champion John McGuinness. Spectators were also treated to Honda’s racing cars, piloted by drivers including WGP and F1 world champion John Surtees, and Honda Racing F1 Team’s Jenson Button, Anthony Davidson, and Gil de Ferran.

The Goodwood Festival of Speed was established in 1993 by Sir Charles March, who opened up his vast private estate to the public, and has become one of the largest historic motorsports events in the world. Honda has participated in the event for eight consecutive years since 1999, when it was invited by Lord March. Last year, Honda became the first Japanese car manufacturer to serve as the main sponsor of the event.

The participating racing machines, riders and drivers are as follows:

I’ve been to this Festival of Speed many, many times and have ridden many of Honda’s great bikes. It has been a long time since I have ridden this vintage 250cc 4-cylinder 1961 RC162 and I think it is the best bike I have ever ridden. It is a very, very nice bike. The carburation, the acceleration, everything is just great!

It’s always great to come to Goodwood because there are so many spectators and everyone is enjoying the riders’ performances. Of course, I enjoy it too! I love coming here. I also want to thank Honda for bringing their wonderful bikes all the way from Japan every year.

For me, it'’ probably been 43-44 years since I’ve ridden an RC162. But I can still remember those Grand Prix races like it was yesterday. It was like going back to the 1960's, because beautiful RC162 restored as if it were new. It was like going back to the 1960s. I want to thank the guys at the collection hall again for getting the bike in such good shape and I can’t wait to ride here again.

As I said to Kawamoto-san (former Honda president), this is always a true “old boys” reunion. And if it weren’t for Honda and their collection hall, it would not have been possible. So for us, coming here and riding on the well-maintained bikes, and everything, is fantastic. I think all the staff at the collection hall does a fantastic job of maintaining the great bikes. It’s just fantastic. This is a very special weekend for us and we look forward to it every year. It was a lot of fun, and I want to thank Honda.

I rode Honda’s 6-cylinder RC174 and I still think it is the best bike ever made. The best in the world. It’s truly amazing. I think the visitors agree with me. Every time I passed by everyone, I heard cheers of “Fantastic!”

It’s been a long time since I’ve ridden this bike, the ELF-3, and it’s a great feeling to be racing up the hill climb course on it. This brings back a lot of old memories. The bike was restored exactly at Grand Prix level. Not only the bike, but the maintenance and setup were great. It’s hard to put in words, but it felt just like the old times. “Fantastic” is the only word to describe it.

I'm really enjoying it. It's a lot of fun to see all the “old boys” and all the bikes from yesteryear. All the classic bikes we grew up dreaming about. It was also good to get together with other riders again. We were all in different championships and they are not always held at the same time, so it is hard to catch up with each other. It’s a great event to come out here and see all the great bikes running and meet all the different people.

It was my first time here, so to actually be a part of it was a great experience. I really enjoyed it. It was really fun doing wheelies and max turns.

This was definitely different than anything I’ve done before. This was more like a show than a race, so there were a lot of things to take care of. Today the track was dusty and there was not much grip. I’d run the hill climb, get to the top, and get lost from there. I’ve done this event before and this is my third year, but I still don’t know where I’m going. Is it left, right, or straight ahead? But anyway, it’s a fun event. The audience is happy that we’re here. Everyone is having fun. And it’s great to see these bikes up close and personal.

This is my first year and it’s very exciting. I’ve seen this event on TV at home before ,and saw all the F1 and WGP stars. It’s a real honor to be a part of it and to be able to ride up the Goodwood hill climb side by side with these legends. I’m really enjoying it!

Goodwood is a great event that attracts a wide range of people, families and couples. I always think it’s the best feeling to come here every year and ride in front of such a large crowd.

I think the Goodwood Festival is an event with broad appeal. The important thing about this event is the excitement, the enthusiasm, but it’s not just for the adults, it’s one big family gathering. We also have young fans here, which is very important because they are our future supporters. It’s also great to have companies like Honda, who have built a long history in both motorcycle and car racing. This is my life itself. Also, Honda has taken the time and effort to restore these bikes and cars, and I think they are in better condition than they were at the time. I think this is very commendable, and I think the visitors agree with me. Formula 1 cars have been in the spotlight a lot lately, and they have very different elements now than they did in the past. They look different, they sound different, and in many other ways they are different. What Honda is going to do in the future will in some way be influenced by the past and by the people we have developed together. That is what I mean by being part of a big family. When we came back here, we were all part of a big family, and we all had our own dreams. Well, anyway, it’s a lot of fun to come here and reunite with old friends and machines.

It was a fun day at Goodwood. I’ve been here many times already and it’s really fun to see all the fans. It’s great for them to be able to see so many different cars running so close. It was a shame that I couldn’t drive the RA301 in the morning because of the weather, but it cleared up in the afternoon and I drove my regular car, the RA106. It’s always fun to drive here and the fans really love the burnouts.

This is the first time I’ve driven a new car at Goodwood. It was a lot of fun to drive a car I know so well in a completely different environment. Usually when I drive I am in it to win, so this time I just drove for fun. I think this is very good for everyone in the team.

When I was still racing, it was difficult to come to Goodwood because there were always schedule conflicts. The first thing I did after I retired was to participate in Goodwood. It has always been an honor for me to be in this event. The first year I did it, I drove Ayrton Senna’s McLaren, and this year I got to drive one of Honda’s early F1 cars, the RA301, which was really great. I love these old cars, but look at the condition they are in now, they look like they just left the factory yesterday, right? You can clearly see how much pride the people who work on these cars take in their work. I’m a sucker for craftsmanship, and I think the work here is superb. I mean, from the way the paint is applied to the fine welds on the suspension and chassis, you can see the extreme detail and attention to detail. So it’s a great honor to be entrusted to drive and handle these cars. I am very tall and a little overweight these days, so I was a little worried at first that I wouldn’t fit in this car, but I had no problem. The length, which is usually a problem, was sufficient and the ride was great. It ran great and was easy to drive. There was plenty of low rev torque, so I had no trouble getting up the hill. I was able to take it easy and not push too hard, just a light demonstration.

Goodwood is a great event. I’m enjoying it like a little boy, and I think it’s a great experience for all the fans to see the drivers and cars up so close.