Fast Wash means Fast Bike: The Battle with Mud and Dust
Honda Power Products Supporting All Japan Motocross Champion

Motocross is an off-road racing category, held on dirt or unpaved roads. It is the most physical of all motorcycle racing, and is often referred to as “martial arts on dirt.” Riders must clear corners by sliding their tires, ride over a series of uneven surfaces, and speed over jumps that can reach several tens of meters in distance. People who watch motocross for the first time are sure to be amazed by the power of the sport.

A Motocross Legend and a Four Year Old Girl

There was a 4-year-old girl who is fascinated by motocross. Manaka Kawai, now 22, who won the All Japan Motocross Championship Ladies’ class in 2020, 2021, and 2023, and is now called the Queen. is by far the strongest rider in the sport.

When she was only 4 years old, Kawai once saw a small motorcycle in action, while she was riding in her father’s car. This was in Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture, where there is a dirt square 50 meters long and 15 meters wide. There are large mounds, surrounded by sponge barriers. This is the course for the Kids Riding School, run by T.E. Sports for novice riders from 3 years old to junior high school students. Kawai had seen this course many times in his father's car.

T.E. Sports stands for Tofukuji Enterprise Sports, a team run by Yasuo Tofukuji, a legend in the Japanese motocross world. Tofukuji competed in the All Japan Motocross Championship and won nine International Class A titles, the highest class in Japan, from 1976 to 1992. He is still called the strongest rider in Japanese motocross history.

Tofukuji retired from racing in 1992, and since 1996 has coached many riders who would later become famous in the sport, while working toward increasing the popularity of motocross and motorsports from kids to adults. In 2023, Tofukuji was awarded the “Person of Merit in Sports” award by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in recognition of his achievements.

“When I retired, Honda asked me to run a school for young people. While traveling to school events around the country, I began to think that the children were the most important in the future, and I felt the need for a permanent course, so I built a hands-on course for children at this location,” said Tofukuji.

“Motocross Champion” Written in a Primary School Graduation Book

“I often heard children crying on the course and wondered if something happened or if they were injured, but when I went to see, I found Manaka begging her parents not to take her home, because she still wanted to ride. I remember we all told her that her time had ended and she would ride again the next time,” said Tofukuji.

Since then, Kawai quickly improved as a motocross rider. In Grade 6, she competed in the All Japan Motocross Championship. She even wrote in her primary school graduation book, “My dream is to be a motocross champion.” She won her first All Japan Motocross championship at the age of 14, a record in Japanese ladies’ motocross which is still unbroken.

In 2020, at the age of 18, Kawai won her first championship, winning every round, and claimed the title again in 2021 and 2023.

In 2024, Kawai won the opening round, but was disqualified after post-race scrutineering found a violation. She had started the season at the bottom of the standings, but won four of the next five races, and was tied in second after the penultimate round. In the final round, Kawai was far behind in the early stages, but moved up the field to take the lead in the closing laps, and won, claiming her fourth All-Japan title. She had won four times in the past five years, undoubtedly giving her a place in Japanese ladies motocross history.

Race or Practice, Honda’s Power Products are Always Close By

In motocross races, held regardless of weather, riders are covered in mud and dust, which they remove at the bike wash as soon as the race ends. They then carefully wash off the mud stuck to their boots using high-pressure washers. This is why the riders’ clothes are always clean and admired by the children who come to watch the races.

“The team now uses Honda’s WS1513 high-pressure washer. This is the most powerful washer in the paddock! Depending on the course, there are times when the mud sticks like clay, which is difficult to remove, but the WS1513 cleans it off in no time at all. Then we can go right back to the pits and get ready for the next race,” says Kawai.

In the bike wash area, dozens of high-pressure washers brought in by the teams were lined up chaotically. After the riders had cleaned the mud and dust off their clothes, it was the mechanics’ turn to wash the bikes.

“In motocross, it is important to ride, maintain, and wash. In order to keep the bike in perfect condition, the first step is to wash and maintain it. If the bike is not washed and clean, you can’t begin maintenance. When I started motocross, I had to pour water into a bucket and remove mud with a spatula and brush. Now, with a high-pressure washer, I can do it in no time at all. Even washing the bike is fun. The bike washer is an indispensable maintenance tool because it allows me to finish washing the bike quickly, giving us more time for maintenance,” says Tofukuji.

“Manaka really hate losing. That hasn’t changed since she was in kindergarten. After she started winning races, All I had to do was make a suggestion on how to prepare her mindset, and other things not related to riding. She absorbed it quickly,” recalls Tofukuji.

“My manager doesn’t give us any detailed instructions, but instead always maintains our bikes beautifully. Now, when I’m feeling a bit uncertain, he just says a few words. That’s deep, and it works,” Kawai says.

What was his best advice?

“He told me to enjoy riding. There was a time when I almost gave up motocross because I couldn’t win for several years before I became a champion. He asked me if I was enjoying riding, and if not, I wouldn’t improve. I have always kept that advice in my mind,” recalled Kawai.

“Did I say that? But I always tried to enjoy riding, even when I was a rider. Manaka’s riding is cool. She is good at cornering and jumps beautifully. So, I might have told her to show it off to everyone. She has a natural instinct to change her racing line from lap to lap. Where other riders would set one spot as the best line and stick to it, she would quickly change it. That’s why she is fast. That must be Manaka’s talent," said Tofukuji.

During races and training, the team sets up a tent for the pits, where there is a space for maintenance and a rest area for riders and staff in the back. In the tent which has no power supply, T.E. Sports uses a Honda EU28is generator. The EU28is powers blowers to blast water droplets from washed bikes and air tools for servicing the bikes.

“Currently, T.E. Sports has eight riders, plus mechanics and support staff, which make a total of about 30 people. We cook meals in the tents, and when it is hot, we turn on cooling fans. Honda’s generators run quietly, even if we use them all day long,” says Junko Negishi, manager and team public relations officer.

Honda’s high-pressure cleaners and generators are always near the T.E. Sports tent and pits.

Honda Power Products have supported Kawai in winning the ladies motocross title.