Honda Power Products Supporting JTR Champion Tomoyuki Ogawa

“Do you have a power … outlet?”
(Tomoyuki Ogawa, TEAM MITANI Honda)

In professional Japanese motorcycle motorsports, there is an absolute champion in trials, a sport that ranks alongside road racing and motocross: Tomoyuki Ogawa.

Ogawa has won the MFJ All Japan Trial Championship (JTR) series 13 times, including 11 consecutive seasons from 2013.

Trial competition is the only category in motorcycle motorsports in which riders compete not on speed, but on skill in clearing difficult “sections.” The riders must complete laps within a limited time on natural terrain, around sections with obstacles such as rocks, cliffs, occasional rain-slicked mud slopes, and logs. Points are deducted if a rider’s foot touches the ground or if any part of the tire goes off the designated course, and the winner is determined by how few points are deducted. The competitors compete against each other to achieve a “clean” score, or zero points deducted.

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Wassamu Trial Park is located in Chitose, Hokkaido. A JTR round is held at the park, a vast site that takes advantage of the natural terrain. The paddock area, where the teams service their bikes, is located in the parking lot, a short distance from the sections.

Teams set up their pits in tents or transporters (trucks) in this parking lot, but naturally, there is no power supply for the paddock area. Ogawa’s team, TEAM MITANI Honda, set up a Honda EU26i generator behind the tent, which is used for bike maintenance and cleaning after each run.

“We basically bring the bike ready to race, but since the trial is generally two laps of sections, I sometimes connect the air compressor to the generator to wash the bike after the first run.”

Checking tire pressure is also vital. In trials, adjusting the air pressure just right can determine the outcome.

“Tire pressure for ordinary road bikes is around 2.0 kg/cm³ or 2.5 kg/cm³, but trial bikes have a much lower tire pressure between 0.3 kg/cm³ to 0.5 kg/cm³. You can easily push trial bike tires in because they have to bite into slopes and obstacles throughout the sections. We had to manage the air pressure precisely according to the characteristics of the course, so in the days when there was no power supply, we had to use a hand-pump. Even today, many amateur trial riders use bicycle air pumps.

Ogawa began competing in bicycle trials when he was nine years old. Influenced by his father, who was an amateur trial rider, Ogawa used to ride bicycles on the practice fields and play on children’s minibikes.

“When I was a kid, I wanted to be a soccer player, but I really enjoyed playing on bikes, which was something like trials. I started out by competing in bicycle trials, and at 14 I became the world champion in bicycle trials. At that time, I had already started motorcycle trials.”

Many riders who say they rode motorcycles since they were small usually aspire to become road racers or motocross riders. Not Ogawa. He chose to compete in trials.

“ I didn’t know about road racing! I learned about motocross later, but I was brought up on trials. My home was in Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture, so I knew of the Suzuka Circuit, but I thought it was an amusement park. Also, there was a trials facility called the Honda Vials Park at the Suzuka Circuit at the time, so that’s what it meant to me.”

The year after winning the world bicycle trial championship, Ogawa moved on to motorcycle trials. He soon became champion in the classes he entered in 1991 and 1992, and in 1993, he was ranked second in the premier class of the All Japan championship. In 1995 and 1996 he competed in the World Championship. He returned to Japan in 1997, and won the All Japan championship in the premier class in 2007.

“I was 15 when I won my first All Japan championship, and 31 when I won my first championship in the premier class, so that’s a long time if you think about it.”

In motorcycle motorsports, not just trials, the peak of a rider’s career is said to be in their early 30s. Ogawa has won 13 championships since he became 31. In 2024, he turned 47. It is rare, anywhere in the world, to be a champion at this age.

“I am still working hard, even though my racing career turned out to be different to what I imagined it would be when I was young, and I still have a strong desire not to lose to my rivals. I really want to take care of my injuries properly, but I don’t have much time for that.”

In addition to being a top professional rider, Ogawa also runs the GATTI School. For 20 years, Ogawa has been running a trials school for children to promote trials in Japan.

“To run a trials school, I need to be a top rider. Students come here because it is run by the All Japan champion, and come to watch demonstration runs at events. My problem is that my racing and school schedule doesn’t leave much time for training and taking care of my body.”

Generators and power sources are important equipment for demo runs and schools as well. Schools do not have power, because they are held at trial fields and public squares where we get permission. Power is needed for the speakers and amplifiers essential for demo runs and schools.

“I think I am the best in Japan clearing sections while continuously talking through a wireless headset sent to PA systems. I may be exaggerating when I say I am doing this for the Japanese trial world, but I would like to continue to do schools and demo runs in the future.”

An increasing number Ogawa’s students have grown up, and challenge him professionally. Yohito Takeda, who is currently competing in the All Japan championship like Ogawa, started attending the school after seeing Ogawa’s trial demo run when he was in the second grade, and is now trying to become a threat to Ogawa.

“One of these days, one of my students will beat me. But I think that it has to happen, otherwise trials won’t develop as a sport.”

Honda’s generators play a part in supporting Ogawa’s passion.

Honda’s Power Products support motorsports all over the world.