Honda Announces 2015 Motorcycle Motorsports Program Overview - Global Plans for Honda Works Teams -

November 4, 2014, Italy

Corporate

MILAN, Italy, November 4, 2014 - Honda Motor Co., Ltd. today announced plans for Honda’s works teams*1 for global motorcycle racing activities in the 2015 season, at the 2014 EICMA Show (Milan Show) in Milan, Italy.

Since its foundation, Honda has been committed to taking on challenges in racing activities, recognizing them as a “driving force of Honda.” Honda has been honing its technologies by competing in a number of motorsports all around the world, and the Racing Spirit and new ideas amassed through racing activities have been utilized for many Honda products. As a leading mobility company, Honda will continue providing fun and joy to its customers and fans through both mass-production models and racing activities. In doing so, Honda, together with its customers, will realize aspirations under Honda’s corporate slogan of “The Power of Dreams.”

1. Review of 2014 global motorcycle racing activities by Honda works teams

  • MotoGP/FIM*2 Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix Series: the Honda works team, Repsol Honda Team, competed in the MotoGP, the premier class in the FIM Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix Series. In the 2014 season, Marc Márquez won the riders’ title for the second consecutive year, and Honda clinched the constructors’ title for the fourth year running. At the Valencia Grand Prix – the final race of this season – to be held this weekend, the team will be aiming to win the team title, securing back-to-back Triple Crown (all three titles).
  • FIM Trial World Championship Series (WCT): starting with this 2014 season, Honda began competing in the WCT as a works team, the Repsol Honda Team, and Toni Bou won the championship for an unprecedented 8th consecutive year.
  • FIM Motocross World Championship Series (MXGP, formerly known as WMX): starting with this 2014 season, Honda began competing in the premier MXGP (450 cc) class as a works team, Team HRC, and finished the season with its highest rank of 6th.
  • The Dakar Rally 2014: the Honda works team, Team HRC, competed in the Dakar Rally in January 2014. In this second season of the challenge, the team won in 6 out of 13 stages. Moreover, the team competed in the 2014 FIM Cross Country Rally, known as a run-up to the Dakar Rally 2015, which will begin on January 4, 2015, and Helder Rodrigues, Joan Barreda and Paulo Goncalves finished into top 5th ranking or better, representing the steady advancement being made by the team.
  • *1Works team is a team operated by the manufacturer of the racing machine.
  • *2FIM is an abbreviation for the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme.

2. Outline of 2015 Global Motorsports Participation by Honda Motorcycle Works Teams

[ Road Racing ]

FIM Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix Series

<MotoGP Class>

Honda will compete in the “Factory Option,*3” aiming to replicate last season’s success by winning the “triple crown” titles of the riders’, constructors’ and team championships.

Honda’s works team, Repsol Honda Team, will again feature the duo of Marc Márquez, who won the rider’s championship for the second consecutive year, and Dani Pedrosa, who currently ranks 4th (as of November 4, 2014).

Factory Option

Team Number Machine Rider Age Nationality 2014 result
Repsol Honda Team 93 RC213V Marc Márquez 21 Spain MotoGP Champion
26 Dani Pedrosa 29 Spain MotoGP 4th
(as of Nov. 4, 2014)
  • *Participations in MotoGP by team other than the works team, Moto2 and Moto3 teams will be announced at a later date.
  • *3Since 2014, the MotoGP, the premier class of the FIM Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix Series, has been staging its races in two categories, namely the “Factory Option” and the “Open Category” (replaces the former CRT class). In the Factory Option, it is possible to modify the ECU (engine control unit) software provided by the organizer, while up to five engine units may be used on the same vehicle in one season and a fuel tank capacity of up to 20L is allowed. In the Open Category, ECU software modifications are not allowed, but up to 12 engine units can be used per vehicle during a season and the maximum fuel tank capacity is 24L.

[ Trial ]

◆FIM Trial World Championship Series (WCT)

In 2015 season, the team will strive to win the riders’ championship for the ninth consecutive seasons and the constructor’s championship for the tenth consecutive seasons with Toni Bou, the reigning for the eighth year running, and Takahisa Fujinami who finished last season in 5th.

Team Number Machine Rider Age Nationality 2014 result
Repsol Honda Team 1 COTA 4RT Toni Bou 28 Spain WCT Champion
5 Takahisa Fujinami 34 Japan (Mie prefecture) WCT 5th

[ Mtocross ]

◆FIM Motocross World Championship Series

Honda will aim to take the podium in any given race in the premier MXGP class (formerly known as MX1) of the FIM Motocross World Championship Series (MXGP), as a works team, Team HRC, featuring Evgeny Bobryshev and newly-contracted Gautier Paulin, who ranked 8th in 2014 season.

MXGP (formerly known as MX1)

Team Class Number Machine Rider Age Nationality 2014 result
Team HRC MXGP
(former MX1)
777 CRF450RW Evgeny Bobryshev 26 Russia MXGP 14th
12 Gautier Paulin 24 France MXGP 8th

2stroke: 175cc-250cc/4stroke: 290cc-450cc
* Participations in MX2 Class will be announced at a later date.

[ Rally ]

◆The Dakar 2015 Argentina-Bolivia-Chile

Honda works team, Team HRC, will compete in the Dakar 2015 Argentina-Bolivia-Chile which will begin on January 4, 2015. The team will strive to win overall victory with five riders, namely Helder Rodrigues, Joan Barreda, Paulo Goncalves, the top Chile rider, Jeremias Israel, and highly talented Laia Sanz who was named the best female rider in Dakar 2014.

Team Number Machine Rider Age Nationality 2014 result
Team HRC * CRF450 RALLY Helder Rodrigues 35 Portugal Dakar 2014
5th overall
* Joan Barreda 31 Spain Dakar 2014
7th overall
Victories in 5 stages
* Paulo Goncalves 35 Portugal Dakar 2014
Withdrew
* Jeremias Israel 33 Chile Dakar 2014
Withdrew
* Laia Sanz 28 Spain Dakar 2014
16th overall
  • *More details will be announced as they are decided.