Racing has always been at the heart of Honda, indeed racing is Honda’s very DNA. From the very beginning company founder Soichiro Honda insisted that his engineers prove the company’s engineering capabilities and accelerate development by testing their creations in the white heat of competition. It has always been thus, from Honda’s very first Model A to the current RC212V MotoGP weapon. As current HRC president Masumi Hamane says: “A racing motorcycle is a rolling laboratory that provides us with live information and the racetrack is the stage where our dreams come true.”
American riders have played a huge part in the success of Michelin in motorcycling’s premier-class World Championship. Six legends from the USA have won a total of ten 500cc/MotoGP crowns with Michelin tyres over the past quarter of a century.