Honda Racing Corporation

This article is about Honda's motorsport subsidiary. For an overview of Honda's motorsport history, see Honda in motorsport. For Honda's factory MotoGP team, see Repsol Honda.

Honda Racing Corporation (HRC), also known as Honda Racing, is a motorsport subsidiary of the Honda Motor Company formed in 1982.^[3] From its founding, the company was initially solely responsible for Honda's motorcycle racing activities, before the brand's automobile racing activities were integrated into HRC's scope of work on 1 April 2022.^[4] The company combines participation in motorcycle races throughout the world with the development of racing machines. Its racing activities are an important source for the creation of technologies used in the development of Honda motorcycles. HRC activities include sales of production racing motorcycles, support for satellite teams, and rider education programs.

Honda Racing Corporation

Company type	Subsidiary^[1]
Industry	Automotive
Genre	Motorsport
Founded	September 1, 1982; 41 years ago (1982-09-01)
Headquarters	2-wheel centre: Asaka, Saitama, Japan 4-wheel centre: Sakura, Tochigi, Japan^[2]
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Koji Watanabe (president)
Products	High-performance auto parts
Services	Research and development
Parent	Honda
Website	honda.racing

In February 2023, the FIA confirmed that Honda, through HRC, is provisionally listed as a power unit manufacturer for 2026.^[5]

History

Initially, Honda's racing efforts were run from within the company. In the early 1970s, the Racing Service Center (RSC) was created as a separate company to oversee racing. On September 1, 1982, RSC became HRC, and ran Honda's road racing, endurance, trials and motocross racing programs.

Racing activities

Motorcycle racing

• Grand Prix motorcycle racing (MotoGP)

HRC is currently competing in the premier class of MotoGP as Repsol Honda. It also supplied engines to the Moto2 class as a designated supplier until 2018. In addition, it supplies works-specification vehicles to Honda customer teams in the Moto3 class.

• Superbike World Championship (SBK)

HRC competed as a works team in the Superbike World Championship under the Castrol Honda banner until the end of 2002. After that, other teams continued racing with Honda bikes. In 2019, the works backing returned for the first time in 17 years, with full support for the Moriwaki Althea Honda Team, a joint team of Moriwaki Engineering and Italy's Althea Racing. It was also announced that in 2020, HRC itself will organise and enter a works team for the first time in 18 years.

• All Japan Road Race Championship (JRR)

From 2007, HRC resumed activities in the JSB1000 class of the All Japan Road Race Championship, which continued until 2019, and from 2020 onwards it will concentrate on kit development for Honda teams. The team competed in the Superbike (SB) class until 2002 and in GP250 until 1999, with the exception of 1996.

• Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Road Race

From 2018, the HRC resumed its activities as a works team in the Suzuka 8 Hours for the first time in 10 years, winning the event in 2022. Eight of Honda's 10 consecutive victories in the event, which lasted from 1997 to 2006, were by HRC; from 1998 to 2006, the main sponsor was a tobacco brand (Lucky Strike in 1998 and 1999, Cabin in 2000–2002 and Seven Star in 2003–2006). The company continued to provide machines and support to private teams.

• Motocross World Championship (MXGP)

Honda won its first title in the 500cc class of the Motocross World Championship in 1979. Since then, the manufacturer has won 39 riders' titles and is still competing.

• AMA Motocross (AMX)/AMA Supercross (SX)/Supermotocross (SMX)

Honda won its first title in the 250cc class of AMA Motocross in 1973 when it debuted in the motocross market with the two-stroke engine CR250M. It has continued to compete in AMA Motocross ever since.

• All Japan Motocross Championship (JMX)

Team HRC ceased to compete as a works team in the All Japan Motocross Championship from 2020, but it will continue to support privateers.

• Trial World Championship (TrialGP)

HRC is currently competing in the Trial World Championship. It has a technical alliance with Spanish motorcycle manufacturer Montesa, with the works team entry named Repsol Montesa HRC.

• Dakar Rally/World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC)

At the request of Honda France, which was competing in the Dakar Rally, the team was provided with a modified XR500R machine from 1982. Cyril Neveu won the Dakar Rally that year. In 1986, the NXR750, a prototype machine with a liquid-cooled V-twin engine, was launched and won the rally four times in a row until 1989. In 1995, the team sent in a 400cc single-cylinder EXP-2 as an experimental machine with a two-stroke engine, which finished fifth overall and won the event in the under-500cc class. The company continued to provide support to riders on Honda vehicles, but in 2013 it returned as a works team for the first time in 24 years with the CRF450 Rally, which won the Cross-Country Rallies World Championship that year. In 2020, its eighth year back in the Dakar, HRC won the event overall for the first time in 31 years, and it repeated the feat the following year in 2021. In the World Rally-Raid Championship, which was created in 2022, HRC won the manufacturers' title in 2022 and 2023.

• Baja 1000

Originating as a project of Honda's North American subsidiary, the Baja 1000 desert race has been dominated by Honda since the late 1990s (in part due to the lack of rival works bikes), winning 17 consecutive events between 1997 and 2013.

Automobile racing

• Formula One (F1)

HRC's involvement in Formula One began in 2022, when it started supplying power units to Red Bull Racing and AlphaTauri through Red Bull Powertrains (RBPT). The power units were previously developed and manufactured by the Honda Motor Company itself. In 2022, they were badged as RBPT units, and from 2023 they will be known as Honda RBPT units. HRC will continue to manufacture, assemble and supply the current power units until the end of 2025.

From 2026, HRC will enter into a works contract with the Aston Martin F1 team to supply power units; HRC will be responsible for the development of the F1 power units and for race entry and management on the Honda side.

• Other

HRC has also taken over the domestic Japanese motorsport activities previously carried out by HRD Sakura, such as the development of the NSX and Civic Type R cars in the GT500 class of Super GT, and the supply of engines to Super Formula.

Research and development

User support

HRC has HRC Service Shops at 23 locations in Japan and seven sites overseas.

Ownership

HRC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Honda.

HRC team

HRC has a racing team that competes in World Superbikes, which is called Team HRC.

World Superbike

Honda Superbike

2023 name	Team HRC
Base	Saitama, Japan
Team principal/s	Leon Camier Project Director Team Manager
Race riders	7   Iker Lecuona 97   Xavi Vierge
Motorcycle	Honda CBR1000RR (2019→)
Tyres	Pirelli

Team HRC is the official factory team of the Honda Racing Corporation in the Superbike class of WorldSBK (World Championship road racing).

By season results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year	Bike	Team	Tyres	No.	Riders	1			2			3			4			5			6			7			8			9			10			11			12			13			Points	RC	Points	TC	Points	MC
						R1	SR	R2	R1	SR	R2	R1	SR	R2	R1	SR	R2	R1	SR	R2	R1	SR	R2	R1	SR	R2	R1	SR	R2	R1	SR	R2	R1	SR	R2	R1	SR	R2	R1	SR	R2	R1	SR	R2
2022	Honda CBR1000RR	Team HRC	P	7	Iker Lecuona	SPA 6	SPA 8	SPA 10	NED 5	NED 5	NED 3	POR 6	POR 4	POR 6	ITA 9	ITA 5	ITA 5	GBR 8	GBR 7	GBR 10	CZE 8	CZE 7	CZE Ret	FRA 9	FRA 11	FRA 10	SPA 6	SPA Ret	SPA 8	POR 11	POR 12	POR 22	ARG 4	ARG 6	ARG 7	INA DNS	INA DNS	INA DNS	AUS	AUS	AUS				9th	189	366	4th	258	5th
				49	Tetsuta Nagashima	SPA	SPA	SPA	NED	NED	NED	POR	POR	POR	ITA	ITA	ITA	GBR	GBR	GBR	CZE	CZE	CZE	FRA	FRA	FRA	SPA	SPA	SPA	POR	POR	POR	ARG	ARG	ARG	INA	INA	INA	AUS 10	AUS 19	AUS 9				21st	13
				97	Xavi Vierge	SPA 7	SPA 9	SPA 8	NED 11	NED 12	NED 9	POR 5	POR Ret	POR 9	ITA 7	ITA 4	ITA Ret	GBR 13	GBR 15	GBR 13	CZE 15	CZE 10	CZE 7	FRA 13	FRA Ret	FRA Ret	SPA 12	SPA 7	SPA 6	POR 8	POR 10	POR 8	ARG 9	ARG 8	ARG 6	INA 6	INA 9	INA 7	AUS 8	AUS 8	AUS Ret				10th	164
2023	Honda CBR1000RR	Team HRC	P	7	Iker Lecuona	AUS 6	AUS 8	AUS 6	INA 12	INA 16	INA 9	NED Ret	NED 11	NED Ret	SPA 6	SPA 4	SPA 9	ITA 8	ITA NC	ITA DNS	GBR Ret	GBR 13	GBR 14	ITA Ret	ITA 13	ITA 10	CZE 5	CZE 10	CZE 12	FRA 14	FRA 12	FRA 11	SPA 10	SPA 6	SPA 6	POR 8	POR 5	POR 7	SPA 9	SPA 13	SPA 16				143	13th	292	5th	205	5th
				97	Xavi Vierge	AUS 7	AUS 12	AUS 11	INA 7	INA 6	INA 3	NED 11	NED 9	NED Ret	SPA 8	SPA 9	SPA 6	ITA 10	ITA 8	ITA 5	GBR 11	GBR 14	GBR Ret	ITA 12	ITA 19	ITA 14	CZE 17	CZE Ret	CZE 9	FRA 12	FRA 9	FRA 9	SPA 12	SPA 7	SPA 8	POR 10	POR 9	POR 15	SPA 10	SPA 11	SPA 13				149	10th

^* Season still in progress.

See also

• Honda racing motorcycles
• Honda RC211V
• Honda RC212V
• Honda RC213V
• Honda RCV1000R
• Honda NR500
• Honda NSR500
• Honda MT125R
• Honda RS125R
• Honda RS250R
• Honda NSF250R
• Honda RC30
• Honda RC45
• Honda RC51

References

1. "Honda Global | Honda World Links". global.honda (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-01-11.
2. "Honda Performance Development Joins Honda Racing Corporation to Establish Global Honda Motorsports Organization". Honda Racing Newsroom. 2023-09-21. Retrieved 2024-01-10.
3. "HRC Company Information".
4. "HRC explains its future operational policy at a press conference". Honda.Racing. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
5. "FIA Confirms 2026 Formula 1 Power Unit Supplier Registrations". Federation Internationale de l'Automobile. 2023-02-03.

External links

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Honda Racing Corporation.

• Official website
• Official website for Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) in motorcycle racing