On Honda: remarks concerning their past and present involvement in moto-roadracing

My family and I have cumulatively owned 3 cars, 1 scooter, 2 motorcycles, 2 lawnmowers, a weed-eater, and a generator all designed and produced by the well-known automotive giant, Honda. I have always found Honda to produce intuitive, easy to maintain, wonderfully engineered products with a longevity rivaled by few other companies. I recommend a Honda product to anyone that is looking for an all around good machine that will do the job for which it was designed, without fault.

However, in my knowledge of the motorcycle roadracing world - which has been gleaned from almost 8 years of diligently poring over any magazine, book, and internet site on the subject - I have found Honda (particularly the Honda Racing Corporation (HRC)) to be less than loyal to its racers and fans. This is a pretty strong statement, coming from a lifelong supporter of Honda products, so let me provide a few examples of the attitude which prompted me to put forth such an accusation.

1.) Colin Edwards and World Superbike: Facing a scattered factory Ducati Corse squad in 2000 on a then-new RC-51, Colin won the WSBK championship for HRC. In 2001, as Ducati put their garage back in order, centered around their new lead rider, Troy Bayliss, Colin could not overcome the chatter problems that plagued the RC-51 that year, but still put up a good fight while losing the championship to Bayliss. The following year (2002) went down in history as a season-long battle between two riders at the peak of their game. Bayliss won nearly every race during the beginning of the season, Colin won nearly every race towards the end of the season. It all came down to the Battle at Imola, which any true race fan will never forget. The result was Colin winning a second World Superbike championship for HRC, with Bayliss a close second.

One would think that Edwards' accomplishments for HRC would have put him in the running for the HRC MotoGP ride that had opened for the 2003 season, especially considering that Bayliss was destined to make the switch as well, aboard the new Ducati Desmosedici. It would have been great to see their battles continue on the MotoGP stage for a couple of years. However, much to my chagrin, that was not to be.

In a prime example of Honda betrayal (and loyalty- more on that later), the ride was given to rising star, Nicky Hayden. Hayden was the youngest ever champion of the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) Superbike Championship (2002), and former AMA Supersport champion (1999). Although Hayden should definetly have been given the opportunity for bigger and better things, it is my humble opinion that Hayden should have been given Edwards' seat in WSBK where he could have learned the European tracks and honed his abilities on a superbike, while Edwards should have been rewarded for his two world championships with the vacant MotoGP ride. However, perhaps because of the large sum of American Honda money that would accompany Hayden to MotoGP, HRC dumped Edwards, who was forced to take a substandard ride on the new (and ultimately doomed) Aprilia RS Cube.

Edwards' season was dismal, and Nicky Hayden failed to produce a win until 2005, while the his championship didn't arrive until the following season. This was, I firmly believe, because Hayden was still learning the tracks and the lifestyle, both of which he could have adjusted to in WSBK, while boosting his confidence and perhaps earning another championship. Meanwhile, had Edwards been given the best bike in the paddock (the Repsol Honda RC211V), it is possible that he could have produced the results that Hayden couldn't at first. Unfortunately, we will never know.

2.) Nicky Hayden and MotoGP: Don't let my comments mislead you though, Nicky Hayden is a great rider that deserves everything he has gotten. Beyond riding ability, Nicky has a work ethic and easygoing nature that should be imitated by all top-caliber motorcycle riders.
While Nicky's elevation to MotoGP was a reward for two national championships with American Honda (Supersport and Superbike), he was also destined to get the HRC knife placed firmly between his shoulder blades.

During the 2006 season in which he won the championship, Hayden was under pressure to perform. He had been with the HRC squad for quite some time in MotoGP, and many thought he should have done better with the equipment at his disposal. Perhaps because of this, HRC placed him in a developmental position throughout the season, trying out new parts on his bike constantly, while new-hire Dani Pedrosa rode Valentino Rossi's former championship-winning version of the RC211V (one year removed, as Rossi won the title on a Yamaha in 2005).

While riding a frame designed for the next-generation 800cc MotoGP bike, which was significantly smaller than what Nicky preferred, he won the championship for HRC. In spite of all that his detractors had to say against him, Nicky earned the championship by placing ahead of Rossi in the last race of the season at Valencia, which was won by Troy Bayliss on a wildcard Ducati ride in reward for his 2nd World Superbike Championship.

The next season, the first of the 800cc era, one would have expected HRC to sidle up to Hayden, and provide him with whatever he needed to defend his (and their) championship. Ou contraire, mon fraire. HRC instead produced a motorcycle obviously designed for the much smaller Pedrosa, and Hayden was pushed (figuratively speaking) to the back of the HRC garage. To date, Dani has not produced a championship (though he has produced controversy by influencing another HRC betrayal - of longtime partner Michelin tires - when he demanded Bridgestone tires mid-season, a move rendered pointless by the adoption of Bridgestone as the control-tire for the 2009 season), while Hayden has moved to the factory Ducati squad. Marlboro Ducati was very quick to snap Hayden up, in obvious recognition of his skills, a nice switch from the treatment he received from HRC. It should be noted that Hayden, throughout this whole affair, was hardly ever anything other than gracious and humble in his referral to HRC and their treatment of him.

3.) American Honda steps out: Following the controversy over Daytona Motorsport Group's (DMG) purchase and subsequent revamp of the AMA superbike Championship, the proposed participation of the manufacturers has been on-again, off-again at best. However, shortly after assuring all their staff and employees (including contracted riders) that American Honda was going racing in 2009, and barely a week after American Honda rider Niel Hodgson posted the best lap times during the Daytona Dunlop Tire Test, Honda announced that they would not be participating in American roadracing for this year, due to "current global economic situation and its impact on Honda." While that is understandable, it is (in my mind) just one more example of Honda saying one thing while doing another. If everything was that uncertain, it would seem prudent to hold off on assuring employees that they all had jobs for 2009.

I want to close by saying that I still love Honda products, and that I continue to believe that they make some of the best cars and motorcycles that money can buy. Also, it should be noted HRC regularly promotes riders that have shown loyalty to them (Andrea Dovizioso, Dani Pedrosa, and many more), and that other companies are also perpetrators of the kinds of betrayal mentioned here. A prime example: Ducati pawned Troy Bayliss off to Camel Honda in 2005 after one poor season on a still-developing bike. Bayliss returned to MotoGP for one round, the aforementioned Valencia 2006, and won on the same bike, albeit with a one more year of development time.
So, HRC is not the only monster in the paddock, but perhaps they are the biggest.

As a student of Japanese history, I think it is also pertinent to mention that Japanese lords have never been as loyal to their warriors as their warriors were to them, and Japanese culture is still very heavy on tradition.

- This article is an original work by the author of this blog. However, all pictures were shamelessly taken from a google image search without permission. No money was gained from this reproduction, and the pictures can be removed upon receipt of a request made via comments.