BRITISH RACING HAS GONE MAD FOR THE BLADE THIS YEAR. JUST LOOK AT THE STATS!
No matter if your passion is for superbikes or superstocks, for BSB or road racing, you can't help but notice something fresh and exciting about British racing this summer. Be it at Oulton Park or on the Glencrutchery Road, our domestic grids have gone mad for the Honda CBR1000RR-R. The legendary Fireblade, the machine that has come to define performance motorcycling for the road, is, without question, the machine to have on track in 2023 too.
BSB
Take a quick look at the stats and you will understand why. In the hands of Tom Neave (2021) and Davey Todd (2022), the CBR1000RR-R SP secured back-to-back titles in the hard-fought Pirelli National Superstock Championship. In last season's Bennetts British Superbike Championship, Honda Racing UK's Glenn Irwin took three wins at the first round at Silverstone as well as the final win of the season at Brands Hatch to finish a brilliant second in the most competitive domestic superbike series in the world.
Clearly, other teams and riders were paying attention. They could see which way the wind was blowing and for 2023 wanted to taste some of that success. So while in 2019 there were only two Honda Fireblade superbikes on the BSB grid – and those were the two official Honda Racing UK bikes – this season that number has risen to seven, meaning that some 25 per cent of riders competing in BSB are on Honda's flagship machine.
In the Pirelli National Superstock championship, the class which allows only minimal modifications from the road-legal model sold in showrooms, there are a staggering 24 Honda Fireblades on the grid. As we head into round seven of at Snetterton, the top five riders in the championship are all Fireblade mounted with the title race led by Dan Linfoot (Optimum Bikes), followed by Richard Kerr (AMD Motorsport) and Franco Bourne (Marvel HCL Motorsport). Every round of the championship so far has featured a Fireblade-mounted rider on the top two steps of the podium, with the first three rounds featuring a total podium lockout for the Blade! Given the intense level of competition in the series, that's quite an achievement for a super sports machine designed to deliver as well on the road as it does on the track.
Road Racing
But it’s not solely at the BSB circuits where the Honda Fireblade continues to dominate as the inline-four is now the number-one choice for many teams and riders on the roads.
At this year’s Isle of Man TT, over 50 per cent of the top 20 riders were Honda mounted.
During a race week notable for its warm temperatures and record pace, Michael Dunlop took the RST Superbike win, followed by a second in the Milwaukee Senior on his Hawk Racing Fireblade and a second in the RL360 Superstock race on his privately entered MD Racing Blade.
And it wasn’t just the big names making an impact. Craig Neve on the Bathams Racing Fireblade joined the 130mph-average club, while Jamie Coward on the KTS Racing Honda set his fastest-ever lap of the TT. The Milenco by Padgetts riders Connor Cummins and Davey Todd showed great form despite both men being hit by ill health, with Connor managing a heroic fourth in the Senior. And not forgetting the legend John McGuinness MBE, who showed he is still a class act at the age of 51 by lapping at a 131.1mph on the final lap of the Senior race before finishing seventh. In fact, six of the top ten finishers in the prestigious Senior were Honda Fireblade mounted.
John McGuinness CBR1000RR-R
Being lucky enough to own a limited-edition John McGuinness 100th TT Start Fireblade SP is one thing. But being handed the key to your new and very special Honda by the 23-times TT winner himself is quite another. Yet that's exactly what happened to 17 excited customers at the Honda Racing Centre in Louth.
The John McGuinness 100th TT Start Fireblade SP features a replica paint scheme, a personally autographed airbox cover and an individually numbered plaque on the headstock.
Gold detailing mirrors the livery of the history-making Fireblade ridden by John at the TT, while a film strip depicts each of his starts on the 37 3/4-mile Mountain Circuit. A 35% lighter carbon mudguard and 10% lighter carbon hugger – both Genuine Honda Accessories – reduce weight, and a rear seat cowl and TT-style taller screen complete the road racing look. Each bike is supplied with a custom Fireblade garage mat, a genuine Honda indoor dust cover and a 3D laser-engraved crystal featuring a design of the McGuinness replica.
Customers were treated to a behind-the-scenes VIP tour of the Honda Racing Centre and also had the opportunity to chat with Honda team personnel and grab an autograph and selfie with the TT legend himself.
SUZUKA 8 HOURS
Honda riders Takumi Takahashi, Tetsuta Nagashima, and Xavi Vierge claimed victory on the factory #33 HRC Fireblade, winning the 2023 Japanese endurance classic by a full lap.
Adding to victories in 2010, '13, '14, and '22, Takahashi is now tied with Tohru Ukawa on 5 wins for the most victories in the history of the Suzuka 8 Hours. It's a first win for Vierge and a second consecutive win for Nagashima.
Honda dominated the podium with TOHO Racing second and SDG Honda Racing third. F.C.C. TSR Honda France was the best EWC team performer, finishing fourth. Honda Dream RT SAKURAI Honda was sixth, Honda Asia-Dream Racing with SHOWA eighth, and Astemo Honda Dream SI Racing tenth.
Seven Honda teams were in the top 10.
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