Monteblanco
Honda Superbike Shootout
Visor down; head down; full throttle and ride. What motorsports fan hasn’t wondered how much faster a racing bike is compared with a road bike?
There is, needless to say, only one way to find out. Book a racetrack, keep fingers crossed for good weather, secure the services of three ace riders and provide each of them with one of Honda’s acclaimed motorbikes.
The riders are Andrew Irwin and Xavi Forés, who compete with Honda in the Bennetts British Superbike Championship (BSB), and Tom Neave, another pro rider with Honda, who is in the Pirelli National Superstock 1000 category.
The road-going bikes are the rapid Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP and the popular Honda CBR650R, while the racing machine comes straight from the start line of BSB – the Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP2.
Honda has only been racing in British Superbikes since 2003, yet has already won four championships, and finished in the runner-up spot for an additional four years.
For this visor-down showdown, the three riders and their Honda bikes will battle it out on the long and winding Monteblanco racetrack, near Seville in the south west of Spain. Any bike racing fan will know that the BSB machine will finish first in a contest like this. The question is, just how much quicker than the road-going machine will it prove to be?
Rider: Tom Neave, Age: 24
Championship: Pirelli National Superstock 1000
Bike: Honda CBR650R
Tom is a twin to Tim. The brothers grew up on the family farm, in Lincoln, and after a chance encounter with Pete Boast, a former professional racer and founder of the UK Flat Track series, they got involved in the flat-track racing scene. Tom now races with Honda in the National Superstock 1000 series, after having stepped in to last year after an accident for Dan Linfoot, and will be on the popular Honda CBR650R for this battle.
Rider: Xavi Forés, Age: 33
Championship: Bennetts British Superbikes
Bike: Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP
Javier Forés, or Xavi as he’s known, has experience on his side. Hailing from Llombai, Valencia, near the east coast of Spain; he has won championships including the European Superstock 1000 Championship in 2013 and IDM Superbike Championship in 2014. Can that experience put him ahead of the other two riders in this challenge?
Rider: Andrew Irwin, Age: 24
Championship: Bennetts British Superbikes
Bike: BSB Honda Fireblade 1000RR SP2
The 24-year old Northern Irishman made his debut in British Superbikes last year and was promptly snapped up by Honda for the 2019 season. He has spent the winter and spring training in Spain, with plenty of cycling and some intense motocross camps, riding a Honda CRF450R.
The Bikes
Our fast and fearless riders are setting out to discover the differences in performance between three of Honda’s ultra-desirable sports bikes.
Just how much harder does a British Superbike-spec Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP2 accelerate compared with its road-going, SP model? Can the latest CBR650R make up any ground it might lose on the straights by pulling some serious speed through the corners?
While all three are thoroughbreds with racing in their DNA, it’s the CBR1000RR Fireblade SP2 that is designed for the racetrack. So, what advantages does that give its rider, Andrew Irwin?
First, there’s the power of the in-line, naturally aspirated, four-cylinder engine. The 999cc unit generates a scarcely believable 225bhp, which is enough to propel this 165-kilo machine (dry weight) to a top speed of almost 200mph.
Its sticky Pirelli tyres are matched with mighty brakes, made by Nissin, and it also boasts a launch control system – ensuring no fluffed start when the lights go out and the race is on. The package has been designed to win by Honda Racing, at the team’s headquarters in Louth, Lincolnshire – its home since 1990. But might this challenge be closer than we think?
Putting knee-slider to track on the CBR1000RR Fireblade SP is Xavi Forés. His bike is heavier than its SP2 racing sibling, tipping the scales at 195 kilos. But it is still bristling with power; the 999cc motor musters 189bhp, giving it a seriously impressive power to weight ratio.
It also has the advantage of anti-lock brakes, which can let a professional racer like Xavi work the brakes late and hard and make the most of the bike’s Rear Lift Control system, before cranking open the throttle and revelling in the sensational traction afforded by the clever Honda Selectable Torque Control (HSTC) system.
What chance then, for Tom Neave on the acclaimed Honda CBR650R? After all, its engine is smaller, with 650cc, and that means there’s less power available to the rider, with 94bhp on tap.
But Neave is nothing if not fearless. So, he’ll be relying on his instinctive riding skills to extract searing performance from the 207-kilo bike. Like the bigger CBR1000RR Fireblade SP, Neave’s ride comes with Honda’s clever HSTC system, meaning he’ll be able to power through the engine’s 12,000rpm rev range in complete confidence.
First, there’s the power of the in-line, naturally aspirated, four-cylinder engine. The 999cc unit generates a scarcely believable 225bhp, which is enough to propel this 165-kilo machine (dry weight) to a top speed of almost 200mph.
Its sticky Pirelli tyres are matched with mighty brakes, made by Nissin, and it also boasts a launch control system – ensuring no fluffed start when the lights go out and the race is on. The package has been designed to win by Honda Racing, at the team’s headquarters in Louth, Lincolnshire – its home since 1990. But might this challenge be closer than we think?
Putting knee-slider to track on the CBR1000RR Fireblade SP is Xavi Forés. His bike is heavier than its SP2 racing sibling, tipping the scales at 195 kilos. But it is still bristling with power; the 999cc motor musters 189bhp, giving it a seriously impressive power to weight ratio.
It also has the advantage of anti-lock brakes, which can let a professional racer like Xavi work the brakes late and hard and make the most of the bike’s Rear Lift Control system, before cranking open the throttle and revelling in the sensational traction afforded by the clever Honda Selectable Torque Control (HSTC) system.
What chance then, for Tom Neave on the acclaimed Honda CBR650R? After all, its engine is smaller, with 650cc, and that means there’s less power available to the rider, with 94bhp on tap.
But Neave is nothing if not fearless. So, he’ll be relying on his instinctive riding skills to extract searing performance from the 207-kilo bike. Like the bigger CBR1000RR Fireblade SP, Neave’s ride comes with Honda’s clever HSTC system, meaning he’ll be able to power through the engine’s 12,000rpm rev range in complete confidence.
The Race
Track: Monteblanco, Spain
Length: 4.45km
Corners: 18
The lights are out and they’re off! Under the midday sun at Monteblanco circuit, Tom Neave and Xavi Forés get a fractionally better start than Andrew Irwin on the British Superbike.
With the intelligent Honda Selectable Torque Control helping keep the front wheel down at full throttle in first gear, there are no dramas – just complete control as the racers head to turn one.
However, with such a long straight and more power in a lighter package, it isn’t long before Irwin has clawed things back and gets himself ahead as he leans his right shoulder and knee into the first turn.
As it powers out of the first apex, the unsilenced sound of the British Superbike’s engine is music to the ears of bike racing fans the world over.
At this point, both the road going CBR1000RR Fireblade SP and CBR650R are keeping the British Superbike well within reach. But as the gaps between corners grow, and the speed builds into the braking zones, the British Superbike’s advantage starts to become clear for all to see.
But then it looks as though Irwin’s lead could be thrown away. Powering flat-out through an undulating right-hand turn, the British Superbike lights up its back tyre and slides sideways in spectacular fashion. Irwin barely bats an eyelid, keeping the throttle pinned open as Forés glides through a second or two behind, in his signature calm and composed fashion.
The CBR650R gives chase but by the time its rider, Neave, flicks through the last corners, his fellow Honda Racing riders have powered over the line.
The Result
The gap isn’t as big as you may have predicted. The British Superbike crosses the line in 1m 36.6s, the CBR1000RR Fireblade SP charges through after 1m 45.6s – surprisingly close, and a clear sign of the intimate relationship between Honda’s road-going sports bike and its racing sibling. The CBR650R flashes past the timekeeping tower at 1m 54.6s. It’s a fascinating insight into the motorsport DNA that runs through Honda sports bikes. The road-going Fireblade is only nine seconds a lap down on the rare SP2 model. And the CBR650R clearly offers fantastic performance for its price point. What you may not be surprised to hear is that the trio of Honda Racing riders all asked if they could have another go…
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