BEYOND THE BLADE - SEASON 1

Following on from the popular previous features 'BSB Diaries' and 'Building the Blade', Beyond the Blade has a different look and feel for this year's British Superbike season with motorcycle journalist John Hogan presenting each episode, bringing you even more behind the scenes action, as Honda Racing UK challenge both the Bennetts British Superbike Championship with Glenn Irwin, Ryo Mizuno and Takumi Takahashi, as well as Tom Neave in the Pirelli National Superstock Championship.

EPISODE 1

Episode 1 follows Honda Racing UK during the official BSB testing programme ahead of the start of the season this weekend (25-27 June) at Oulton Park. For Glenn and Tom, testing was about getting back up to speed with the Fireblade SP, a machine they both experienced success aboard last season winning races. But for new recruits Ryo and Takumi they face a different challenge, learning the British circuits and racing without traction control and rider aids.

EPISODE 2

On the eve of the North West 200, we go 'Beyond the Blade' as we build up to our return to international road racing. In this episode we journey to the North West 200 and catch up with Glenn Irwin as he looks forward to making his roads debut with Honda aboard the CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP, two years after what should have been his debut in 2020.

Showing John Hogan around the North coast, Glenn reflects on happy racing memories at the 8.9-mile circuit, where he's secured four Superbike race victories - taking his first win in his maiden year in 2017, to follow-up with two wins in 2018, and again in 2019. The nostalgia for Glenn doesn't stop with his racing memories, but goes further back to when his father Alan raced at the event, and it's where Glenn spent his childhood.

We also head back to the opening round of the 2022 Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Silverstone, which turned into a superb weekend for the team, with Glenn doing the treble at the National Circuit.

For the 2022 season TT-legend John McGuinness is back with Honda in his 50th year, where at the Isle of Man TT Races in June, he'll celebrate his 100th start in the Superbike race. At the start of the year John went over to the TT, where he reflected on his first visit to the magical island in 1996, when he made his debut at the Mountain Course. 26 years, and 23 TT wins later - the excitement, emotion and feelings are all still there for the 'Morecambe Missile'.

EPISODE 3

Welcome back to Beyond the Blade, where in Episode 3 the Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP makes its long-awaited Road Racing debut at the North West 200, where Glenn Irwin stormed to victory in both Superbike races, taking the double to make it six wins from six in the Superbike class at the Triangle circuit.

There's a look back at the Bennetts British Superbike Championship with a recap of rounds two and three at Oulton Park and Donington Park, where the team and Honda UK Motorcycles celebrated 30 years of the Fireblade, with a unique event across the weekend.

Beyond the Blade presenter John Hogan, also takes a trip down memory lane with TT-legend John McGuinness MBE, as we look back at his younger years, with a trip around his hometown exploring the places he grew up, as well as some never-seen before home footage from the McGuinness family archives.

EPISODE 4

Motorcycle journalist John Hogan takes you behind the scenes with the Honda Racing UK team during the 2021 Bennetts British Superbike Championship season.

In this episode, join Honda Racing UK as they head to two of the most popular rounds on the calendar Donington Park and Cadwell Park. Watch as the team returned to their winning ways at Donington's National Circuit with Glenn Irwin claiming two second place finishes and Tom Neave back on the top of the box in the final Superstock race of the weekend, having finished second after a controversial result in Race 1.

The team then headed home in what was back to back race weekends, as the British series returned to Cadwell Park in Lincolnshire. Topping the sheets across all practice sessions, Tom placed his Superstock CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP on pole position and was once again victorious at both his and the teams' home round.

Also in this episode John finds out the hard way how the team train in the gym with a 5am wake up call, we hear from Honda's Head of Motorcycles in the UK Neil Fletcher about the operational side of running a race team and what being a team at Cadwell Park means logistically.

EPISODE 5

Heading back to Snetterton in Norfolk, the team were confident for a strong weekend after the results in 2020 and it was Tom Neave in the Pirelli National Superstock Championship who came away celebrating aboard the Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP, after a Pole Position in Qualifying and a dominating race victory, where he smashed the lap record not once, but twice during the race.

All eyes were on Glenn Irwin at the eighth round of the series, where Silverstone was the backdrop for the all-important Showdown decider, where the top-eight in the overall BSB standings after Sunday's Race 3, would become the 2021 Superbike Showdown 'Title Fighters'. Taking his first race win in 2021 during a dramatic opening race, Glenn followed up with two solid point-scoring races to secure his place as the seventh 'Title Fighter'.

Tom also had a strong weekend after finishing fifth and second, which keeps his championship hopes alive and now leads the series by 22 points. Silverstone was another new race circuit for the teams' Japanese duo Ryo Mizuno and Takumi Takahashi, where Ryo enjoyed two-season firsts having progressed into the second stage of Qualifying and in Race 1 took his best-ever result in BSB in 12th place.

Meanwhile away from the track action, motorcycle journalist and Beyond the Blade presenter, John Hogan catches up with BSB Series Director Stuart Higgs about the Honda British Talent Cup and just how important the series is to the development of young racers. John is also joined by Evan Belford who currents leads the championship, as well as Casey O'Gorman.

EPISODE 6

With the end of the 2021 season in sight, this episode focuses on Rounds 9 and 10 of the Championship, where Oulton Park hosted the first round of the all-important Showdown and we have a look at the Showdown structure, and just what it means for the top-eight title contenders.

Glenn Irwin secured a place in the 2021 Showdown, who after a mixed season made the cut last time out. Nursing a shoulder injury Glenn’s progress has been hampered in the latter part of the season and for his BSB rookie teammates Ryo Mizuno and Takumi Takahashi, they continue to learn and get to grips with the UK circuits.

Tom Neave continues to the lead the way in the Pirelli National Superstock Championship, having been able to stay in the top-spot since the sixth round, fending off challenges from his Superstock rivals.

As always with Beyond the Blade, there’s exciting race action and tons of behind-the-scenes access with the Honda Racing UK team.   

EPISODE 7

Episode 7 - the Champions edit, sees the team at the final round of the year at Brands Hatch, and while the Honda team didn't win the Superbike championship this season, they reached the all-important Showdown with Glenn Irwin but a mixed season, followed by a shoulder injury dashed his championship hopes.

Tom Neave however, arrived at the final round with a 22-point advantage in the Superstock class, and one race between him and the title. In this episode it is access all areas with Tom and the team, with a real taste of what goes into a race weekend and a chance to experience all the emotions following Tom through a difficult qualifying session, the race, and will he, won't he be crowned the 2021 Pirelli National Superstock Champion.

In this episode there's also a recap with the team's BSB rookies Ryo Mizuno and Takumi Takahashi, who had their first taste of the British series this year and faced many challenges along the way, from moving to a new country, racing in a new championship, learning the UK circuits, different tyres and of course no traction control.