Xtreme: Honda Europe's new off-road program
Last year it looked as if Honda Europe would completely withdraw from motocross. Fortunately, things did not go so well and so in 2010 we will continue to see “Big Red” teams in the GPs and various national championships.
Honda will also launch the “Xtreme Academy” from this year. Reason enough to have Roger Harvey, Honda Europe's off-road coordinator, explain a few things.
Roger, what is the deal with Honda's “Xtreme program”?
Roger Harvey: “Well, basically everything that is off-road competition now falls under that name at Honda Europe. This means that our involvement in the World Championship MX2, MX1, as well as the World Championship Enduro and even the Dakar are part of it. This will also become clearly visible in our communications during the course of the season. The stepping stone to the rest of that Extreme program is the Xtreme Academy, which is aimed at Honda CRF 150 riders. CRF 150 riders will compete against each other in a “cup race”. The intention is to launch the Xtreme Academy in as many countries as possible.
Will we also see the Xtreme Academy on Belgian motocross tracks?
Roger Harvey: “No, at least not this year. This week we announced the dates for the British Xtreme Academy competitions. In addition to Great Britain, the Xtreme Academy will launch in 6 other countries this year. Those countries are: Italy, South Africa, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Austria.”
Honda is supporting three teams in the MX1/MX2 World Championship this year. Do they all enjoy the same status?
Roger Harvey: “Martin Honda is the factory team. The Martin Honda team has a long and good relationship with the factory. This means that they also receive factory materials. Their motorcycles therefore have the same specifications as those of the Red Bull Honda factory team in the States. Except for the adjustments, of course. In addition to Martin Honda, there is also support for LS Motors Honda and CAS Honda.”
The Martin Hondas of De Reuver and Strijbos did not look so "factory" last year.
Roger Harvey: “That's right, pure factory machines like the CR 500s that Geboers and Malherbe rode in the mid-80s have been a thing of the past for some time now. Now everything is more focused on the development of the production models. The project leader of the factory engines in Japan is also involved in the development of the production models. This illustrates the interaction between top sport and product development.”
How important is the use of factory teams for the development of new dirt bikes?
Roger Harvey: “In fact, the role of factory teams in development is vital. After all, you must be able to test and develop certain components under extreme conditions. And of course you have that in the GPs. On the other hand, you should not focus blindly on factory material. Honda's philosophy is to make production engines and factory engines as close as possible to each other. When you see what Clément Desalle achieved last year with a motorcycle that was largely standard, it is the best proof of the fact that modern standard motorcycles are already very competitive. And that wasn't just the case in the MX1. In MX2, Marvin Musquin led the World Championship on an almost standard CRF 250 R until he switched to KTM. That says something about the potential of that machine.”
Does that mean that Honda's R&D department in Japan will receive input from the Martin Honda factory team?
Roger Harvey: “Absolutely, there is a constant exchange of information and data between Honda Martin and Japan. The same applies to the factory team in the Japanese championship and of course also to Red Bull Honda in the US.
What does Honda Europe expect from those three teams and their riders?
Roger Harvey: “Due to an internal problem that had to be solved first, we were very late to finalize everything last year. That is why we are not entering the new season with high expectations. We also do not want to pin the riders on a top 3 or top 5 place. But let's say that we expect Tanel Leok to occasionally intervene in the debates at the front. We know that Davide Guarnieri is very regular and that he immediately felt comfortable on the LS Motors Honda. But again, at the moment we have no explicit ambitions.”
The Maxxis ACU British MX Championship is very important for CAS Honda. Are other national championships also important for Honda?
Roger Harvey: “Certainly, we would also like to do well at a national level. We encourage our European importers as much as possible to also participate in their own national championships. Yet there are stark differences from country to country. This is often dictated by the local market. Of course, it always helps if there are people in such a marketing department who know the local motocross scene. Honda Sweden is a good example. They work very proactively towards the practitioners.”
In addition to the MX1 and MX2 World Championships, Honda Europe is also involved in the Enduro World Championships.
Roger Harvey: “Indeed, we even won the world title in the E2009 class twice in 2008 and 1 with Mika Ahola. Now, the motorcycle Mika rode is not a Honda but an HM Moto. HM is an independent brand that builds and homologates enduro motorcycles based on Honda motocross motorcycles. However, HM Moto can count on our support for their WEC campaign. Mika Ahola will not defend his title in the E1 class this year. Ahola is moving to the E1 class.”
Photo credits: Honda Pro images/Ray Archer
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