castrol ha conseguido 500 victorias con honda
DESCRIPTION
HONDA UTILIZA CASTROL Y TRIUNFA EN EL CAMPEONATO MUNDIAL DE MOTOS DE 500TRANSCRIPT
Castrol and Honda - Racing together for six decades
500WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP WINS
HONDA’S 500 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP WINS WItH CAStROLWhen Kenan Sofuoglu flashed across the finish line at Valencia’s Ricardo Tormo
Circuit to win the fourth round of the 2007 World Supersport Championship he
made history in more ways than one.
In addition to this being the young Turkish rider’s first World Supersport win
at the Valencia Circuit it was the 500th World Championship win for a Honda
motorcycle racing with Castrol. This outstanding success has been achieved
during six decades of Honda and Castrol competing together in motorcycle
world championship events.
The statistics of Honda and Castrol’s achievements together in motorcycle
competition up to Sofuoglu’s 500th win are:
Grand Prix / MotoGP race wins and world championships 260
World Superbike race wins and world championships 84
World Supersport race wins and world championships 53
World Trials event wins and world championships 86
World Motocross event wins and world championships 17
Total 500
1959 - 1967The story began in 1959 when Honda first raced at the Isle of Man TT. Needing
a reliable partner to provide lubricants for its precision engineered race bikes
Castrol was the number one choice. So it was no surprise when Castrol received
a letter from Honda asking for help with lubricants for its race team. The rest as
they say is history.
Two years later on the 23rd April 1961 at the Montjuich Park circuit in North
Eastern Spain, Tom Phillis on his Castrol R30-lubricated Honda 125 took the
first of the 500 wins. Little did he know that 500 world championship wins later
in 2007 Honda motorcycles - lubricated by Castrol’s latest engine oil, Castrol
Power1, would be continuing to win races and leading the World Superbike and
World Supersport Championsips. Phillis won three other races in 1961 giving
him the overall 125 championship for that season.
Right:TomPhillisleadsJimRedmanduringthe1961SpanishGrandPrixatBarcelonaPhotoref:Arc149008,Copyright:Motorcycling
Below:Castrol’sLambrettaDemonstrationvanvisitstheHondaMotorcycleServiceAreain1960todeliverfreshsuppliesofCastrol‘R’Oil.Photoref:Arc149789Copyright:unknown
Farleft:2007WorldSupersportChampionfortheHAANspreeTenKateHondaTeam,KenanSofuogluonthepodiumatValenciaPhotoref:KenanValenciapodiumCopyright:HANNspreemediasite
Left:KenanSofuoglupowershisHondaCBR600tovictoryatValenciaPhotoref:KenanSofuogluCopyright:HANNspreemediasite
Aboveleft:Honda’sfirstvisittotheIsleofManwasrecordedinCastrol’sAchievements1959editionPhotoref:Honda1959,Copyrightoforiginalpictures:TheMotorCycleandMotorcycling
The following year was a bumper season for race wins and championships; with
the Castrol-lubricated Hondas taking world championship victories in the 125s
with Luigi Taveri and the 250s and 350s with Jim Redman. With 25 race wins in
total, 1962 still remains as one of the most successful road racing seasons ever
for Honda and Castrol.
1963 saw two more world championship titles for Redman in the 250s and
350s, whilst Taveri picked up scraps in the 50s and 125s, scraps that in 1964
he would convert into a 125cc world championship win. Redman again
dominated the 350 Championship in 1964 and 65, giving him 4 consecutive
world championships in the same formula - a feat as yet only recently bettered
by Mick Doohan and Valentino Rossi.
After such a convincing run Redman decided that 1966 would be his last season
and he would concentrate on the 500cc championship. Where Redman left off,
Mike Hailwood took over, with back to back Championship wins in 66 and 67
on both his Honda 250 and Honda 350. Castrol was of course continuing to
support the Honda works team with Castrol ‘R’ and it was with this oil that Luigi
Taveri took yet another 125cc World Championship in ’66.
1967 saw Honda withdraw from Motorcycle Racing; with 131 race wins and 15
championships in the first 10 years of their racing partnership with Castrol, both
companies having proved they were an impressive force to be reckoned with.
Above:Redman(No32)abouttocrossthewinninglinejustinfrontofHailwood(No18)towinthe1961ItalianGrandPrixPhotoref:ArcRef148969,Copyright:PUBLIFOTOVialeMontello
Above:JimRedmanonhis350Hondawinningthe1965DutchTTatAssenPhotoref:Arc148705,Copyright:WGRUBER
Right:JimRedmanbeingpresentedwithalaurelwreathbyMissReikoNakamurafollowinghiswinintheTasmaniaroundoftheSouthPacificChampionship350ccracePhotoref:Arc149165,Copyright:Unknown
Above:MikeHailwoodonthe350ccsixcylinderHondaPhotoref:Arc147091,Copyright:unknown
Left:ChampionschooseCastroladvertisement.LuigiTaveri125ccWorldRoadRacingChampionandJimRedman250ccand350ccWorldRoadRacingChampion.125cc,250ccand350ccManufacturersChampions-HondaPhotoref:Arc156113Copyright:Castrol
Above:Adetailedshotfrom1965ofthe125ccHondaPhotoref:Arc148969,Copyright:MICKWOOLLETT
Above:ActionshotoftheHondasracingatthe1stJapaneseGrandPrixtobeheldatSuzukain1963Photoref:Arc151131,Copyright:Unknown
Above:TheHondamechanicsuseafive-litreCastroloilcantoaddfueltooneoftheirbikesonthegridatSuzukaPhotoref:Arc149700_054Copyright:Unknown
Above:HailwoodonaHonda350cccompetingatBrandsHatchinApril1966Photoref:Arc148844Copyright:BRNICHOLLS
Above:Honda’sfourcylinder350ccenginefromthe1963seasonPhotoref:Arc151119Copyright:BRNICHOLLS
Below:MikeHailwoodreceivesthewinnerslaurelsatHockenheimin1967Photoref:Arc151130Copyright:VOLKERRAUCH
1982 - 1988 When Honda returned to motorcycle competition in 1982 the racing partnership
with Castrol was renewed and struck with immediate impact…
Competing now in the new 500GP series as well as the increasingly popular off
road championships, Honda and Castrol once again became World Champions
with Eddy Lejeune winning the World Trials Championship. Lejeune had eight
wins in 1982 and another eight in 1983 providing him with back-to-back
World titles. Lejeune’s Honda, with specially developed Castrol ‘TTS’ synthetic
oil in the engine, proved to be the force to beat and with his hat-trick of world
championships coming in 1984.
And whilst Lejeune ruled on the World Trials stage; Andre Malherbe and Dave
Thorpe were enjoying superstar status in World Moto Cross, both winning a
World Championship each; in 1984 and 1985 respectively.
Right:AnA2posterproducedbyCastrolin1984tocelebrateAndreMalherbe’sworldtitle.Photoref:AndreMalherbeCopyright:Castrol
Left:EddyLejeuneposesforaphotoin1984Photoref:ARC155050.CentreandrightLejeuneinactionPhotoref:ARC155049and155058Allphotoscopyright:Castrol
Farleftandabove:AndreMalherbeinactionduringthe1984seasonPhotoref:ARC154802and154805.CentreportraitofMalherbein1984Photoref:ARC154767Allphotoscopyright:Castrol
Above:DaveThorpeinactionduringthe1985season,Photoref:ARC154838andfarrightin1984Photoref:ARC154790.CentreportraitofThorpein1984Photoref:ARC154800.Allphotoscopyright:Castrol
Above:AnA2posterproducedbyCastrolin1985tocelebrateSpencer’sdoubleworldtitlePhotoref:Doubleposter,Copyright:Castrol
Back in road racing there was another individual creating his own legend, a
legend who’s name became synonymous with Honda and Castrol themselves…
Fast Freddie Spencer…
Not since Jim Redman had one rider competed so successfully in two World
Championships in one year as Spencer did in 1985. Having won the 500
championship already in 1983 with six individual race wins, he took on the
250 and 500 championships in 1985 and wiped the floor with the opposition.
Only team mate Toni Mang came close to him in the 250 championship, whilst
Spencer, with Castrol ‘A747’ in his Honda machine, was unstoppable in the
500cc world championship.
If it hadn’t been for Spencer of course, Toni Mang may well have been the
darling of the 80’s. He won the 250 championship in 1987 having dominated
the entire season.
Spencer was the last of Honda’s Grand Prix world champions who raced with
Castrol as the Honda Castrol partnership began focussing it’s attentions on
other international road racing competitions.
Above:FreddieSpenceronthe1985WorldChampionshipwinningHondaNSR500Photoref:147246,Copyright:Unknown
Left:FreddieSpencerfinishedsecondinthe500ccclassontheHondaNS500atthe1982ItalianGrandPrixatMisanoPhotoref:Arc151123Copyright:Unknown
Left:Spencercompetinginthe1983FrenchGrandPrixPhotoref:Arc151124,Copyright:Unknown
Above:A1985publicityshotofFreddieSpencersittingastridehisHondaNSR500Photoref:Arc147248,Copyright:Unknown
Above:ToniManginactionin1988onhisHonda250.Photoref:Arc155035Copyright:Castrol
1988 - 2007 The World Superbike and World Supersport championships were too big an
attraction to ignore - race bikes that weren’t two million dollars away from
the equivalent road bike and an oil which you could buy off the shelf (albeit
a couple of years later!) Honda and Castrol were quick to exploit this new
channel to market opportunity and once again very quickly became winners…
1988 and 1989 saw Fred Merkel on his Honda RC30 take back to back World
Superbike Championships. It was the beginning of a trend that would see the
partnership take five outright World Championships over the next 14 years.
Merkel who competed successfully for three years, was the beginning of the
next stage in Honda’s relationship with Castrol.
The Castrol Honda World Superbike team, under the expert guidance of
Neil Tuxworth, was an outstanding period in the racing history of the two
companies. Competing first with the awesome V4 Honda RC45, and then with
the V-twin SP1 and SP2 machines with ever higher engine power, challenged
Castrol to develop new friction reducing synthetic lubricant technology. Later
to become Castrol ‘R4’ it was this engine oil that helped Colin Edwards to his
second World Superbike Championship in 2002 and produced one of the most
memorable motorcycle racing laps ever at the final round of the championship
at the Imola circuit.
Right:1997WorldSuperbikeChampionJohnKocinskiontheCastrolHondaRC45Photoref:CEN87Copyright:Castrol
Above:FredMerkelontheHondaRC30in1988.Photoref:ARC154305Copyright:Castrol
Right:ColinEdwards,winnerofthe2000WorldSuperbikeChampionshipontheHondaVTRSP1Photoref:pic-02Copyright:Castrol
Below:ColinEdwardsproudlywearstheone-offsetof‘USA’leatherscreatedfortheLagunaSecaroundoftheWorldSuperbikeChampionshipin2002Photoref:Laguna7180,Copyright:Castrol
Belowright:Colinonhis‘USA’HondaSP2withNeilTuxworth(sixthfromleft),Castrol’sJohnBristow(secondright)andtheCastrolHondateamintheir2002LagunaSecateamclothing.Colintookpolepositionandwonthesecondrace.Thiswasthestartofnineconsecutivewinswhichtookhimtothe2002WorldTitle.Photoref:TeamUSA,Copyright:Castrol
Below:ColinEdwardsonthe2002CastrolHondaSP2whichherodetohissecondandtheteam’sthirdWorldSuperbikeChampionshipPhotoref:Edwards2002,Copyright:Castrol
In the 250 class of Grand Prix racing Honda and Castrol continued to win races
during the 1990s with first Luca Cadalora and then Max Biaggi. Cadalora won
two world championships on the invincible Honda NSR250 in 1991 (shown in
the Castrol poster above) and 1992. Max Biaggi followed this with his 250 title
win in 1997.
With the arrival of the new millennium Honda had returned to the World Trials
Championships with Dougie Lampkin. Lampkin, another great name in the
Honda Castrol hall of fame, completely dominated trials competition in 2000
and 2001 with a clean sweep of World and Indoor trial championships, and a
third World Trials title in 2002.
PosterPhotoref:CadaloraposterCopyright:free-Castrol
1.Photoref:MaxBiaggiCopyright:free-Castrol
2.Photoref:Dougie09Copyright:unknown
3.Photoref:Dougie04Copyright:unknown
4.Photoref:Dougie03Copyright:unknown
1 2
3 4
Honda and Castrol’s most recent success story comes from Holland and the Ten
Kate Honda team. Ten Kate has contributed six consecutive World Supersport
Championships and over 40 Supersport race wins with the likes of Fabien Foret,
Chris Vermeulen, Karl Muggeridge and Sebastian Charpentier (twice) and now
with Kenan Sofuoglu in 2007. And Kenan is the man, records will show, took
the 500th win with his victory in Valencia.
1.Photoref:FabienForet2002Copyright:unknown
2.Photoref:ChrisVermeulen2003Copyright:unknown
3.Photoref:KarlMuggeridge2004Copyright:unknown
4.Photoref:SebastienCharpentier2005Copyright:unknown
5.Photoref:SebastienCharpentier2006Copyright:Piredda/StudioZac
1
2
3
4
5
Above:KenanSofuogluseatedonhisHondaCBR600outsidethepitgaragecelebrateshisWorldSupersportChampionshipandTenKate’ssixthinarowwithalltheteammembers.Photoref:JX1D7943Copyright:HANNspreeTenKatemediasite
Left:Kenanis‘crowned’byhissupporterstracksideattheendoftheBrandsHatchSupersportrace.PhotoRef:320W3290Copyright:HANNspreeTenKatemediasite
The performance of the HANNspree Ten Kate Supersport team is being mirrored
in World Superbikes. Since the 2002 Championships victory of Colin Edwards,
the Ten Kate team with their Honda CBR1000 Fireblade and Castrol Power 1
technology are one of the top teams in the pit lane. Vermuelen taking the early
charge has now handed over to James Toseland who in 2007 is looking for his
first World Championship title with Honda and Castrol.
1
3
2 4
1.JamesToselandleadsthefielddownPaddockHillattheBrandsHatchroundofthe2007WorldSuperbikeseries.Photoref:JX1D7534Copyright:HANNspreemediasite
2.JamesholdupthewinnerstrophyafterraceonePhotoref:JX1D7054Copyright:HANNspreemediasite
3.AjubillantToselandcruisesroundthecircuitafterwinningracetwoPhotoref:JX1D7757Copyright:HANNspreemediasite
4.Jamescelebrateswithachampagneshoweraftersecuring his first win at Brands Hatch and his first ever double race win in front of a huge home crowd. An estimated 126,000 people visited the Kent circuit over the weekend to support the HANNspree Ten Kate Honda rider at the final UK round of the 2007 Superbike World ChampionshipPhotoref:Photoref:JX1D7115Copyright:HANNspreemediasite
Since Freddie Spencer won his and Castrol Honda’s last 500cc World
Championship, that formula has undergone a number of changes and so in
MotoGP, the modern day version of the 500cc World Championship Castrol
is again racing with Honda. Riding for Team Honda Gresini in 2003 and
2004 Sete Gibernau recorded eight race victories and now the young guns of
Melandri and Elias with 6 race wins between them are taking the fight to the
rest of the MotoGP field in 2007.
So that is the story of Honda’s 500 Motorcycle World Championship Wins
with Castrol. A story that spans six decades and includes many of the
legendary riders from a wide variety of different aspects of motorcycle sport.
This landmark achievement was borne out of expertise, dedication and above
all, determination - determination on the part of Honda and Castrol to be
the best, both as individual companies and within a racing partnership. Think
motorcycles - think Honda, think motorcycle oil - think Castrol.
1 2
3 4
5
1.SeteGibernaucelebrateshiswinattheFrenchMotoGPin2004ontheGresiniRacingHondaRC211V.Photoref:GibernauFrance2002Copyright:GresiniRacingmediaservice
2.Gibernauwastheonlyriderin2004and2005toseriouslychallengeValentinoRossi.Photoref:GibernauactionCopyright:Gresinimediaservice
3.MarcoMelandri,onhiswaytohisfirstMotoGPvictoryattheIstanbulcircuitin2005,leadsNickyHayden.Photoref:MelandriTurkeyCopyright:GresiniRacingmediaservice
4.ToniEliastookhisfirstMotoGPvictoryontheGresiniRacingHondaRC211VatEstorilin2006.Photoref:ToniElias,Copyright:GresiniRacingmediaservice
5.MarcoMelandriwontheTurkish,FrenchandAustralianGPsin2006.Photoref:Melandriaction,Copyright:GresiniRacingmediaservice