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

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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

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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.

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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.

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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