The dream of Soichiro Honda to race at the highest level was so lively that he put it on paper. And then published it for the world to see.
In 1954 he made a daring statement in the Honda Company newsletter and swore that his company would assume the most dangerous and prestigious motorcycle race in the world – the island of Man TT. Not for glory, but to test his machines for the most competitive evidence in motorsport. It was public, fearless and wild ambitious. This was the moment that Honda’s inheritance started racing.
His statement became a reality only 5 years later when his team arrived at the island of Man in 1959 with four Honda RC142s. They did not end up as victors, but all four bikes came across the finish line as an explanation to the world: Honda had arrived. The first race was just the beginning. By 1961, Honda claimed that his first island of Man TT victory, and only four years later his first F1 race in the Honda RA272 in the Mexico Grand Prix of 1965, which proved the power of his vision of the world stage.
Since then, that dream has only picked up speed. Whether it is about MotoGP or Formula 1, the mission remains the same: chases what others think is out of reach with machines that rewrite the impossible.
Participate in the Quail, a motorsport meeting, in August during Monterey Car Week, where the rarest machines and tasteers in the world of automotive culture come together. This year we honor the spirit that it all started: one man, countless machines and the ruthless dream to race.
Image source: Honda Motors
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