Honda World Grand Prix : Un parcours de 700 victoires / Trajectory of 700 wins

Honda commémore son histoire en Grand Prix sur son site officiel suite à ce que Marc Márquez ait signé la 700e victoire de la marque.

                   

En 2015, Honda court dans plus de 100 catégories, en comptant son engagement en MotoGP mais aussi toutes les catégories visées par ses filiales à travers le monde. Tout commença au TT de l’Île de Man. Soichiro Honda, le fondateur de Honda, pensait que remporter la compétition la plus prestigieuse à l’époque - le TT de l’Île de Man - permettrait non seulement à Honda de s’étendre dans le monde mais aussi de contribuer au développement technologique du Japon. Honda annonça sa participation pour les courses du TT de l’Île de Man en mars 1954.

Dans sa déclaration, Soichiro Honda affirmait que pour courir au niveau mondial, un moteur devait développer 100 ch par litre. Mais pour le TT de l’Île de Man de cette année-là, au mois de juin, le moteur 125cc de la compagnie allemande NSU développait 15 ch et le 250cc 35 ch, soit près de 150 ch par litre. Présent sur place pour les courses, Soichiro Honda fut choqué par de telles prouesses technologiques et réalisa à quel point il allait être difficile de remporter une épreuve de niveau international.

Honda se lança cependant à la conquête du TT de l’Île de Man en courant d’abord au niveau national, au Japon. Honda considérait ces courses comme un terrain d’étude pour les performances de la moto et commença le développement de moteurs à très haut régime, espérant obtenir un maximum de puissance et de fiabilité.

En avril 1958, se basant sur des données de course qui montraient qu’il était nécessaire d’atteindre une vitesse de 120 km/h (ou plus de 17 ch), Honda commença la conception de la RC140 avec l’objectif d’atteindre 20 ch (160 ch par litre). Au mois d’octobre, Honda réussit à produire un moteur développant plus de 120 ch par litre et donc pouvant être inscrit au TT de l’Île de Man en 1959. Honda participa à la course avec la RC142 (version 4 valves de la RC141, qui était basée sur la RC140 125cc) mais n’en tira que 17,3 ch (138,4 ch par litre), alors que les motos les plus rapides développaient 150 ch par litre. Un écart apparemment insurmontable. Honda remporta néanmoins la victoire par équipe. Les résultats dépassèrent les attentes puisque Naomi Taniguchi termina 6e, Giichi Suzuki 7e et Teisuke Tanaka 8e. Les employés de Honda étaient logiquement ravis mais la réussite de Honda dépassa largement le cadre de l’entreprise et le Ministère japonais du Commerce International et de l’Industrie fit une déclaration sans précédent pour annoncer que les motos japonaises étaient désormais du niveau mondial et qu’un brillant avenir attendait les produits d’exportation japonais.

En 1960, Honda s’engagea dans la catégorie 250cc en plus de la catégorie 125cc et de la classe World GP (qui comprenait la course du TT de l’Île de Man). Dans la première manche (TT de l’Île de Man), Honda finit 6e en 125cc et 4e en 250cc. Honda lutta vaillamment dans les 2e et 3e manches mais ne put rivaliser avec les motos les plus performantes. Dans la quatrième manche (GP d’Allemagne de l’Est), Kenjiro Tanaka finit cependant troisième en 250cc, signant le premier podium de Honda. Six ans s’étaient écoulés depuis la déclaration concernant le TT de l’Île de Man. Honda continua sur sa lancée en prenant une 2e place en 250cc lors des deux derniers Grands Prix, à Ulster et au GP des Nations, pour finir 3e constructeur en 125cc et 2e en 250cc… 

Pour en savoir plus sur l’histoire de Honda en compétition, rendez-vous sur world.honda.com et retrouvez aussi toutes les motos de la marque, le palmarès ainsi que la liste complète des 700 victoires.

              

To celebrate 700 GP wins, Honda recaps their MotoGP™ effort from their debut at the Isle of Man TT to Marquez' latest win in Indianapolis.

In 2015, Honda races in more than 100 categories, from its MotoGP activities, to categories undertaken by its subsidiaries worldwide. This all began with the Isle of Man TT races. Honda’s founder, Soichiro Honda, believed that winning the premier motor sports event of the time - the Isle of Man TT - would not only allow Honda to venture into the world, but would contribute to Japan’s technological development. In March 1954, Honda declared his company's entry into the Isle of Man TT races.

In the declaration, Soichiro Honda stated that to perform at world level, an engine had to produce 100PS per liter. But at the Isle of Man TT race in June that year, the German NSU company's 125cc machine made 15PS and its 250cc machine made 35PS, nearly 150PS per liter. Visiting the race, Soichiro Honda was shocked by this, and realized how difficult it would be to win a world class race.

Undaunted, Honda began its journey to winning the Isle of Man TT by competing in domestic races, which were beginning to take hold in Japan. Honda viewed these races as testing grounds for bike performance, and began the development of precision ultra high-revving engines, aiming to realize high output and solid reliability.

  
In April 1958, based on prior race records which indicated average speeds of 120km/h (or more than 17PS) were required, Honda began designing the RC140 aiming to output 20PS (160PS per liter). In October that year, Honda succeeded in producing an engine which output more than 120PS per liter, enabling it to enter the Isle of Man TT race in 1959. Honda entered the race with the RC142 (4-valve version of the RC141, which was based on the 125cc RC140), but although its output was 17.3PS (138.4PS per liter), top class machines were outputting 150PS per liter, a seemingly insurmountable gap. Honda won the team prize. Results far exceeded expectations, however, with Naomi Taniguchi finishing 6th, Giichi Suzuki 7th, and Teisuke Tanaka 8th. Every Honda employee was understandably overjoyed, but reaction to Honda’s performance was further reaching, as Japan's Ministry of International Trade and Industry made an unprecedented statement announcing that domestic motorcycles were now world-class, and the future of Japan’s product export was bright.

In 1960, Honda forayed into 250cc racing in addition to the 125cc class, and World GP racing (which included the Isle of Man TT race). In Round 1 (Isle of Man TT), Honda finished 6th in the 125cc class, and 4th in the 250cc class. Honda fought valiantly in Rounds 2 and 3, but the world’s top class machines seemed an impossible hurdle to overcome. But, in Round 4 (East German Grand Prix), Kenjiro Tanaka finished 3rd in the 250cc class, giving Honda its first podium finish. Six years had passed from the Isle of Man TT declaration, as team members hugged and shared tears of joy. Honda maintained its momentum, taking 2nd place in the 250cc class at both the remaining Ulster and Nations grands prix, finishing the constructors' championship 3rd (125cc) and 2nd (250cc)...

For more on Honda's Racing History Milestones, visit world.honda.com and have a look at the Japanese manufacturer's bikes line-up across all seasons and classes, achievements and the entire list of 700 wins

                   

EXPEDITION CAP NORD EN BMW R 1200 GS ADVENTURE

Le Cap Nord a moto en plein hiver, ça revient un peu à s'enquiller une piste de bobsleigh de 4.500 km de long tout en passant 12 jours dans un congélateur. Mais ce fut aussi et surtout une fabuleuse expédition au fin fond de la Norvège à bord de la BMW R 1200 GS Adventure.

ROBERT ACER 2015 MINT 400

TWO OUT OF TWO FOR LATVALA

JARI-MATTI LATVALA CLAIMED HIS SECOND VICTORY IN SUCCESSIVE WEEKENDS WHEN HE WON THE LAHTI HISTORIC RALLY IN FINLAND FOR THE FIFTH TIME.

Former WRC rival Mikko Hirvonen drove his Rothmans-liveried Ford Escort RS1800 to second place in Lahti, 3min 50sec behind Latvala.“I really love to come to Lahti for the historic rally because it’s always really well organised and the stages are fantastic. I enjoyed it a lot and the atmosphere was relaxed and nice as usual,” he added.

“Second overall and first in our class. And bloody happy because we loved it from start to finish,” said Hirvonen. “The weather was good, the stages were really fantastic and the longer the rally went on, I started to understand more and more how to drive,” he added.

PATAGONIA 8K

Patagonia 8K explores the beautiful and rough landscapes of southern Chile and Argentina. Shot in 8K resolution on a medium format camera it's aimed to deliver the most realistic experience.
Shot in 6 weeks, travelling over 7500km from Santiago to Punta Arenas we captured roughly 100.000 still frames that combine into this timelapse video.

PATAGONIA 8K from Martin Heck | Timestorm Films on Vimeo.

Celebrity cars – how relevant is Very Important Provenance?

Is a car worth more simply because it's been owned by someone famous - or does it all depend on exactly who that famous owner was, what they did with the car in question, and what it really meant to them? Simon de Burton considers the question...

Posterior provenance

When buying a classic, do you insist on originality, superb condition, matching numbers, faultless mechanicals and perfect running? Or are you more concerned with whose arse (or 'ass', for our U.S. readers) has been in the driver's seat? 

Plenty to come

There should be a plenty of opportunities to find out during the next few weeks, because there are more than a few 'celebrity' motors coming under the hammer, ranging from Steve McQueen's Porsche Turbo and one of the two Ferrari Testarossas used in the TV series Miami Vice, to the effortlessly cool 'Blue Lena' Bentley Flying Spur in which Rolling Stone Keith Richards was chauffeured from England to Morocco with only Anita Pallenberg, fellow model Deborah Dixon and an in-car record player for entertainment. God, that must have been a boring trip. Such a long way...

The petrolhead's petrolhead

Ordinarily, an early 930 Turbo could be had for around £100,000 - 150,000, but Mecum's slate grey McQueen car is being advertised as 'estimate on request' - auction speak for 'if you have to ask, you probably can't afford it'. That's because many people (mostly of a certain age) still regard McQueen as the petrolhead's petrolhead, meaning prices achieved in the past for cars touched by his presence have soared into the stratosphere. $1.3 million for the 911 used in the opening sequence of the movie Le Mans, for example; $11 million for the Ford GT40 he also drove in the film, and $10 million for his Ferrari 275 GTB four-cam - all at least double the value of comparable, non-McQueen examples.

The taint of Z-list celebs

But - King of Cool aside - does a famous name always add that much of a premium to a classic car these days? With values higher than ever at the top end, and condition and/or originality paramount, the bonus of celebrity ownership becomes less significant. For example, the 'barn find'Ferrari SWB California Spider that (probably) belonged to Alain Delon, and fetched 14 million euros earlier this year, would likely have made the same, even without its rather loose connection to the heartthrob actor.

Celebs who just weren't car guys

And what about motors owned by celebs who, quite simply, just weren't car guys? Did the 1955 Ferrari 857 that drew $6.2 million at Gooding and Co. three years ago really make more because it once belonged to fey pop artist Andy Warhol - who hired someone to drive it around New York? I doubt it.

Prime Ministerial upholstery

One car which really did have its value boosted by the 'name' who originally owned it, however, was the Series I Land Rover gifted to Sir Winston Churchill on his 80th birthday. It made £119,000 three years ago, at least quadruple what a mint, regular Series I would have made at the time.

Although it was in delightfully original condition - right down to the extra-wide seat squab fitted from new to accommodate the well-upholstered Prime Ministerial arse. Ass. Whatever you want to call it...

Photos: Getty Images / Edward Quinn Archive / Bonhams / Gooding & Company / RM Sotheby's / Mecum / Rémi Dargegen

Cars with notable provenance currently for sale in the Market

Market | Cars

1958 Fiat Multipla - Fissore Marinella

P.O.R.

Auctions | Cars

1964 Maserati Mistral - 3.7 Spyder ex-Diana Dors

P.O.R.

Auctions | Cars

1976 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow I

P.O.R.

Auctions | Cars

1976 Jaguar XJS

P.O.R.

Auctions | Cars

1955 Ferrari 410 Superamerica

EUR 4 522 840 - 5 427 408

Auctions | Cars

1961 Jaguar E-Type SI - E-Type Series 1 3.8-Litre Roadster

EUR 293 985 - 384 441

Auctions | Cars

1956 Ferrari 250 GT - Berlinetta Competizione 'Tour de France'

P.O.R.

Auctions | Cars

2005 Ferrari Enzo Ferrari - Enzo

P.O.R.

Auctions | Cars

1953 Bentley R Type Continental

EUR 1 266 395 - 1 628 223

Auctions | Cars

1953 Bentley R Type Continental - R-Type Continental Fastback Sports...

P.O.R.

Norton Commando – The Gasbox

Written by Martin Hodgson.

Not too long ago The GasBox were featured on these pages when their BMW R80 was 3rd in Pipeburn’s 2014 Bike of the Year Awards, so it’s fair to say they can build one hell of a bike. But pinning down owner Jesse Bassett’s style isn’t easy. Take this 1974 Norton Commando 850. It’s neither a custom Café Racer nor a Concours d’Elegance build due to the modifications; but it, like all of Jesse’s builds, are as close to perfection as you can get. The again, maybe that’s his style.

It might be a big call to say a workshop is capable of building consistently “perfect” bikes, but look at their builds, their trophy cabinet and an achievement almost unheard of; Jesse’s first build at a tender age went straight onto the cover of a magazine. Jesse and his right hand man Tim Fiorucci have been impressing the best motorcycle judges in the world for the last few years so it’s no wonder the owner with his high expectations chose them to rebuild his Norton. This particular Commando 850 had spent the past twenty years of its life gathering dust in the corner of a shed and so upon arrival at The GasBox there was a lot to do. Nothing short of a complete strip down and rebuild would be acceptable and given that perfection takes time the owner was prepared to be patient.

With a bare frame to work with the rear hoop was shortened significantly to remove the overhang that the standard frame offers. The frame now ends where the seat does rather than the original which continues to run back to offer support to the now deleted tail light and plate holder. At first glance the 850 frame appears to be standard but this shortening of the frame gently cleans up the look. The other distinct feature of a Commando is the large rear fender, this too is gone with a GasBox shorter item in its place. With the rear end significantly tidied up the front end received similar treatment with a much smaller front fender fabricated that balances the ratio of material removed front to rear compared to a stock model.

During the build it should be remembered that Jesse and Tim also had four other GasBox bikes to build and three shows to attend, not to mention the daily jobs that any workshop has to handle. With all this going on the decision was made to rebuild the entire engine and transmission, Jesse is a master at finding rare vintage parts and isn’t fazed by what he might confront from an engine that has been sitting for decades. The classic Norton air-cooled OHV parallel twin is now as good as when it left the hands of the brilliant Norton engineers, the two-piece forged crank spinning on new mains, gaskets are all new, so too all filters and even little details like replacing the fuel lines to ensure perfect running operation.

On the outside of the engine what wasn’t painted or powder coated black was thoroughly cleaned and polished with the aluminium given a satin finish with other stock hardware zinc plated. The main custom touch to the engine is the in-house fabrication of the high mounted, scrambler-type twin exhausts that exit stage left. The electrics of a Commando 850 were considered quite advanced at the time for a British machine but Jesse has brought them in line with 2015 standards to ensure everything works when and how it should. One of the other advanced for the times features of the Commando was the vibration reducing Isolastic system which has now also been renewed separating the rider from the jarring of the torquey twin!

By today’s standard the Norton’s front end was a relatively simple one, but in keeping with the rest of the build The GasBox boys have found ways to clean it up further. The modern electrics allow for the fitment of a new, smaller headlight that is housed in a black casing to blend with the blacked out triple trees.

The gaudy rear light is gone and in its place are a pair of small brake lights cleverly fixed just behind the rear shock mounts. The dual instruments have been scrapped for a single speedo held in place by a beautifully fabricated bracket. While the bars wear a new brake master cylinder, custom switches and the ever popular Biltwell rubber grips.

With such an immaculate base now complete it would be easy for a builder to make wrong wheel and paint choices and in one move destroy all their hard work. But the consistency with which Jesse makes the right design decisions is no fluke. The wheels themselves have been respoked with brand new stainless items into blacked out rims before being wrapped in period correct Dunlop Roadmaster TT100 tyres.

The seat is a custom item, it doesn’t shy too far away from the Norton look, but the quality leather and brilliant stitch work make a statement of their own. Finally the colour choice for the straight as an arrow metal work had to be made, a colour that would fit the classy and sophisticated look of the build. This part was actually easy, the owner of the bike drives an Aston Martin in grey, so the same colour was applied to the Commando with the finish Aston Martin quality from the gun.

If you’re going to have two grey Brits at home an Aston and a Norton of this quality certainly beat playing house with The Two Ronnies. And that ends another picture perfect GasBox build, words and photos don’t do it justice but it’s hard to see how yet again Jesse and Tim won’t be receiving both the plaudits of the entire industry for their work and a few more trophies along the way.

via PIPEBURN