Honda Bolsters Indian Motorsports With Moto3 Race Bike

The NSF 250R is an internationally acclaimed Moto3 race machine which won Honda the Constructors Championship in 2015

Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India who has been active in the Indian racing space for over a decade now, announced that it’ll take motorsports as we know it to a whole new level. As part of the aggressive new directional shift, Honda will train and promote Indian racers and even have a team participate in Asia’s Road Racing Championship.

Also, Honda plans to take it a step further by introducing another ‘One Make’ series. In essence, the new one-make series will make use of the Moto3 bike instead of the race-prepped Honda CBR150R and CBR250R. While the existing one-make series helped riders strengthen their base, the new race series will have them hone their skill using a proper Moto3 race bike. The experience and exposure the riders receive on a purpose-built race bike will surely help them gain the competitive edge and align them with international racing standards.

Moreover, Honda will also handpick talented riders who will then get a chance to be a part of Honda’s international racing team: IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia for Moto2 and Honda Team Asia in Moto3 class for FIM Road Racing Championship. These two classes have produced some of the finest riders in the world and are one of the most important stepping stones to MotoGP.

Here's the official statement from the manufacturer.

Press Release -

Honda 2Wheelers India makes the biggest motorsport announcement till date!

Aims to develop an iconic Indian rider for the world, going up to the peak of Grand Prix Racing

• Raises the bar of Indian motorsport to world’s best - Creates history by bringing NSF 250R - Honda’s internationally acclaimed Moto3 race machine to India
• Accelerate Indian rider’s development to international standards - Announces an exclusive racing Championship on Honda NSF 250R from 2019
• NSF 250R – Moto3 championship winning machine is used by young racers around the world as a step up to international standard racing machine
• Creates new platforms and unlocks the World’s biggest Championship for Asia’s best –
• Thai Talent Cup (platform for young talent to compete against Asia’s best racers) and Asia Road Racing Championship (most competitive road racing championship of Asia)
• “Honda Asia Dream Racing” (to take Asia’s best to Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Race and JSB1000 class of All Japan Road Race Championship)
• “IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia” (taking best of Asian riders to compete against the world’s best up to Moto2 championship)
• “Honda Team Asia” (for promoting Asian Riders in Moto3)

Chennai, August 07, 2018: Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India Pvt. Ltd. has been active in racing in India for over a decade now. As a part of aggressive new directional shift towards racing, Honda now announces a new roadmap to take India’s best racing talents rise as an icon in International Championships.

Develop an Iconic Indian Rider for National and International Championships

With over 750 Grand Prix wins, Honda is a global leader in motorsports. To replicate the same success in Asia & Oceania, all Honda Group of Companies in the region, including India, have created 3 new teams exclusively for Asian riders in international racing championships. The first of these, Honda Asia Dream Racing, will compete in the historic Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Race and JSB1000 class of All Japan Road Race Championship, the most premier road racing championship in Japan. The second team, IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia is a platform for Asian riders in Moto2 and Honda Team Asia in Moto3 class of FIM Road Racing Championship. These two classes are the stepping stones to MotoGP, the most premier class of circuit racing. Honda 2Wheelers India dreams of an Indian rider representing the country in these teams.

Speaking about Honda’s aggressive push towards racing, Mr. Minoru Kato - President and CEO, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India Pvt. Ltd. said, “It is my dream to see an iconic Indian compete in Grand Prix level racing. With a clear development path and structured approach to nurture riders in place, we now want to take Indian motorsports to the next level. Honda will introduce the Moto3 machine NSF 250R as competition bike in India next year. India’s best racers from Honda India Talent Cup and national championship will be racing on NSF 250R in a separate series running parallel to existing national championships. Motorsports has a bright future in India and Honda will continue to take such steps to support racing talent.”

Indian racers to race NSF 250R – The 2015 Moto3 championship winning motorcycle

Talent needs the right platform to perform in the global arena. NSF 250R is recognised around the world as one of the best motorcycles for budding racers because of its ideal blend of high performance and rider-friendly nature. Developed by Honda Racing Corporation after years of research and development, NSF 250R is a major step up for young riders bringing them at par with international standards. The compact, light-weight and high-performance motorcycle will help young talent to learn the basics for moving up the ladder from entry level to international Grand Prix Racing.

Commenting on the introduction of NSF 250R, Mr. Prabhu Nagaraj, Vice President, Brand and Communications, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt. Ltd. said, “Setting a new benchmark, the highly successful NSF 250R starts a new chapter in Indian motorsports. Acknowledged globally as a stepping stone for budding champions, NSF 250R will be a huge step up for Indian riders. Riding experience on purpose built racing motorcycle will help them gain competitive edge bringing them at par with international racing at an early stage of their career.”

Powering the NSF 250R is a 249cc engine assisted by a RAM air intake system helping the motorcycle obtain high power output even in challenging hot conditions. The NSF 250R has a low centre of gravity and combined with an optimised swingarm for the right amount of flexibility, gets the motorcycle precise handling abilities.

Honda Racing in India:

Honda 2Wheelers India began motorcycle racing in 2008 with Honda One Make Race series. Evolving the series each year, Honda has played a pivotal role in making motorcycle racing more accessible to Indians. Racers got access to several world-class racing machines like CBR 150R and CBR 250R.

Developing young racers, Honda 2Wheelers India introduced Honda India Talent Hunt programme in May 2018. The Talent Hunt has been curated to identify and groom budding racers under Honda’s ‘Catch them Young’ approach. Selected riders are trained in Honda’s racing academy to compete with India’s best riders. Selected riders compete in Honda India Talent Cup – CBR 150R class. In the first round conducted in June 2018, a 14-year-old boy from Chennai, Md. Mukail, won the race with a thumping 17 second lead. The Talent Cup also includes a CBR 250R class for experienced riders.

In the Indian National Motorcycle Racing Championship, Honda riders Rajiv Sethu and Anish Sethu are leading the points table in both Pro Stock 165 and SuperSport 165 class. This year, Honda has also created history with the first ever Indian team with Indian riders in Asia Road Racing Championship. Representing India, Rajiv and Anish have shown promising signs in the 4 rounds conducted so far. Young Indian racers Rajiv Sethu and Senthil Kumar are getting additional international racing exposure in Thai Talent Cup.