That same year, Honda was declared the double World Champion, claiming the 125cc and 250cc categories. In the next race, in Germany, Kunimitsu Takahashi became the first Japanese rider to win a World GP event, with his 250cc Honda the first Japanese bike to win in this class. At the time, against stiff opposition, this level of success was truly remarkable, prompting Honda to compete in the full GP series the following year.įrom 1960, Honda entered all of the World GP races with 125cc and 250cc machines, its efforts finally rewarded with a maiden win in the 1961 Spanish Grand Prix (the opening event), when Tom Phillis brought his 125cc Honda home in first place. This first challenge resulted in Honda claiming 6 th, 7 th, 8 th and 11 th in the 125cc lightweight class, as well as the Manufacturers’ Team Award. The 1959 Isle of Man TT witnessed the first entry from a Japanese team in the World GP series, the four 125cc Hondas being managed by Kiyoshi Kawashima, who had the complete trust and support of Soichiro Honda. Until the 1950s, the World GP races were held exclusively in Europe, and dominated by European manufacturers. Honda felt that declaring his ambition to win this demanding race would bring his company a great deal of interest, as indeed it did, from all over Japan.

Why did Soichiro Honda set his sights on the TT? The answer is simple: the Isle of Man race was the most difficult to win and had come to symbolize the very essence of the sport. The first race held under FIM rules was the Isle of Man TT event of June 1949. After the Second World War, in 1949, the FIM (Federation Internationale de Motorcyclisme) was founded, establishing the format for road racing that is still recognizable to this day in the World GP series. From 1906, Britain held the Tourist Trophy (TT) races on the Isle of Man, and the motorsport scene blossomed throughout Central Europe in pre-war days.

The first motorcycle was sold in 1894, a product of Germany, while the first race-of about 400 km-was held in France only a few years later.

Professional motorbike rider or racer