Japanese motorcycle powerhouse Honda is set to expand the CRF250 dirt bike model range very soon following reports of its intent at putting the Honda CRF250 Rally concept bike into production.
The news comes following patent and trademark files leaked online. No targeted release date was disclosed, but we are led to believe we will see one as soon as EICMA 2015 later this month.
Essentially, the Honda CRF 250 Rally concept underpins the red wing marque’s CRF 250 dirt bike, with the concept donning a new dressing akin to HRC’s Dakar Rally enduro. Minus the enduro-styled aesthetic enhancements, the concept still retains much of the production bike’s mechanicals.
The leaked design patents revealed that the production-bound version gains several predictable changes such as the adoption of a street-legal exhaust silencer and tail light set.
A baby HRC Rally bike replica available for purchase in showrooms worldwide? Count us in Honda!
The much-awaited 2015 MotoGP finale concluded on a high note last weekend in Valencia, Spain. With the World Moto2 championship title already decided a few races earlier, the weekend saw both the World Moto3 and MotoGP titles being contested.
Firstly, the weekend’s Moto2 class saw injured outgoing champion Esteve ‘Tito’ Rabat returning to the grid for his final outing in the middle class. Though this year’s Moto2 champion’s title was already claimed by Frenchman Johann Zarco, this did little in impeding Spaniard Rabat from putting on a stellar performance in front of his home crowd.
Putting his recent injury behind him, Tito was able to clinch his final Moto2 race win after a thrilling and drama-filled race that was red-flagged in the opening laps following a multi-bike pile up in Turn 2. The race re-started and ran for 18 laps, with Rabat putting on a masterclass to clinch victory ahead of compatriot Alex Rins in second and Swiss rider Thomas Luthi in third.
Rabat ends the 2015 Moto2 season ranking in third overall after collecting 231 points before moving up into the MotoGP class next year. Ahead of him in second is Rins who collected 234 points whilst champion Zarco leads the standings with a comfortable lead after collecting a total of 352 points.
In the Moto3 class, the title would be decided down to the wire. All British rider Danny Kent needed to do was to score two points to secure the title. If Kent failed to do so, then title rival Miguel Oliveira would clinch the title if he scored the full 25 points from winning the race.
Portugal native Oliveira put on a stellar display of his race craft by winning the race, but alas, Kent’s ninth place finish was enough to see him crowned as the 2015 World Moto3 Champion. Kent has gone into the record books as the first British rider to win a world title in any of the three classes since the legendary Barry Sheene who last won the 500cc title in 1977.
Just six points separated Kent’s score 260 points against Oliveira’s haul of 254 points whilst Italian Enea Bastianini ranks third with 207 points.
Of course, all eyes were on the weekend’s much talked about premier MotoGP class finale race. Following the controversial Sepang Clash with Marc Marquez, championship leader Valentino Rossi had to start from the back of the grid with the slimmest of margins ahead of teammate and rival Jorge Lorenzo.
Nevertheless, the sold-out crowd in Valencia witnessed perhaps one of the finest moments from the living Italian riding legend as he picked off the grid one by one, lap by lap. Rossi could only settle with a fourth place finish by the day’s end, but it was clear he was the people’s champion thanks to his unrivalled race performance.
The weekend undoubtedly belonged to home hero Jorge Lorenzo. Astride the number 99 Yamaha, Lorenzo already had the advantage by starting in pole position ahead of the Honda duo of Marquez and Dani Pedrosa in second and third respectively. All Lorenzo had to do was defend himself from both his Honda-powered compatriots to claim victory and the title.
Despite a late-stage charge from both Marquez and Pedrosa, Lorenzo’s lead remained unchallenged all race long. With Rossi settling for fourth position, Lorenzo took his third MotoGP title in his career with the race win in front of his home crowd.
Just five points separated Lorenzo in first with 330 points from Rossi in second with his score of 325 points. Ousted world champion Marc Marquez, on the other hand ends the season in third with his haul of 242 points ahead of teammate Dani Pedrosa in fourth with his total haul of 206 points.
Though his tenth world title slipped away from him, Rossi remained upbeat and confident with his result. Surely, his stellar race performance has silenced both critics and doubters on whether he was deserving of the title following the incident in Sepang that has marred what has been a stellar year for the Italian.
The Drive M7 SIC Racing Team confirmed yesterday that they will be switching to Honda machinery in 2016. The team will be using two NSF250RW bikes, replacing the KTM bikes that are being used currently.
The Malaysian team said that strongly believes that the new partnership with Honda will enhance the team’s performance and open the door for greater success in 2016.
Dato’ Razlan Razali, the CEO of Sepang International Circuit said,“We are extremely thankful to Honda Racing Corporation for supplying us with the Honda machines for next season. Honda has proven last year and especially this year to be extremely competitive and we sincerely appreciate them delivering the bikes for our two riders in 2016.”
“Besides providing the bike for the team there is a lot more that we can do with the local Honda distributor here in Malaysia; it’s the last piece of the jigsaw puzzle for us with our involvement in the Asia Talent Cup, where all the riders are using Honda machines. With this partnership we can transfer knowledge and expertise from our Moto3 team to the Asia Talent Cup,” he added.
Johan Stigefelt, the team manager for the Drive M7 SIC Racing Team on the other hand, said that they have gained a lot of experience from our first year in Moto3 as a team and I think the switch to Honda will be a step in the right direction for them.
“We have a good connection with HRC in terms of our relationship with Sepang International Circuit and the Asia Talent Cup. With regards to performance we know the Honda is very strong and can fit well into our structure and with our riders. I’m very pleased to have this opportunity and that Honda Racing Corporation have agreed on this partnership with us,” he said.
Khairul Idham Pawi gets an early birthday present when Honda Team Asia announced the Malaysian will make his debut in the Moto3 World Championship as a wildcard at Motorland Aragon this 27th September. (more…)
