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For the past twenty years or so, there
is one manufacturer who has been above all others in the premier class
of grand prix motorcycle racing, and that manufacturer is Honda.
Winning 12 of the last 20 World Championship titles, Honda’s recent
domination in 500GP and MotoGP has been a sea change for the series, and
the company’s winning total in this modern era of four-stroke and
two-stroke machines is double the next nearest OEM, Yamaha (MV Agusta
still holds the outright record, with 18 championships from the
1956-1974 period of four-stroke racing).
Part of Honda’s success has been the fact that the Japanese
motorcycle manufacturer has been able to attract some of the best riders
ever to come to a Grand Prix race’s starting line, champions like Mick
Doohan (1994-1998), Àlex Crivillé (1999), Valentino Rossi (2001-2003),
Nicky Hayden (2006), Casey Stoner (2011), and now Marc Marquez (2013).
But also part of the equation has been the superb equipment that HRC,
Honda’s racing department, produces for its riders, bike likes the
Honda NSR500, RC211v, RC212V, and RC213V, which have widely been
regarded as the best machines on the grid in each of their respective
eras.
Looking down the pipe, as MotoGP adopts new rules and regulations, the RC213V and RCV1000R
appear set to dominate their respective classes as the factory machines
will be reduced to 20 liters of fuel for next year, and the open class
machines are forced to use both the Dorna-supplied ECU hardware and
software.
It would appear that Honda has a firm grasp on the next few years of
MotoGP racing, and as a bit of an homage to this company’s fantastic
two-wheeled craftsmanship, along with the racers who rode them, we give
you wallpaper-sized photos of Honda’s Grand Prix motorcycles, from the
1995 to 2013 seasons.
1995 Honda NSR500 for Mick Doohan (Championship Winner):
1996 Honda NSR500 for Mick Doohan (Championship Winner):
1997 Honda NSR500 for Mick Doohan (Championship Winner):
1998 Honda NSR500 for Mick Doohan (Championship Winner):
1999 Honda NSR500 for Mick Doohan:
2000 Honda NSR500 for Àlex Crivillé:
2001 Honda NSR500 for Àlex Crivillé:
2002 Honda RC211V for Valentino Rossi (Championship Winner):
2003 Honda RC211V for Valentino Rossi (Championship Winner):
2004 Honda RC211V for Alex Barros:
2005 Honda RC211V for Max Biaggi:
2005 Honda RC211V for Nicky Hayden:
2006 Honda RC211V for Dani Pedrosa:
2006 Honda RC211V for Nicky Hayden (Championship Winner):
2007 Honda RC212V for Nicky Hayden:
2008 Honda RC212V for Dani Pedrosa:
2009 Honda RC212V for Dani Pedrosa:
2010 Honda RC212V for Dani Pedrosa:
2011 Honda RC212V for Casey Stoner (Championship Winner):
2012 Honda RC212V for Casey Stoner:
2013 Honda RC213V for Marc Marquez (Championship Winner):
