New Honda cuts won’t hit MotoGP

Added on Friday, January 23rd, 2009 by Carole Nash Editor | No Comments

MotoGP will be saved from the Honda accountant's axe.

We have no plans to leave MotoGP.

Honda has announced that they have no plans to leave MotoGP although they have conceded that they intend to cut back on their motorcycle sport operations in 2009.

After withdrawing from Formula One racing - a move that will save the company an estimated £300m - and the AMA Superbikes championship, the Japanese manufacturer has admitted that it is again reviewing its motorcycle sport operations for 2009 in a further attempt to cut costs amid the global economic recession.

But team bosses have reassured fans that the company will not follow Kawasaki’s lead and withdraw from MotoGP racing, with the most likely victims of the cuts being motocross, trials and other forms of off-road racing. World Superbikes and British Superbikes operations are also thought to be safe.

“We have not formally decided yet but we have been looking into the option of pulling out,” Honda’s Akemi Ando told Reuters.

“It is something we have been thinking about for a while since we pulled out of Formula One. We have no plans to leave MotoGP.”

Honda, which has forecast a 190 billion yen operating loss for the fiscal second half ending in March, withdrew from Formula One last month to reduce costs amid a slump in global car sales. The factory also withdrew from the AMA Superbike championship, also for cost reasons.

Their record in MotoGP boasts 14 premier class motorcycling world titles, the first of which being 1983 and most recently with Nicky Hayden in 2006.

Honda will also not be entering a works team for the popular Suzuka Eight-Hour World Endurance Race in July, but the company pledged its commitment to the event at its home circuit.

“It’s not strictly accurate to say Honda are pulling out of the Eight-Hour race,” said Ando. “It is true that our works teams will not take part.

“But Honda supplies bikes and technical support to many of the teams and 60% of the bikes on the grid will still be Honda bikes.”

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