Honda Philippines, Inc., announces road racing plans for 2023
Honda Philippines Inc., the no. 1 motorcycle company in the Philippines, hopes to continue to nurture riding talent in the Philippines with a series of collaborations to develop world class racers. HPI made the announcement at a recent event held at the Honda Safety Driving Center.
In International racing competitions, HPI will continue to support racing teams together with other Honda Subsidiaries in Asia, like Moto 2 and 3 Idemitsu Honda Team Asia, and Honda Asia Dream Racing with Showa that will be joining the Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC) ASB1000 class and the Suzuka 8 Hour with the participation of the first and only Filipino mechanic to join the crew.
Filipino racers, Jakob Sablaya, NAMSSA’s 2022 Rider of the Year; and Alfonsi Daquigan, TSR’s (Team Spirit Racing) Overall Champion were given a plaque of appreciation for their performance in the last year’s domestic racing competitions using the Supra GTR150 and CBR150R. “The “Honda racing spirit” is a testament to our commitment to winning by developing our people and technologies. With this in mind, we take on the exciting journey of training and developing Filipino young racers, in collaboration with SDG (Showa Denki Group) MS HARC-PRO Honda Ph,” said HPI President Susumu Mitsuishi.
As domestic racing will be the starting activity for reaching Road to Champion and world class races, HPI will continue to discover and support riders with the same level and quality of skills and talent by continuing to join the domestic racing competitions such as IRGP (Inside Racing Grand Prix), MotoIR Championship, and Super Series competitions. These are the series where young and aspiring riders will be able to improve their skills and develop their self - confidence in riding, competing with the other brands. HPI will also be discovering a new set of young aspiring riders through the Honda Pilipinas Dream Cup (HPDC) program, starting with the try-outs this 2023.
HARC-PRO, headed by Shigeki Honda, was introduced and unveiled the collaboration with HPI during the event. The professional racing team originating from Japan is popular for producing world class talents such as Hiroshi Aoyama, former GP250 World Champion and now Honda Team Asia’s Team Manager; Takaaki Nakagami of LCR Honda Team, competing in MotoGP, and a former Japan Road Racing Champion; and other famous and former MotoGP World Champions, Casey Stoner, Nicky Hayden and Jack Miller. Even Superbike’s (WSBK) Michael Van der Mark and Leon Haslam are also former HARC – PRO Suzuka 8 Hour Riders. It also counts former Moto 3 rider, Yuki Kunii, to name a few alumni. In the Philippines, it was established last 2021 and is located at Cabanatuan City Nueva Ecija.
HARC – PRO Ph in collaboration and support from HPI will be continuing to participate in ARRC under the team name SDG (SHOWA DENKI GROUP) MS HARC- PRO Honda Philippines with their Japanese riders in ASB1000, #73 Haruki Naguchi and AP250, #27 Chihiro Ishii. They will be nurturing the very best young riders through scholarship training, one of the first for HPI. Called the 2023 Honda Young Riders Training Program (HYRTP), instructors are world class riders Yuki Kunii and Haruki Noguchi. The program will start this February 2023 at the Tarlac Circuit Hill using the CBR300R racing bikes. Jakob Sablaya and Alfonsi Daquigan will be participating in this program.
“In this program, Filipino riders will now have a chance to achieve their dream to become world class competitive riders participating in International races in the future,” said Susumu Mitsuishi.
To stay updated on all things Honda, visit www.hondaph.com. Check out HPI’s newest products and promos by following Honda Philippines, Inc. on Facebook and Instagram (@hondaph_mc), or contacting (02)-8581-6700 to 6799, and 0917-884-6632.