HAYDEN AND HONDA TO SAY FAREWELL  HONDA RACING INFORMATION
Monday September 15 2008
HAYDEN AND HONDA TO SAY FAREWELL
Nicky Hayden will ride his final race for the
Repsol Honda Team at Valencia, Spain, on October
26. The American star and Honda have enjoyed a
decade of racing action together, climbing
motorcycling's highest peak when they conquered
the MotoGP World Championship in 2006.
Hayden has ridden Honda's since he was a
teenager, first as a privateer, when at the age
of 18 he won the 1999 US Supersport title aboard
a CBR600. The following year he joined forces
with American Honda and in 2002 won the US
Superbike crown on an RC51. That success
propelled The Kentucky Kid onto the world scene
with the Repsol Honda Team in 2003.
In his first year with the marque's factory
MotoGP squad Hayden won the MotoGP Rookie of the
Year award, then built towards that 2006 title
triumph, when he snatched motorcycling's most
prestigious title aboard his RC211V during an epic season finale at Valencia.
Hayden has won three MotoGP races for Honda, his
all-action style a perfect match for the
factory's super-powerful 990cc RCV. Of course,
Hayden, like so many of the USA's greatest
roadrace stars, grew up racing dirt track, and he
has also scored success for Honda on the dirt
oval, winning four Grand Nationals on a CRF450 flat tracker.
HRC, Honda and Repsol would like to say a big
thank you for the success and the style that Hayden has brought to the team.
HRC president Masumi Hamane says: "We wish to
thank Nicky for all he has achieved for Honda
both as a rider and a man. Nicky and Honda have
shared much success and a few disappointing days
but in each case Nicky has always behaved
cheerfully and has led the team in a positive
way. His warm-hearted character has been much
loved by all who have worked with him. Together
we have won two AMA titles and the most important
title of all, the MotoGP World Championship.
Nicky raced the 990cc RC211V with great success
but since the technical regulations reduced
MotoGP engine capacity to 800cc, both Nicky and
HRC have tried our best but we have been unable
to find the best balance between rider and
machine necessary for Nicky to show his full
potential, so we have decided to part company at
the end of the season. We want to thank Nicky who
always tried positively under tough conditions.
We respect him for his brave challenging spirit.
We wish Nicky good luck for the future with his
new challenge. Nicky is a good guy loved by all,
but also he is a tough competitor and I am sure
he will be tough to beat next season."
Repsol director general Jaume Giró says: "I wish
Nicky all the best, in both his sporting life and
his personal life, as he begins this new
adventure outside Repsol Honda. Repsol will never
forget his magnificent 2006 season when the won
the MotoGP World Championship at Valencia, in
front of a Spanish crowd, clearly showing the
attributes he has brought to the team throughout
the six years he has been with us: determination,
conviction and a will to overcome any setbacks.
And he is always a warm and friendly character,
for which everyone at Repsol thanks him.
"Finally, I would like to emphasise the fact that
Nicky Hayden has made a special contribution in
helping Repsol move into the United States of
America and to be recognised in such a large and
complicated market. Without a doubt his image
that has been associated with our company has
helped the marketing of our products in America.
For all these reasons, Nicky will always occupy a
special place in the history of Repsol Sports Sponsorship."
Nicky Hayden says: "I've been with Honda a long
time. I owe a big thanks to everybody who's ever
worked with me at Honda, from my AMA days to my
rookie year in MotoGP, right up to now. I've
worked with a lot of great people at HRC, Honda
and Repsol too. It was always my big dream as a
kid to race for this team. It's something I've
enjoyed a lot. I want to thank everybody there,
all the guys from tyre technicians to crew chiefs
and all the way up. Sure, it hasn't just been one
big holiday, along the way there's been some
tough days but a lot of good days too. Winning
the World Championship was by far the highlight
of my career so far, plus I won a couple
championships in America with Honda, the
Supersport championship, the Superbike title and
the Daytona 200. And I won some dirt track with
Honda too: I won Springfield short track twice,
the Peoria TT, in all four Grand National dirt
tracks. Winning MotoGP rookie of the year in 2003
was quite an achievement against Bayliss, Edwards
and Melandri, that was something I was pretty
proud of. And of course my two MotoGP wins at
Laguna were awesome experiences. I'd just like to
thank everyone, and the best way to thank them is
to put up some results these last few races. That's the plan."
Repsol Honda team manager Kazuhiko Yamano,
speaking on behalf of the HRC's hands-on racing
personnel, says: "On behalf of HRC employees past
and present, both engineering and software staff,
I wish to thank Nicky for all he has done for
Honda and our racing teams. The success he has
brought to Honda is well recorded but has also
made a valuable contribution to our race
development projects. Nicky has been an excellent
ambassador for Honda, his genuine polite and
friendly personality has made him a favourite
with racing people, the media and race fans
wherever he goes. Nicky is a racer, a tough man
on track and always a gentleman with whom it has
been a pleasure to work. He always gives 100 per
cent to everything he does. He won two AMA
national roadrace titles for Honda before joining
the Repsol Honda MotoGP team to race the 990cc
RC211V. Nicky and the RCV were the perfect
rider/machine combination and together they won
the 2006 MotoGP World Championship. We all wish
Nicky good luck and success with his new
challenge he will be a fierce rival for our team in 2009."
NICKY HAYDEN'S HONDA HIGHLIGHTS
1999 AMA 600 Supersport Champion (Honda CBR600)
2nd AMA Formula Xtreme (Honda CBR900)
2000 2nd AMA Superbike (Honda RC51)
4th AMA 600 Supersport (Honda CBR600)
2001 3rd AMA Superbike Championship (Honda RC51)
2002 AMA Superbike Champion (Honda RC51)
Daytona 200 winner (Honda RC51)
2003: 5th MotoGP World Championship (Repsol Honda RC211V)
2004: 8th MotoGP World Championship (Repsol Honda RC211V)
2005: 3rd MotoGP World Championship (Repsol Honda RC211V)
2006: MotoGP World Champion (Repsol Honda RC211V)
2007: 8th MotoGP World Championship (Repsol Honda RC212V)
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RS125R/RS250R Availability information  Information as of 11/7/2008 regarding availability of current model [or non-current] RS125/250R HRC GP 2-stroke Racer.
We have been receiving lots of calls regarding RS availability. Let me give you the facts. As the official Honda HRC representative in North America, we are at the mercy of American Honda regarding vehicle and parts stocking.
The good news is the parts division is still fully up to speed, and we still have currently [and plan on doing so] a huge supply of HRC parts for the RS125/250R's. Their are times when we must re-load our supply which may cause a 60-90 day waiting period for some items since we are waiting on them from HRC japan and must put in a large stocking order to keep them happy.
Now the bad news is on the vehicle side. Since we are at the mercy of American Honda, we must abide by their decisions regarding the stocking of current model RS's [which at this time are a carry-over model]. Our orders usually go in by around Sept for February delivery. For the 2008, and what looks to be the 2009 season, we requested units, American Honda is not supplying. This of course challenges us, and we apoligize for this problem. At this time it looks like American Honda has officially ended bringing in any [officially] for the forseable future. Grey market dealers who send buyers to Japan directly and buy from Honda/HRC dealerships directly will be your best bet at this time to acquire any RS models. We hope you understand, and we are equally frustrated.
[News udpate!! Honda has just announced at our Annual 2008 Honda Dealer Show the creation of a Honda CRF250X powered 4-stroke single in a Moriwaki Chassis that will be available in limited numbers in the USA for racers. Unknown distribution at this time. Pictures available on our 2008 Honda Dealer Show info posted in our photo gallery]. We hear they have commited to this endeavor and were planning on a large official presentation at the Dealer Show, but again, some last minute internal debate has squashed the idea at this time. Similar to the bringing in a few years ago the Full Superbike Race kits for the RC-51 and then the Standard Race version CBR1000RR and CBR600RR. Contact HRCA [Honda Riders Club of America] direct at American Honda for possible race series info using this new model.
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