USNA Cycle Team “Post Race Meal” Navy Race Weekend – February 27 th , 2010
2008 Honda Road Race Team
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Transcript of 2008 Honda Road Race Team
2008 Honda Road Race Team
2 Honda Road Race Team
4 The 2008 Honda Road Race Team
10 Why We Race
13 2008 Team Honda Facts
16 The Sport
20 The Machines
28 Miguel Duhamel
40 Neil Hodgson
52 The Team Behind the Team
60 2008 Team Sponsors
64 Honda Road-Racing Results
70 2008 AMA Superbike Schedule
71 2008 Honda Road Race Team CD Key
Table of Contents
3Honda Road Race Team
4 Honda Road Race Team
5Honda Road Race Team
In 2008, Honda is committed to winning the AMA Superbike
Championship. With the exception of the Daytona 200, in
which the factory Honda team will field two 600cc Formula
Xtreme machines, the team will focus all of its energies on
returning the Superbike championship to the Honda fold.
The Red Riders are led by 14-year Honda veteran Miguel
Duhamel, whose accomplishments are the stuff of legend.
He has won the Daytona 200 five times: 1991, 1996, 1999,
2003 and 2005. His eight championships include five 600-
class Supersport titles in 1991, 1993, 1995, 1996 and 1997, a
Superbike crown in 1995 and two 600-class Formula Xtreme
titles in 2004 and 2005. His 86 career AMA wins make him
the winningest road racer in AMA history and include the
Supersport class record for most race wins (41) and the
longest winning streak (10). He is second in career AMA
Superbike victories (32) and was the last rider to win titles in
both the 600 Supersport and the Superbike class in the
same year (1995).
Within the entire realm of road racing, no other brand personifies success like Team Honda. Bred for competition and seasoned with
success, Honda Racing has amassed an enviable record in the USA. Honda riders have won eight AMA Superbike Championships
since the team began contesting the series in 1980. While competing in AMA Supersport racing, Honda has gathered the most
championships (8), the most race wins (87) and the most consecutive race wins (10). Most recently, Honda riders captured four
consecutive championships (2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007) in the AMA’s reformulated 600cc Formula Xtreme series.
The 2008 Honda Road Race Team
6 Honda Road Race Team
NeilHODGSON 100
7Honda Road Race Team
MiguelDUHAMEL 17
8 Honda Road Race Team
9Honda Road Race Team
Joining Duhamel on the factory squad in 2008 is teammate Neil Hodgson, a 34-year-old Brit, who is
well versed in winning. Hodgson has won championships in the British Superbike Series (2000) and
World Superbike Series (2003). He also boasts experience in racing MotoGP and is very familiar with
American tracks, having raced previously in the AMA series in 2005 and 2006.
Honda Racing is led by Chuck Miller, manager of Motorcycle Sports. A multi-time Baja champion and
ISDE gold medalist, Miller is a 23-year Honda veteran. Road Racing Team Manager Ron Heben is an
industry veteran, who oversees the day-to-day activities of the team and directs an immensely talent-
ed team of crew chiefs and technicians. The team’s forces are marshaled by Team Coordinator Ray
Plumb, who first wrenched on Team Honda’s handbuilt 1023cc Superbikes in 1980. Returning for 2008
as Duhamel’s crew chief is Al Ludington. The pair teamed up to capture four national titles from 1992
to 1999 (including the Superbike and 600 Supersport championships in 1995) and two Formula
Xtreme titles in 2004 and 2005. David McGrath serves as Neil Hodgson’s crew chief in his eighth year
working with the Honda team. McGrath is one of the most knowledgeable technicians in the paddock.
10 Honda Road Race Team
11Honda Road Race Team
Ever the visionary, it was in 1954 Mr. Honda issued a chal-
lenge to the racing world: “My childhood dream was to be a
motorsport world champion with a machine built by myself.
I here avow my definite intention that I will participate in the
TT races, and I proclaim with my fellow employees that I
will pour in all my energy and creative powers to win.”
An impossible dream? Hardly. A mere five years later,
Honda entered the prestigious Isle of Man TT for the very
first time. And two years after that—a blink of an eye by
racing development standards—Honda captured its first
World GP race win on April 23, 1961. Fast-forward to 2005,
when Honda chalks up its 600th GP victory, an achievement
far surpassing that of every other motorcycle manufacturer
in the world.
Impressive as this heritage of GP victory is, Honda has also
earned 100 AMA national titles—including the 2006 East
Supercross Lites crown and its fourth consecutive AMA
Formula Xtreme road-racing championship in 2007—and
has amassed a record-setting 18 Baja 1000 victories. Not to
mention taking both the World Superbike and World
Supersport crowns in 2007. Name the racing discipline and
you’ll find a collection of Honda championships.
At Honda, racing is the very soul of the company, a touchstone reaching back to our founder and the very foundations of the
company. Soichiro Honda formed the Honda Motor Company in 1948. One year later, World Championship Motorcycle Grand Prix
racing was born, and soon the histories of both entities would become forever intertwined.
Why We Race
12 Honda Road Race Team
Again, as lofty as these marks stand, they constitute only one
area of excellence. After expanding from motorcycle to
automobile production, Honda once more set its sights on the
highest goal—that of World Grand Prix auto racing—and soon
achieved success within that stratospheric level of competi-
tion. In 1966, Honda-powered cars won the Formula 1 and
Formula 2 GP Championships. After a 10-year hiatus from
racing, Honda entered the F1 arena once again in the 1980s,
and by 1992 had amassed 6 Constructors Championships, 5
Drivers Championships and 71 Grand Prix victories—an amaz-
ing achievement.
Having made its mark in F1, Honda next took on the American
racing scene at CART and IndyCar events. It quickly earned its
first CART race win in 1995, then went on to dominate the
sport with five consecutive Drivers Championships by the
close of the 2000 season. And in the 2004 IndyCar Series,
Honda swept all three major championships—the
Manufacturers Championship, Drivers Championship and
Rookie of the Year—by winning an amazing 14 of 16 races,
including a first-through-seventh sweep of the legendary Indy
500 and 1-2-3 sweeps at the Michigan International Speedway
and California Speedway rounds.
Honda’s unabated passion for motorsports continues to fuel
the company’s dreams in the new millennium. As one journal-
ist said of Mr. Honda, “He went racing because he loved it; it
was in his blood. And what made Honda successful was that it
was a company led by engineers.”
This drive to conquer new engineering challenges, whether on
the racetrack or in the creation of consumer products,
continues to forge the soul of Honda Motor Company. Racing
inspires new heights of creativity at Honda, dismissing tradi-
tional solutions in the unceasing search for new designs. This
long-standing and deep-seated passion for racing and excel-
lence continues to power Honda to create the dreams of today,
dreams that will appear as the innovations of tomorrow.
13Honda Road Race Team
+ At Daytona, Honda has amassed 11 Superbike wins, 11 600 Supersport wins (Honda did not compete in the Supersport
class from 2003-2006) and 2 Formula Xtreme wins, more than all other manufacturers combined.
+ In AMA Supersport racing, Honda has won the most championships (8), the most races (87) and the most consecutive race
wins (10). Honda has won more than 45 percent (88 of 193) of the races in which it has competed since the series’ inception
in 1987.
+ In 2004, the inaugural year of the CBR®1000RR, Honda riders finished on the podium in every AMA Superbike race,
including 8 wins, 12 second places and 11 third-place showings.
+ In 2007, factory-supported Erion Racing rider Josh Hayes earned Honda’s fourth consecutive Formula Xtreme championship
in convincing fashion, winning seven of the nine races he entered aboard the all-new Honda CRB600RR.
+ In addition to winning at the track, Honda’s 2007 CBR600RR completely dominated comparison tests in print and online in,
going undefeated in shoot-outs in Motorcyclist, Sport Rider, Roadracing World, Cycle News, MotorcycleOnline.com,
MotorcycleDaily.com and MotorcycleUSA.com, plus a 2008 comparison victory in Cycle World.
2008 Team Honda Facts
14 Honda Road Race Team
+ Other accolades for the CBR600RR in 2007 were Cycle
World‘s Ten Best list as Middleweight; Motorcyclist
magazine’s Motorcycle of the Year winner for Best
Sportbike; Sport Rider‘s Middleweight of the Year; Rider
magazine’s selection as Best Sportbike; and Bike’s
(England’s largest motorcycle magazine) Bike of the Year.
+ In 2006, Honda Racing’s Jake Zemke won the Daytona
200—his first ever and Honda’s ninth overall.
+ Erion Racing’s Josh Hayes won Honda’s third consecutive
Formula Xtreme championship during the 2006 season.
+ In Formula Xtreme competition in 2004 and 2005, Honda
factory riders won every race.
+ Since the inception of the Formula Xtreme class in 1997,
Honda has won eight titles.
+ In 2005, Miguel Duhamel won his fifth Daytona 200
aboard a CBR600RR. The victory also marked Honda’s
eighth 200-mile win.
+ Beginning with the original 1987 Hurricane™ through the
CBR600F2, CBR600F3, CBR600F4, CBR600F4i and 2003
CBR600RR models, every year that Honda introduced a
new CBR600, the bike won at Daytona.
+ At the 2003 Daytona 200, Duhamel’s victory was the
fastest in history, setting a new record of 113.89 mph.
Honda swept all three podium spots; this remarkable feat
had been achieved only once before in the history of the
200-miler, when another set of Honda riders ruled in 1985
(Freddie Spencer took the win, Wes Cooley placed second
and Jeff Haney was third).
+ In AMA Superbike racing, Honda riders have won eight
championships since the factory began contesting the
series in 1980. Honda has won 114 races and five
consecutive championships.
15Honda Road Race Team
+ In 2003, Honda’s Red Riders finished on the podium in 16 of
the 18 AMA Superbike races on the venerable RC51 V-twin.
+ In 2002, Honda RC51-mounted Superbike Champion Nicky
Hayden and teammate Duhamel combined efforts to win
11 of 16 AMA Superbike rounds.
+ Ben Bostrom’s 1998 AMA Superbike Championship-
winning RC45 finished outside the top five only twice.
+ Winning 10 of 13 races, Honda VFR750F-mounted Fred
Merkel captured Honda’s first AMA Superbike
Championship in 1984.
+ In 1980, then-18-year-old Freddie Spencer helped kick off
Honda’s Superbike effort by winning three races and
finishing third overall in the points standings.
+ After the AMA instituted the big-bore Formula Xtreme
class in 1997, Honda-supported Erion Racing dominated
the class, winning nine of nine races in 1999; the most
consecutive races by a single rider (six in 2000); the most
consecutive pole positions (eight in 2000); and the most
class championships, with four in five years.
+ Honda’s Hurricane 600 and the AMA 600 Supersport class
debuted in 1987. The Hurricane swept the series, and
Doug Polen won seven consecutive races en route to the
championship.
+ Duhamel has won more AMA 600 Supersport
Championships (five) than any other rider, four of them
aboard Hondas.
+ In 1995, Duhamel made history by winning AMA titles in
both the 600 Supersport and the Superbike classes, the
last rider to do so. During the Superbike season, he won a
record six consecutive victories.
16 Honda Road Race Team
17Honda Road Race Team
The elevated levels of factory support result in exquisite
handbuilt machines that are at once gorgeous in appearance
and stunningly brilliant at speed, and the racers rank among
the best in the world. Yet the riders, teams and sponsors go
to great lengths to encourage close contact with their
legions of fans. Appearances at dealerships on race week-
ends are common, autograph sessions hold forth every race
weekend and it’s not unusual for a racer to stop and pose
with a fan for a photo op or sign a T-shirt between practice
sessions. Overall, it’s a race fan’s dream come true.
Honda’s storied AMA Superbike tradition began in 1980,
when 18-year-old Freddie Spencer won three races and
finished third in the points standings. Four years later,
VF750F-mounted Fred Merkel won 10 of 13 races to capture
Honda’s first-ever AMA Superbike Championship. Honda
came to dominate the class during the ensuing years. Today,
multi-time AMA champion Miguel Duhamel has garnered 32
Superbike wins in a long 18-year career that has seen him
earn a Superbike title in 1995 (when he won a record 6 con-
secutive races) and capture 86 lifetime victories in all class-
es. Since the debut of the Superbike class in 1976, Honda
has won 8 championships and 114 race wins.
2008 AMA Superbike Series
Consider this pleasant dichotomy: The AMA Superbike Championship and its three support classes—Formula Xtreme, Supersport
and Superstock—arguably present the most competitive and thrilling racing spectacle in the entire USA, yet the stars of this sport
remain refreshingly accessible to the track-going public as a whole.
The Sport
18 Honda Road Race Team
2008 Honda Superbike effort
With the exception of the Daytona 200, in
which factory Honda will field two 600cc
Formula Xtreme machines, Honda Racing
will focus its energies exclusively on win-
ning the 2008 AMA Superbike series. The
basis for Team Honda’s Superbike is the
brand-new 2008 CBR1000RR, a production
motorcycle that takes full advantage of the
AMA’s tuning guidelines. As it has since
2005, American Honda maintains overall
responsibility for AMA Superbike R&D with
support from Honda Racing Corporation
(HRC). Riding for Team Honda in 2008 will
be the ever-popular Miguel Duhamel, who
stepped up to the podium six times in
2007, and former British Superbike champi-
on, World Superbike champion and
MotoGP pilot Neil Hodgson.
19Honda Road Race Team
2008 AMA Formula Xtreme
A significant change to the popular AMA Formula Xtreme
series—the lowering of displacement limits from 1000cc to
600cc for four-cylinder machines—attracted the full attention of
the Honda Racing team in 2004 and 2005. The result was two
consecutive Honda championships for Duhamel, while his team-
mate Jake Zemke rode a CBR600RR to second place overall
each year. Honda was so dominant that Red Riders won every
race in both seasons, 21 in all. In 2006, Erion Honda-mounted
Josh Hayes brought home Honda’s third class title in as many
years, and in 2007 Hayes earned an unprecedented fourth con-
secutive Formula Xtreme title in dominating fashion, winning
seven of the nine races he contested. The 2008 season will see
Erion Honda’s Hayes and Jake Zemke vie for the Formula
Xtreme Championship. Honda Racing’s Duhamel and Hodgson
will tackle the Daytona 200 on Formula Xtreme equipment in an
effort to help garner the company’s third 200-mile victory (and
10th total Daytona 200 win) since the AMA designated the race
as a Formula Xtreme event in 2005.
2008 AMA Supersport
Erion Racing’s Josh Hayes and Jake Zemke will carry the
Honda banner forward in 2008 in a second 600cc class,
Supersport, aboard Honda’s much-heralded CBR600RR. Hayes
narrowly missed doing the double and adding the 600
Supersport crown to his laurels in 2007 as he won four races
during the year.
Honda has built a reputation as the winningest manufacturer in
the history of AMA Supersport racing, having captured more
than 45 percent (88 of 193) of all 600 Supersport victories and
8 championships.
20 Honda Road Race Team
21Honda Road Race Team
Based on the readily available production Honda CBR1000RR
street-going sportbike, Superbike racing prep work lifts these
1000cc engines well past the 200-horsepower mark. Racing-
tested chassis refinements elevate handling and cornering
capabilities to world-class standards, creating machines that
approach the apex of motorcycling evolution.
In 2008, the sanctioning rules continue virtually unchanged,
and sophisticated traction-control systems have now
become the norm in Superbike and Formula Xtreme. An
engine management system that limits wheelspin under
acceleration, traction control can be worth up to a second a
lap at many of America’s road-racing tracks, where tight,
stop-and-go circuits place a premium on driving traction
when exiting turns.
The 2008 Honda CBR1000RR Superbike
When it debuted in the 2004 AMA Superbike series, Honda’s
all-new CBR1000RR represented a landmark break from the
company’s 2002 championship-winning twin-cylinder RC51.
The new design tapped wholesale into the cutting-edge
technology gleaned from within the company’s champi-
onship-winning MotoGP racing program. The basic DNA of
the CBR1000RR sprang forth from the incredible RC211V®,
In accordance with class rules, AMA Superbikes can be based on four-cylinder machines of up to 1000cc in displacement, and teams
are allowed numerous engine and suspension modifications. Those regulations give Team Honda a license to win, as the Red Riders
are introducing an all-new iteration of the Honda CBR1000RR to Superbike competition in 2008.
The Machines
22 Honda Road Race Team
a technological wonder that incorporated exotic and ground-breaking chassis architecture to accomplish its
single purpose in life: winning races.
In keeping with GP racing philosophy, each system was designed to complement the other. No other produc-
tion sport motorcycle had ever borrowed so lavishly—and so purposely—from a pure racing model. The
inaugural 2004 season of Honda’s all-new CBR1000RR Superbike was, by any measure, a great success. In the
hands of Honda Red Riders Miguel Duhamel, Ben Bostrom and Jake Zemke, the CBR1000RR collected podium
finishes in every one of the season’s 18 Superbike outings, including 8 wins, 12 second places and 11 third-
place showings.
The following year, a significant shift in philosophy gave American Honda an opportunity to take a more active
role in the research and development of Honda’s U.S. Superbike program. Previously, the role of Honda Racing
Corporation had been crucial to American Honda’s racing effort, supplying the bikes and the know-how to build
formidable racers. What unfolded for Honda in the 2005 AMA Superbike series was a season-long in-house
R&D effort. The team began with a stock CBR1000RR modified with HRC parts, then numerous components
were tested and fitted. Team Honda relentlessly developed the machine in the off-season and between races as
well as at the actual racing venues, a practice that continues to this day.
24 Honda Road Race Team
25Honda Road Race Team
Late in the 2006 season, the AMA legalized traction control—an engine management system that limits wheel-
spin under acceleration, which in turn improves driving traction when exiting turns. Though no miracle cure,
traction control can be fine-tuned to rider preferences in much the same way as suspension settings can be
dialed-in to suit riding style. Traction control was evaluated and utilized in the last race of the 2006 season, and
implementation of this system continued throughout 2007.
In 2008, Honda’s all-new CBR1000RR takes center stage in a big way, signaling a new era in sportbike design
for Honda. The 2008 CBR1000RR carries key qualities from predecessors that have been sharpened, refined
and elevated to the next level, establishing new standards for function and style. Smaller, lighter, more com-
pact, faster and featuring an innovative slipper clutch in stock form, the 2008 Honda CBR1000RR holds stunning
advantages in open-class power-to-weight ratio, acceleration and handling. Look for this new machine to set
new standards at the track, on the street and in the showrooms all across America in 2008.
Honda CBR600RR
Formula Xtreme regulations switched to heavily modified 600cc four-cylinder “Superbikes” four seasons ago—
and Honda CBR600RRs have won every championship since that changeover with Erion Racing’s Josh Hayes
claiming the crown in 2007. In contrast, Supersport racing showcases lightly modified versions of the
immensely popular 600cc sportbikes. The Daytona 200 race, a part of the AMA Superbike Championship as
recently as 2005, today utilizes 600cc Formula Xtreme machines.
26 Honda Road Race Team
Introduced in 2007, Honda’s next-generation CBR600RR
delivered lighter weight (more than 16 pounds lighter), more
compact dimensions and reduced drag everywhere. A small-
er engine permitted more effective positioning within the
frame for optimal weight distribution, and a shorter wheel-
base with a longer swingarm taps into MotoGP-inspired
designs that optimize traction at the rear wheel. Stronger
engine performance throughout the powerband with a more
linear power delivery also will help make the new Honda
CBR600RR a winner. The new engine features a noticeably
fatter torque curve between 7000 and 10,000 rpm, and peak
horsepower is significantly increased.
In addition to winning at the track, Honda’s new CBR600RR
completely dominated comparison tests in print and online in
2007, going undefeated in shoot-outs in Motorcyclist, Sport
Rider, Roadracing World, Cycle News, Motorcycle Online.com,
Motorcycledaily.com Motorcycle-USA.com, plus a 2008 com-
parison victory in Cycle World. Other accolades for the
CBR600RR in 2007 entailed inclusion in Cycle World‘s Ten Best
Winner list as Best Middleweight; Motorcyclist magazine’s
Motorcycle of the Year Winner as Best Sportbike; Sport Rider‘s
Middleweight of the Year; Rider magazine’s selection as Best
Sportbike; and Bike magazine’s (England’s largest motorcycle
magazine) Bike of the Year. All in all, quite an impressive debut.
In 2008, Honda Racing will focus on the Superbike class and
entrust the Erion Racing team to contest the Formula Xtreme
and Supersport series once again—a plan that paid huge
dividends in 2007, when Erion rider Josh Hayes handily won
the FX title while narrowly missing a second championship in
the Supersport class. This season the Erion Racing efforts will
be spearheaded by Hayes and his able teammate Jake Zemke.
Honda Racing’s Duhamel and Hodgson will field Honda
CBR600RR FX bikes for the Daytona 200 only in a one-time
class appearance.
27Honda Road Race Team
28 Honda Road Race Team
MiguelDUHAMEL
29Honda Road Race Team
30 Honda Road Race Team
31Honda Road Race Team
32 Honda Road Race Team
33Honda Road Race Team
As the winningest road racer in AMA history, the 39-year-old
Honda racing icon has racked up five 600 Supersport titles,
a Superbike crown and two 600-class Formula Xtreme titles.
He holds the Supersport class record for most race wins
(41) and the longest winning streak (10). He is second in
career AMA Superbike victories (32) and was the last rider
to win titles in both the 600 Supersport and the Superbike
class in the same year (1995).
In 2007, Duhamel started off the 17th year of his remarkable
career claiming four Superbike podiums in the first six
starts, including second at the opener in Daytona. After two
years of intensive development, American Honda’s in-house
CBR1000RR Superbike road-racing program was bearing
fruit. Duhamel would podium two more times before fate
dealt him an ugly blow during a practice session at Road
Atlanta on August 8.
“When my tire overheated I just lost traction going into the
corner,” recalls the Canadian of his impact with Road
Atlanta’s turn 11, deemed by many as the most dangerous
corner in America. “The motorcycle hit the air fences,
moved that out of the way, then I got through the hay bales
and hit the wall at 120 miles per hour. The injuries were a
Eight AMA national roadracing championships. Five Daytona 200 wins. 86 career AMA wins. These are accomplishments any
professional racing team would relish. Yet they are the feats of just one man—Honda Racing’s Miguel Duhamel.
Miguel Duhamel
34 Honda Road Race Team
35Honda Road Race Team
lacerated liver, one lung collapsed, the other punctured, broken ribs, internal bleeding, bone chips in my
right ankle, a sprain on my left ankle, and pretty much a sprain of everything else in my body.”
Incredibly, he did not suffer a concussion. “It was definitely a critical moment.” Veteran observers
assumed Duhamel’s stellar career was over. They were wrong.
Duhamel is no stranger to serious injury, having shattered his left femur and kneecap in 1998 during a
practice session on the rain-slick New Hampshire International Speedway in Loudon. Yet less than nine
months later and with virtually no off-season training he showed up in Florida and won the grueling
Daytona 200—and the 600 Supersport race as well. It was one of the most amazing performances in
AMA motorcycle-racing history. Will 2008 be the comeback year of all comeback years?
With an all-new CBR1000RR Superbike underneath him, Duhamel is every bit as hungry for a champi-
onship as he was when he chased down Kawasaki teammates Doug Chandler and Scott Russell to win
his first Superbike victory in 1990. “There’s no hiding it—the Honda machine always has the best
motor,” says Duhamel. “We have great top speeds at Daytona, over 200 miles per hour. Honda has built
a terrific streetbike, and the new CBR1000RR is a solid platform for our in-house American Honda
factory effort. I’m really looking forward to putting it through the paces.”
36 Honda Road Race Team
With one of the sport’s best crews in his corner—led by
veteran Al Ludington—Duhamel likes his chances even more.
“A lot of credit for my success goes to my Honda Racing crew.
I’ve got a great crew with Al and the guys: Bryce Eikelberger,
Dave Presler and Manny Macias. They know how to make the
machine go fast.”
By his own account, Duhamel is not the same man he was when
he started racing motorcycles. Over the years he has matured
and become more disciplined in his race-craft. His inner drive is
just as strong, however, and his self-awareness helps him
marshal his resources on and off the track. “I just try to make
myself a better person physical and mentally and I want to bring
a championship back to Honda in the worst way. We almost won
the championship in 2004. We had six wins that year.”
Duhamel enjoyed one of his finest seasons in 2004, notching
15 podium finishes in 18 Superbike outings to finish second in
the championship. That same year he scored podium finishes
in each of the 11 Formula Xtreme races on his way to his first
title in the class. Just as impressive, Duhamel won three
national races on two separate race weekends, including two
Superbike victories and a Formula Xtreme win on the same
day at Virginia International Raceway, a feat never before
accomplished in AMA road racing.
In 2005, Duhamel collected his fifth Daytona 200 win on a
Formula Xtreme-spec CBR600RR and went on the win his
second consecutive class title. But for Duhamel the sense of
accomplishment fell short, as American Honda devoted its
CBR1000RR Superbike effort to a first-year development pro-
gram. While 2006 was challenging, Duhamel knew he had to
put his head down and lead the team’s climb back to the top
of the sport.
Now he stands at the verge of Honda’s return to AMA
Superbike dominance. And the view for 2008 is clear all the
way to the podium.
37Honda Road Race Team
38 Honda Road Race Team
20078th AMA Superbike (season shortened by injury)
20063rd AMA Superbike
20051st Daytona 200 (fifth time)1st AMA Formula Xtreme5th AMA Superbike
20041st AMA Formula Xtreme2nd AMA Superbike
20031st Daytona 200 (fourth time)5th AMA Superbike11th AMA U.S. Supersport
20023rd AMA Superbike
20013rd AMA 600 Supersport5th AMA Superbike
20005th AMA 600 Supersport9th AMA Superbike
1999Daytona Double Winner: Daytona 200 (third time)Daytona 600 Supersport16th AMA Superbike16th AMA 600 Supersport
199810th AMA Superbike12th AMA 600 Supersport
19971st AMA 600 Supersport2nd AMA Superbike
19961st Daytona 200 (second time)1st AMA 600 Supersport2nd AMA Superbike
19951st AMA Superbike1st AMA 600 Supersport
STATISTICS
MIGUELDUHAMEL
39Honda Road Race Team
BORN: 1968, LaSalle, Quebec, Canada
RESIDENCE: Las Vegas, NV
NATIONAL #: 17 AMA Superbike
BEGAN RIDING: 1971, age 3
FIRST RACE: 1976, age 8
TRAINING: Bicycling, weight lifting, motocross
HOBBIES: Golf, motocross
HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 5’6”/145 pounds
MARITAL STATUS: Single
CURRENT RACEBIKE: Honda CBR1000RR,
Honda CBR600RR (Daytona 200 only)
CREW CHIEF: Al Ludington
MECHANICS: Bryce Eikelberger, Dave Presler,
Manny Macias
19931st AMA 600 Supersport3rd AMA SuperbikeFIM World EnduranceChampionship team member
199212th 500cc Grand Prix WorldChampionshipsFIM World EnduranceChampionship team member
19911st Daytona 200 (first time)1st AMA 600 Supersport3rd AMA SuperbikeFIM World EnduranceChampionship team member
PROFILE
40 Honda Road Race Team
41Honda Road Race Team
NeilHODGSON
42 Honda Road Race Team
43Honda Road Race Team
44 Honda Road Race Team
45Honda Road Race Team
“Winning the world championship in 2003 was the high-
light for me, and winning the British championship was
something very important as well,” says the popular 34-
year-old Brit. “My next goal is to win the American champi-
onship. Then I will have achieved something no one else
has ever achieved in this sport: to win all the major
Superbike championships.”
Highly skilled both as a racer and as a development rider,
Hodgson becomes a member of the Honda Racing team at an
ideal time. With Honda’s rollout of the all-new CBR1000RR, he
joins teammate Miguel Duhamel in the role of adapting this
phenomenal streetbike into a winning Superbike platform.
“I’ve come to the Honda team and I’m going to show a real-
ly impressive work ethic. I’m here to get the best out of the
new CBR1000RR. I’m here to do as many laps that they
need me to do in any testing. Even if it’s dark, I’ll ride. I have
seen that kind of dedication from the Honda team, and they
will get the same from me. And I’ve got a great teammate in
Miguel. He’s pretty much done that for the past decade and
I know we will work well together.”
Honda Racing’s newest rider is Neil Hodgson, a former British road-racing and World Superbike champion who has set his sights
squarely on the 2008 AMA Superbike title.
Neil Hodgson
46 Honda Road Race Team
Hodgson is no stranger to AMA racing. He arrived in 2005 after a year of MotoGP
racing, in which he finished 17th with a factory support team that had limited
sponsorship and development funds. Coming off his World Superbike
Championship performance in 2003, he was disappointed and ready to make his
mark in the AMA, which he did immediately, finishing second is his AMA
Superbike debut at Daytona International Raceway, and then grabbing second
again in one of the two races at Barber Motorsports Park. Hodgson worked hard
throughout the 2006 season, landing on the podium twice and posting a solid
string of fourth and fifth finishes to take fifth overall for the year. During that two-
year period, he learned just how tough AMA Superbike competition could be.
In a bizarre set of musical-chair circumstances, Hodgson was without a ride in
2007, though he was utilized for his development knowledge by two factories. “I
had a frustrating year off. I found it very difficult to deal with, a lot harder than I
thought it would be. Having a year off made me realize how much I missed the
competition and I was so ready. I’ve still got that burning desire to win a champi-
onship.” He just needed a team like Honda to realize his dream.
47Honda Road Race Team
48 Honda Road Race Team
Hodgson caught a break when he landed a one-race ride on the Corona Honda CBR1000RR at the first Laguna Seca
round in July, finishing fifth behind Duhamel. “It was a wonderful opportunity to ride the Corona Honda. I instantly
took to the bike, which surprised me because I was a twin-cylinder rider. It took no adapting to the bike. As a rider,
you need feedback from the back and it gave me a lot of feeling. If you get the feedback, you can understand where
the limit is, and if you know where the limit is, you can go faster and you can improve the bike. It was also much
easier to maneuver left to right. The Honda is very nimble and that was one of its strengths. I could really feel the
front end; I could feel the front tire, it was superb. I’ve never really had that in a motorcycle before.”
Hodgson’s success on the CBR1000RR was due in no small part to his demanding training regimen. “I’m quite fanat-
ical, I’ve got to be honest. I do a lot of cycling. I do quite a bit of motocross. I do a lot of gym work. There’s few rid-
ers like me. The majority find training a bit of a chore, but I’ve found more and more enjoyment out of training, and
it’s something that, if I didn’t race motorcycles, I’d train almost just as hard. The European tracks are usually a little
bit bigger with more straights on them, so you actually get more rests. The tracks over here—usually there’s no rest
at all. And at lot of the tracks you ride on in America, it’s nearly 100 degrees. For an Englishman, that’s hot, you
know? I’m huffing and panting under my helmet, so I’ve got to make sure my conditioning’s 100 percent.”
Riding for Honda Racing, Hodgson has all the ingredients he needs to succeed in 2008. “I’ve never felt like this
before. It’s strange—I feel like all the clichés, but my batteries are overflowing. I’m ready.”
49Honda Road Race Team
50 Honda Road Race Team
20065th AMA Superbike
20056th AMA Superbike
200417th MotoGP
20031st World Superbike
20023rd World Superbike
20015th World Superbike
20001st British Superbike12th World Superbike
19994th British Superbike
199811th World Superbike
19979th World Superbike
199610th World Superbike
199511th 500cc World Championship
1994Contested 125cc World Championship andbegan racing in 500cc class
199324th World 125cc Championship
19921st 125cc International Supercup
199115th British Championship
19908th British Clubman’s Ministock
STATISTICS
NEILHODGSON
51Honda Road Race Team
BORN: 1973, Burnley, Lancashire, UK
RESIDENCE: Irvine, CA
NATIONAL #: 100 AMA Superbike
BEGAN RIDING: 1983, age 9
FIRST RACE: 1983, age 9
TRAINING: Bicycling, weights, motocross
HOBBIES: Bicycling, motocross
HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 5’11”/160 pounds
MARITAL STATUS: Single
CURRENT RACEBIKE: Honda CBR1000RR,
Honda CBR600RR (Daytona 200 only)
CREW CHIEF: David McGrath
MECHANICS: Bob Reichmann, Eric Haeselich, Josh Alverson
PROFILE
52 Honda Road Race Team
53Honda Road Race Team
Chuck Miller, Manager, Motorcycle Sports
Multiple Baja champion and ISDE gold medalist Chuck Miller possesses the knowledge and insight to build
championship teams. His 24-year career with Honda underwrites his success as manager of Honda Motorcycle
Sports, a position he’s held for seven years. In 2007, the Erion road-racing team won another championship on
Miller’s watch, bringing his total to 14 titles in 7 years. Much credit for these championships goes to Miller’s
organizational skills and experience in winning races.
Ron Heben, Road Racing Team Manager
Now in his third year as team manager, Ron Heben is an industry veteran, who served as a motocross race tech-
nician with American Honda for several years in the early 1990s. He also performed suspension work for
Commonwealth Racing—Honda’s road-racing program in the 1990s. Heben oversees the day-to-day activities of
the road-racing team and guides the ongoing in-house Superbike R&D program at American Honda.
Successful racers are backed by a highly dedicated support team of unsung heroes, specialists who each contribute to a
singular goal: creating the perfect environment for winning races and championships. Here is the team behind Honda Racing’s
Miguel Duhamel and Neil Hodgson.
The Team Behind the Team
54 Honda Road Race Team
Ray Plumb, Team Coordinator
Ray Plumb’s record reads like a timeline of
Honda road racing. The 29-year Honda man
was instrumental in launching Honda’s first
Superbike effort in 1980, wrenching on the
team’s handbuilt 1023cc rocket ships. In addition to earning
several AMA Superbike and 600 Supersport titles as a
mechanic, Plumb worked on championship-winning AMA
Grand National Dirt Track, Formula 1, Pro Twins and Grand Prix
programs for Honda. As team coordinator, Plumb keeps the
road-racing team focused and organized.
Andrea Mollica, Race Team Administrator
Although she is charged with staying behind
to keep a watchful eye on Team Honda head-
quarters, Andrea Mollica’s presence is felt at
every race. She’s the go-to person every
professional organization needs to make things flow smoothly.
A Honda associate for more than two decades, Mollica knows
how to coordinate everything from accounting to hotel
reservations to rider bonus checks. And she does it all with a
disarmingly delightful smile.
Al Ludington, Crew Chief for Miguel
Duhamel
Al Ludington has a long tradition with Honda
Racing and Miguel Duhamel. In 2005, the
duo claimed Duhamel’s fifth Daytona 200
victory and the Formula Xtreme Championship; in 2004,
Duhamel was also the FX champion and runner-up in the
Superbike class. Between 1992 and 1999, the pair captured
four national titles, including the Superbike and 600 Supersport
double championships in 1995. In total, Ludington has earned
six 600 Supersport championships, two Formula Xtreme
crowns and one Superbike title, plus scores of race wins.
55Honda Road Race Team
Dave Presler, Superbike Engine Technician
for Miguel Duhamel
Dave Presler joined Team Honda in 2005 as
the engine technician for Miguel Duhamel’s
CBR600RR. He moved up to the CBR1000RR
in 2006, and in 2007 will again focus his talents on Honda’s
Superbike. Presler brings the team an invaluable asset: his
vast experience working with top-level racers, such as Tommy
and Roger Lee Hayden and the veteran Doug Chandler. In his
spare time he enjoys riding dirtbikes.
Bryce Eikelberger, Superbike Chassis
Technician for Miguel Duhamel
Bryce Eikelberger joined the Honda team in
2005 after a four-year career at Jardine
Performance Products, where he worked on
the exhaust systems for the Formula Xtreme Honda
CBR600RR. His knowledge of the industry and of Honda’s
championship-winning CBRs is key in his position as a
Superbike chassis technician for Miguel Duhamel. In his down-
time he likes to go camping and ride his dirtbike.
Manny Macias, Superbike Chassis
Technician for Miguel Duhamel
Manny Macias returns to the Honda fold after
spending five years wrenching for other
teams in the AMA road-racing paddock.
Macias received his formal training at the Motorcycle
Mechanics Institute in Arizona, then spent two years with
Performance Machine before joining the Erion Honda squad
for the 2001 and 2002 seasons. A former motocross racer and
amateur road racer, this year Macias applies his chassis-tuning
skills to Duhamel’s CBR1000RR.
David McGrath, Crew Chief for Neil Hodgson
Now in his eighth year working with the
Honda team, David McGrath serves as Neil
Hodgson’s crew chief. McGrath played a
significant role as the team’s development
56 Honda Road Race Team
engineer for Honda’s CBR1000RR Superbike and CBR600RR
Formula Xtreme machines in 2005 and 2006. As crew chief for
Kurtis Roberts from 2001 to 2003 and for Jake Zemke in 2004
and 2007, McGrath won Superbike races and honed his skills
as one of the most knowledgeable technicians in the paddock.
Bob Reichmann, Superbike Engine
Technician for Neil Hodgson
Born and raised in Southern California, Bob
Reichmann was riding Ascot’s notorious
motocross track in 1985 while also complet-
ing his training at the Motorcycle Mechanics Institute. He then
racked up valuable experience working for dealerships and
independent motorcycle shops for the next 17 years. In his
spare time, he worked for several amateur road-race teams.
He entered the pro ranks as a technician in 1999; his specialty
is engine building and tuning.
Eric Haeselich, Superbike Chassis Technician
for Neil Hodgson
Eric Haeselich returns to the Honda factory
team for his second year in 2008, having
previously turned wrenches at Erion Racing.
A former professional cyclist, Haeselich knows what it takes
to succeed in racing. After graduating from the Motorcycle
Mechanics Institute in 2000, he tuned up his skills by work-
ing with privateer racers before joining Erion Racing in 2004.
When this dedicated worker isn’t wrenching on motorcycles,
he can be found cycling or rock climbing in Southern
California.
Josh Alverson, Superbike Chassis
Technician for Neil Hodgson
A technician since 2000, Josh Alverson
started wrenching professionally in 2003,
eventually taking on the role of crew chief
with a factory-support team. This is now his second year on
the Honda squad. “I have always admired Honda for its great
57Honda Road Race Team
racing achievements. It’s great to be a part of such a dedicat-
ed, driven and experienced team.” When he’s not working on
Neil Hodgson’s Superbike, he enjoys racing his Honda RS125
and riding dirtbikes.
Trevor Weiler, R&D Engine Development
Now in his fifth year with Team Honda,
Trevor Weiler is a driving force in the engine-
development department. A Canadian who
wrenched in shops and at the racetrack for
more than a decade, Weiler earned his stripes in the Canadian
road-racing series, Formula USA and endurance racing. For
2008, Weiler continues to lend his expertise to the develop-
ment of Honda’s CBR600RR and CBR1000RR engines, and he
is also involved in the evolution of engine-data technologies.
Danny Ryan, R&D Chassis and Engine
Development
Engineer Danny Ryan joined Team Honda in
2005, following a successful career designing
automotive race engines. After serving for
one season as Miguel Duhamel’s Superbike engine technician,
Ryan moved into American Honda’s R&D group, where he
assists with chassis development as well as works on the
development of the CBR1000RR and CBR600RR engines for
Miguel Duhamel and Neil Hodgson. Ryan resides in Southern
California and enjoys motocross in his spare time.
Sander Donkers, Data Acquisition Development
Now in his second year with the team,
Sander Donkers brings to Honda Racing his
considerable experience in data-acquisition,
engine-management and suspension devel-
opment. A native of the Netherlands with a
master’s degree in motorsport engineering and management,
58 Honda Road Race Team
he honed his skills as a chief mechanic with a leading
European auto-racing team and as a British Superbike race-
team engineer. In his free time he enjoys running, swimming,
jujitsu and track days.
Brian Uchida, Parts Coordinator
Brian Uchida provides team members with
all the parts they need, when they need
them, no matter where the team happens to
be. Uchida’s background in amateur dirt
track, road racing and motocross makes him uniquely quali-
fied. With more than 20 years of experience with Team Honda,
Uchida now works exclusively with the road-race team. While
his main duties include parts sourcing and procurement, you’ll
never see him standing idle when there’s work to be done.
James Siddall, Data Acquisition Specialist
Nowadays, a laptop computer is just as inte-
gral a part of the racing paddock as wrench-
es or a tire-pressure gauge. For bike setup
and data acquisition, careful information
analysis is essential. Now in his third year, James Siddall plies
his trade as Team Honda’s data-acquisition specialist, bringing
a wealth of expertise, plus plenty of racetrack knowledge, hav-
ing been a team owner, a team manager and a crew chief, as
well as a data specialist on four championship-winning teams.
Tom Jobe, Race Team Fabricator
Even though the team’s racebikes are based
on production machines, there’s still a need
for one-off parts fabricated from scratch. For
38 years, Tom Jobe has made parts for all
59Honda Road Race Team
kinds of projects, from land-speed-record cars to IndyCars. In
1997 Jobe was inducted into the NHRA Drag Racing Hall of
Fame for his innovative drag-racing efforts in the 1960s. Now
in his 16th year with Honda, Jobe continues to fabricate beauti-
ful pieces for the Red Rider machines.
Kevin Roche and Mando Molina, Transport Drivers
Kevin Roche and Mando Molina join Honda Racing in 2008 as
the team’s transport drivers. Bearing the responsibility for
navigating the two bright-red Honda 18-wheelers from race-
track to racetrack across the USA, these new members of the
team fulfill a vital role. Hauling their priceless cargo from sea to
shining sea, this stalwart duo will rack up thousands and
thousands of miles by season’s end—just to bring race fans
the greatest show on pavement.
60 Honda Road Race Team
61Honda Road Race Team
Honda Racing Corporation
Honda Racing Corporation (HRC®) is the source of Honda’s racing machines worldwide. HRC works with
American Honda’s racing department to develop specialized hardware to keep Honda’s team on top.
Dunlop
Dunlop® has dominated the American pavement racing scene like no other tire manufacturer, winning
40 out of a possible 41 AMA Supersport and Superstock championships and 22 AMA Superbike titles—
including the last 18 in a row. That’s in addition to Dunlop’s success in every other theater of racing
around the world. The road-race team sources all its tires from Dunlop.
Akrapovic Exhaust Systems
Akrapovic Exhaust Systems Technology is a manufacturer of top-quality exhaust systems and products made from composite
materials. Akrapovic supplies exhaust systems to riders and teams around the world, and provides
ongoing development of exhaust systems for the Honda team throughout the racing season.
2008 Team Sponsors
62 Honda Road Race Team
Pro Honda Oils and Chemicals
Pro Honda® Oils and Chemicals has supported
Honda teams for 27 years, supplying a full line of
lubricant and motorcycle products. Only Pro
Honda products are approved by Honda R&D, and they are
available at Honda dealerships across the country.
Joe Rocket
Joe Rocket®, a household name in the
road-racing arena, has supplied protective
leather racing suits to top-level AMA
racers for nearly a decade. As a Team
Honda sponsor for 2008, this leading motorcycle clothing
company outfits Honda Road Race Team with crew shirts. It
has a line of team-replica riding gear and casual wear under
license from American Honda available for purchase through
authorized Honda motorcycle dealers.
Honda Rider’s Club of America (HRCA)
For 15 years as a Honda racing spon-
sor, the Honda Rider’s Club of
America® has offered its Members a
wide variety of activities and services, such as special appear-
ances, autograph sessions, pit tours, VIP hospitality and even
dinners with Honda’s racing teams. The HRCA® boasts more
than 550,000 Members and regularly offers them an inside
look at Honda racing through its bimonthly Member publica-
tion Honda Red Rider™ magazine and its Members-Only
Clubhouse Web site.
Renthal
Perhaps better known in the off-road
world for its handlebars and handgrips,
Renthal® also specializes in the sophisti-
cated tooth profiles needed for front and rear sprockets.
63Honda Road Race Team
Renthal’s championship roots run deep into the off-road world, but also include the 2000 and 2002 World Superbike titles won by the
Castrol Honda team.
VP Racing Fuels
VP Racing Fuels® of San Antonio, Texas, has 30-plus years of experience blending motorsports fuels and other
petroleum products. VP’s resume includes more than two decades of NHRA Pro Stock championships as well and
titles in offshore, off-road, circle-track and aircraft competition.
Product Sponsors
In addition to team sponsors, Honda Racing is pleased to announce the following product sponsors, each a world leader in its field:
• D.I.D: cutting-edge chain technologyUnrivaled chain technology for world-class competition
• Hinson: competition clutches and clutch componentsChampionship-caliber clutches for riders from minis throughfactory teams
• OGIO: sport gear bagsCutting-edge duffels, packs and gear bags for specificaction sports
• Nissin: high-performance brake componentsSuperior-quality brake components for racing andOE fitment
• Chicken Hawk Racing: road-racing tire warmersThe premier manufacturer of tire warmers in the USA
• JE Pistons: forged racing pistonsThe choice of professional engine builders and racers aroundthe world
64 Honda Road Race Team
65Honda Road Race Team
2007AMA Superbike 3rd/8th (2)AMA Formula Xtreme 1st/3rd (1)AMA 600 Supersport 3rd/10th
2006AMA Superbike 3rd/7th (2)AMA Formula Xtreme 1st (2a)
2005AMA Superbike 5th/11th (2)AMA Formula Xtreme 1st/2nd (3, 3a)
2004AMA Superbike 2nd/3rd (4)AMA Formula Xtreme 1st/2nd (3)
2003AMA Superbike 3rd (5)AMA 600 Supersport 4thAMA Formula Xtreme 4th
2002AMA Superbike 1st (6)AMA 600 Supersport 5thAMA Formula Xtreme 2nd
2001AMA Superbike 3rdAMA 600 Supersport 3rdAMA Formula Xtreme 4th
2000AMA Superbike 2ndAMA 600 Supersport 1stAMA Formula Xtreme 1st
1999AMA Superbike 7thAMA 600 Supersport 1stAMA Formula Xtreme 1st
1998AMA Superbike 1st (7)AMA 600 Supersport 3rdAMA Formula Xtreme 1st
1997AMA Superbike 2ndAMA 600 Supersport 1stAMA Formula Xtreme 1st
1996AMA Superbike 2ndAMA 600 Supersport 1stAMA SuperTeams 1st
Honda finishes in AMA Superbike, AMA 600 Supersport, AMA Formula Xtreme and AMA Formula 1 since 1980.
Honda Road-Racing Results
66 Honda Road Race Team
67Honda Road Race Team
1995AMA Superbike 1st (8)AMA 600 Supersport 1st (9)AMA SuperTeams 3rd
1994AMA Superbike 8thAMA 600 Supersport 2ndAMA Unlimited Team Challenge 1st
1993AMA Superbike 7thAMA 600 Supersport 3rdAMA/CCS GTO National Endurance Championship 1st
1992AMA Superbike 7thAMA 600 Supersport 1st (10)
1991AMA Superbike 3rd (11)AMA 600 Supersport 1st (12)
1990AMA Superbike 2ndAMA 600 Supersport no placing
1989AMA Superbike 6thAMA 600 Supersport no placing
1988AMA Superbike 1stAMA 600 Supersport 2nd
1987AMA Superbike 1stAMA 600 Supersport 1st (13)AMA Formula 1 series discontinued
1986AMA Superbike 1stAMA Formula 1 1st
1985AMA Superbike 1stAMA Formula 1 1st
1984AMA Superbike 1st (14)AMA Formula 1 1st
1983AMA Superbike 2ndAMA Formula 1 1st
1982AMA Superbike 2ndAMA Formula 1 1st
1981AMA Superbike 2ndAMA Formula 1 3rd
1980AMA Superbike 3rd
68 Honda Road Race Team
Highlights
(1) Honda Racing does not contest the full 2007 AMAFormula Xtreme series but Honda-supported ErionRacing’s Josh Hayes earns his second consecutivetitle, Honda’s fourth in a row.
(2) 2005-2007 is a development period for HondaRacing’s AMA Superbike program, as AmericanHonda assumes the lead role for the bike’s evolution.
(2a) Although Honda Racing does not contest the2006 AMA Formula Xtreme series, Honda-supportedErion Racing’s Hayes takes the title, Honda’s third in arow. Jake Zemke wins his first Daytona 200 aboardan AMA Formula Xtreme–spec CBR600RR.
(3) 2004-2005: Miguel Duhamel and Zemke win allbut one of the AMA Formula Xtreme races (Honda’sBen Bostrom won the 2004 Laguna Seca round). Inthe last race of 2005 at Road Atlanta, Duhamel edgesZemke to win the championship and increases hisAMA career victories to a record 86.
(3a) Duhamel wins his AMA record-tying fifthDaytona 200 on an AMA Formula Xtreme–specCBR600RR.
(4) Duhamel increases his career AMA Superbikewins to 32 and takes 8 victories to win the AMAFormula Xtreme Championship. He also wins threeAMA races on two separate weekends. His secondthree-peat, winning two AMA Superbike races andone AMA Formula Xtreme race at the final round atVirginia International Raceway, occurs on the sameday, a feat never before accomplished in AMA road-racing history. Zemke finishes third in his rookie AMASuperbike season, posting two wins. He also finishessecond to Duhamel in the AMA Formula XtremeChampionship, winning two races.
(5) Duhamel posts new AMA all-time career winrecords, scoring his 26th AMA Superbike win and his41st Supersport win in 2003.
(6) At age 21, Nicky Hayden becomes the youngestAMA Superbike champion ever, and does so with animpressive nine wins in a single season. He’s also theyoungest Daytona 200 winner. Duhamel wins bothrounds of the Road America doubleheader, raisinghis career AMA Superbike win count to 25. TheHonda RC51 takes 11 of 16 rounds in AMASuperbike competition.
(7) Bostrom captures the coveted number-one platein the final AMA Superbike race of the season.
Duhamel breaks Fred Merkel’s AMA record for mostcareer AMA Superbike wins, with Duhamel’s 21stvictory at Road Atlanta.
(8) Duhamel posts a record-setting six consecutiveAMA Superbike wins and becomes the first rider inhistory to win both the AMA Superbike and AMA 600Supersport titles in the same year.
(9) Honda’s CBR600F3 wins every AMA 600Supersport race.
(10) Honda’s CBR600F2 occupies the top five overallpoints positions in AMA 600 Supersport.
(11) Duhamel wins the Daytona 200 on an RC30.
(12) Honda’s CBR600F2 wins all nine AMA 600Supersport races. Duhamel wins seven of those nine.
(13) Honda’s original CBR600F Hurricane wins everyAMA 600 Supersport race and holds all top 10positions in points.
(14) Honda’s VF750F Interceptor® wins 12 of the 13AMA Superbike series races. Honda’s Merkel wins 10of the Interceptor’s 12 victories.
69Honda Road Race Team
70 Honda Road Race Team
March 5-8Daytona 200 by HondaDaytona International SpeedwayDaytona Beach, FL
April 18-20Honda Superbike ClassicBarber Motorsports Park(Superbike Doubleheader)Birmingham, AL
April 25-27California Speedway(Superbike Doubleheader)Fontana, CA
May 16-18Infineon Raceway(Superbike Doubleheader)Sonoma, CA
May 29-June 1Honda Summit of SpeedMiller Motorsports Park(Superbike Doubleheader)(in conjunction with the FIM WorldSuperbike race)Tooele, UT
June 6-8Road America(Superbike Doubleheader)Elkhart Lake, WI
July 18-20Mazda Raceway Laguna SecaMonterey, CA(in conjunction with the U.S. Grand Prix)
August 1-3Honda Super Cycle WeekendMid-Ohio Sports Car Course(Superbike Doubleheader)Lexington, OH
August 15-17Virginia International Raceway(Superbike Doubleheader)Alton, VA
August 29-31Road Atlanta(Superbike Doubleheader)Braselton, GA
September 27-28Mazda Raceway Laguna SecaMonterey, CA
2008 AMA Superbike Schedule