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Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the premier class of motorcycle road racing events held on road circuits sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Independent motorcycle racing events have been held since the start of the twentieth century and large national events were often given the title Grand Prix, The foundation of the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme as the international governing body for motorcycle sport in 1949 provided the opportunity to coordinate rules and regulations in order that selected events could count towards official World Championships. It is the oldest established motorsport world championship. The current top division is known as MotoGP since 2002 when the four-stroke era began. Prior to that, the largest class was 500cc, both of which form a historical continuum as the official World Championship, although all classes have official status.
The Honda XR series is a range of four-stroke off-road motorcycles that were designed in Japan but assembled all over the world.
Luca Cadalora is an Italian former professional motorcycle racer. He competed in Grand Prix motorcycle racing from 1984 to 2000. Cadalora is a three-time road racing world champion.
Frederick Burdette Spencer, sometimes known by the nickname Fast Freddie, is an American former world champion motorcycle racer. Spencer is regarded as one of the greatest motorcycle racers of the early 1980s.
The Honda NR was a V-four motorcycle series started by Honda in 1979 with the 500cc NR500 Grand Prix racer that used oval pistons. This was followed during the 1980s by a 750cc endurance racer version known as the NR750. The oval piston concept allowed for eight valves per cylinder which generated more power due to the increased air/fuel mixture throughput and compression. In 1992 Honda produced around 300 street versions of a 750cc model, the NR, with a 90-degree V angle. Whereas the NR500 had used an oval piston with straight sides, the road going NR750 used an elliptical piston with curved long sides. The bike became the most expensive production bike at the time when it was selling for $50,000 and with the rarity, nowadays they rarely change hands.
Gresini Racing is a motorcycle racing team currently competing in the MotoGP World Championship with Aprilia under the name Aprilia Racing Team Gresini as Aprilia's works team, the Moto2 World Championship as Federal Oil Gresini Moto2 and in the Moto3 World Championship under the name Gresini Racing Moto3.
The Honda NSR500 is a road racing motorcycle created by HRC and debuted in 1984 for the Grand Prix motorcycle racing's 500 cc class. Honda won ten 500cc World Championships with the NSR500 from 1984 to 2002, with six in a row from 1994 to 1999. With more than 100 wins to its credit, the NSR500 is the most dominant force in modern Grand Prix motorcycle racing. The 1989 NSR500 that won Honda's third 500 World Championship with Eddie Lawson exemplifies the overwhelming power, acceleration and raw speed that has always been synonymous with Honda's 500 cc two-stroke V4.
Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) is a division of the Honda Motor Company formed in 1982. The company combines participation in motorcycle races throughout the world with the development of high potential racing machines. Its racing activities are an important source for the creation of leading edge technologies used in the development of Honda motorcycles. HRC also contributes to the advancement of motorcycle sports through a range of activities that include sales of production racing motorcycles, support for satellite teams, and rider education programs.
The Honda NS500 is a 500cc Grand Prix racing motorcycle of the early 1980s, powered by a two-stroke V3 engine. Created as a replacement for the innovative but unsuccessful four-stroke NR500, the bike went against Honda's preference for four-stroke machines but proved very effective and quickly won the 1983 500cc World Championship with Freddie Spencer on board. Spencer was able to use the lower weight and superior handling of the NS500 to achieve higher cornering speeds, and getting on the power earlier leaving corners. Ron Haslam also won the 1983 Macau Grand Prix. After a relatively short lifespan the bike was replaced by the more successful two-stroke, V4 engine powered NSR500.
Sébastien Gimbert is a professional motorcycle road racer. He currently competes in the Endurance FIM World Championship aboard a Honda CBR1000RR. His greatest success has come in the Endurance World Championship, and the bulk of his career has been spent on Yamaha YZF-R1 with more recent seasons spent on BMW S1000RR and Honda CBR1000RR motorcycles.
Shinichi Ito born December 7, 1966 in Kakuda, Miyagi, Japan) is a retired professional Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. He has raced extensively in Japanese and International championships. Ito has competed in the All Japan Road Race Championship, and won the Japanese 500 cc Championship, and is also 3 times Japanese Superbike Champion. In the prestigious Suzuka 8 Hour Endurance Race he has qualified on pole 5 times and won the race 3 times. Ito has also raced in Superbike World Championship. His considerable experience on different types of racing machine has earned him a reputation as a premier development rider.
The Honda NSR500V is a race motorcycle from the Honda NSR series. It was designed and manufactured by HRC and debuted in 1996 for the Grand Prix motorcycle racing's 500 cc class. The bike was conceived by Honda to be a viable machine for privateer teams to enter the class.
Haruchika Aoki is a former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. He was a two-time F.I.M. 125cc world champion. He is the youngest of three Aoki brothers who have competed in motorcycle Grand Prix races.
The Honda RS250R was a race motorcycle manufactured by Honda to race in the 250cc class of the Grand Prix motorcycle World Championship. It was conceived as a production racer for customer teams and privateer riders, while factory-supported teams raced the works bikes RS250RW and NSR250.
The V3 engine is a V engine with two cylinders in one bank and one cylinder in the other bank. It is a rare configuration, which has been mostly used in two-stroke engines for motorcycles competing in Grand Prix motorcycle racing.
The Honda NSR250 and Honda RS250RW were race motorcycles manufactured by Honda Racing Corporation to race in the 250cc class of the Grand Prix motorcycle World Championship. Both names identified the factory specification bikes entrusted to works teams, while customer teams used the production racer Honda RS250R.
The Kawasaki KR-1 and KR-1S are road-orientated 249 cc (15.2 cu in) two-stroke sports bikes introduced between 1988 and 1992 by Kawasaki Heavy Industries.
Juan Bautista Borja, is a former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer from Spain.
