Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI) has announced major plans to help promote motorsports in India. The company will introduce Honda's internationally acclaimed Moto3 race machine, the Honda NSF 250R in India by 2019, and also an exclusive racing championship on the Honda NSF 250R from 2019. This championship with the NSF 250R will not only provide a platform for the best racing talent in India but also help develop an iconic Indian rider for the world, to participate and compete with the best racers in Grand Prix racing. HMSI has been active in racing in India for over a decade now, and the latest announcement will help India's best racing talents rise at the international level.
"It is my dream to see an iconic Indian compete in Grand Prix level racing. With a clear development path and structured approach to nurture riders in place, we now want to take Indian motorsports to the next level. Honda will introduce the Moto3 machine NSF 250R as competition bike in India next year. India's best racers from Honda India Talent Cup and national championship will be racing on NSF 250R in a separate series running parallel to existing national championships. Motorsports has a bright future in India and Honda will continue to take such steps to support racing talent," said Minoru Kato, President and CEO, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India.
The Honda NSF 250R is a four-stroke racing motorcycle from Honda Racing Corporation (HRC), and was developed in 2011 to replace the two-stroke Honda RS 125R. The Honda NSF 250R is powered by a 249.3 cc, DOHC, single-cylinder engine which puts out 47.6 bhp at 13,000 rpm, and peak torque of 28 Nm at 10,500 rpm. Regulations allow the rev limit to be 14,000, but with just over 80 kg dry weight of the NSF 250R, certainly makes it a light machine with an incredible power-to-weight ratio.
According to Prabhu Nagaraj, Vice President, Brand and Communications, HMSI, "Riding experience on a purpose built motorcycle will help Indian racers gain competitive edge bringing them at par with international racing at an early stage of their career."
(HMSI has been conducting the Honda One Make Race in India since 2008)
As part of Honda's motorsport plans in Asia and Oceania, all Honda group companies, including India, have created three new teams exclusively for Asian riders in international racing championships. The Honda Asia Dream Racing will compete in the Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Race and JSB1000 class of All Japan Road Race Championship, the most premier road racing championship in Japan. The second team, IDEMITSU Honda Asia will offer a platform for Asian riders in Moto2 and Honda Team Asia in Moto3 class. The Moto2 and Moto3 classes are the stepping stones to MotoGP, the premiere class of circuit motorcycle racing. HMSI hopes an Indian rider will be able to participate in these teams, taking the Indian motorsports scene to new heights.
HMSI has been conducting the Honda One Make Race in India since 2008, in a bid to promote motorsports in India. The Honda One Make Race is held in two categories, with the Honda CBR150R for novice class riders with a maximum age limit of 23 years, and the Honda CBR250R, which is an open category. These bikes are road bikes which are race-prepped to be used in the One Make Races. Once the Honda NSF 250R will be introduced in India, it will be the first time, Indian riders will get a chance to compete and race in a thoroughbred Moto3 class race machine.
