It was on 20 March 1954, just six years after he established Honda Motor Co., Soichiro Honda informed his employees of his intention to realise a long-held dream of participating in a world championship event.
“From the time I was a child,” his statement read, “I dreamed of winning a world championship with a motorcycle that I had designed myself… The time has come to inform you of my intention to participate in the TT races on the Isle of Man next year.
“Never before has a Japanese rider participated in this race with a motorcycle made in Japan. The winner of this race will become world famous and the same can be said about the winning motorcycle…
“This is an opportunity to proudly show the world the real potential of the Japanese motorcycle industry. I swear I will dedicate all my creativity and skills to competing and winning at the TT races.”
And you can’t help but think there must be plenty of strength being drawn from that very statement right now in the halls of Honda HQ, as it struggles to build a motorcycle capable of running at the front of a modern-day MotoGP field,
