Over the past 20 years, the Repsol Honda racing team has celebrated 10 World titles, 124 race wins and 338 podiums in 500cc and MotoGP. The longest running partnership between sponsor and manufacturer in the history of the Motorcycle World Championship began their relationship in February of 1995. At the recent celebration, Repsol Honda Team riders, Marc Marquez and Dani Pedrosa were joined by team legend Alex Crivillé along with Repsol’s Director General of Communication and Presidency, Begoña Elices, Repsol’s Deputy Director of Sponsorship, Milagros Vior and Repsol Honda Team Principal, Livio Suppo. The President of the Spanish Sports Ministry, Miguel Cardenal, Dorna CEO, Carmelo Ezpeleta and RFME President, Angel Viladoms were also in attendance. Unfortunately, Honda Racing Corporation’s Executive Vice President, Shuhei Nakamoto, was caught in severe weather in Japan and unable to attend the event.
Along with the riders and factory reps, six of the title-winning bikes from these two decades were on display at the event: those of Mick Doohan (1997), Alex Criville (1999), Valentino Rossi (2003), Nicky Hayden (2006), Casey Stoner (2011) and Marc Marquez (2013).
For Repsol, the long collaboration with Honda is a stimulus for the development of products for the demanding level of competition found in the Motorcycle World Championship. These developments are passed on to more than 4,000 service stations in the company. The relationship is also a close link between the Honda laboratory in Saitama, Japan, and the Repsol Technology Centre in Mostoles, Spain.
Repsol and Honda operate in separate sectors and have different corporate cultures, but have been capable of using their strengths to achieve a successful partnership since the 1990s. The collaboration began to develop two-stroke engines and fuels which led to the current and ongoing development of four-stroke technologies. Half of the titles awarded in the last 20 years have gone to Repsol Honda. Winners such as Mick Doohan (1995-1998), Alex Criville (1999), Valentino Rossi (2002-2003), Nicky Hayden (2006), Casey Stoner (2011) and Marc Marquez (2013) have made the collaboration the most recognized in the World Championship. A total of 124 wins, highlighted by 35 for Mick Doohan and 25 for Dani Pedrosa, besides 338 podiums, 128 pole positions and 144 fastest laps show an extraordinary set of honors. Repsol Honda have also been team champions on six occasions since 2002.
