IN
THE
WIND
P30
WorldSBK Honda Racing Colors Break Cover
O
ne day after the KRT squad
had their global launch just
ahead of the final test of the pre-
season at Phillip Island, the official
Honda effort unveiled its factory
machines near the venue for the
first round of the new-look WorldS-
BK Championship. Joining the
2019 rider lineup of Leon Camier
and Ryuichi Kiyonari were Honda
and HRC top brass, confirming
that the overall CBR1000RR SP2
effort in 2019 will be an officially
sanctioned one, with direct factory
support and development as an
integral part of the package.
The color-bomb of a 2019
WorldSBK Honda Fireblade was
unveiled in its predominantly red
white and blue colors, with Mori-
waki's traditional blue and yellow
also unmissable in its intensity
along its midriff. Looking chiseled
from solid billet, from the outsize
disc rotors to the footrest hangers,
the bike itself has already been out
on track, with Camier and Kiyonari,
at the Thai circuit of Buriram.
Leon Camier, on whom lots of
Honda's immediate hopes rest,
said, "I think, for me, the whole
project is really exciting. Having
the support of HRC and Honda
and the experience of Althea and
Moriwaki—it is going to be a really
interesting project. There is a lot
to learn from the bike for sure. But
at the same time, I have quite a lot
of experience in this champion-
ship now and I hope to be able to
keep steering in the right direction.
I think we can come good quite
quickly, hopefully. I think there is
no reason we cannot be strong,
hopefully the middle of the cham-
pionship and towards the end for
sure."
Kiyonari, the winner of the final
round of the Japanese champi-
onship in 2018 on a Pirelli-shod
Moriwaki Honda, said of his 2019
chances, "Always I want to win—
championships and each race—but
I know that especially this cham-
pionship is very, very difficult. But
I have a good bike, a good team,
and if I can ride well and show
good speed I think we can finish in
strong positions."
Gordon Ritchie
Honda officially introduced its new CBR1000RR SP2 for WorldSBK.
