Honda is celebrating 50 years of racing history with a dedicated site including historic photographs and footage, and its initial 1954-1958 declaration to participate in the legendary Tourist Trophy on the Isle of Man.
These pics are from Honda’s campaign at Sao Paulo in 1954 to prepare itself for its TT debut.
It was the 1959 TT race, however, that marked the first entry from a Japanese team in a World GP series race.
The racing scene at the time was very European-dominated, but Honda entered four 125cc motorbikes in the event, and won 6th, 7th, 8th and 11th places.
This remarkable achievement was further marked by Honda being awarded the Manufacturer’s Trophy for the event.
The rest, we could say, is history.
See the Honda MotoGP history site for more photos and the 1954 declaration from then Honda President, Soichiro Honda.