Honda Planning Big British Supersport Expansion After 2024 Success
Honda will increase its participation in the British Supersport class after its first title win since 2010
A total of eight Honda CBR600RRs could be on the British Supersport grid next season, in a bid to increase its participation after Jack Kennedy took its first title since 2010.
Prior to Kennedy’s title success, the last British Supersport title win for Honda came courtesy of Sam Lowes 14 years ago.
Two Honda motorcycles were on the grid last season with Kennedy and Dean Harrison flying the flag for the Japanese brand.
But speaking to Visordown sister title Crash.net at last weekend’s season-finale at Brands Hatch, Honda Racing UK Team Manager, Havier Beltran, is hopeful of adding up to six bikes on the grid in 2025.
Beltran said: “We’ve worked hard with the development project with this, and we’re looking forward to sort of the next phase if you like, [so that] we can supply to all the other teams I plan to have in Supersport next year.
“We’ve gone from our two riders— starting off with Jack, then bringing in Dean [Harrison] to help evaluate and understand and help with development — [and] next year I’d like to have six-to-eight riders out there in the championship.”
“The CBR600RR was sort of phased out, if you like, from Europe,” continued Beltran. “So, we pulled back from support or developing or riding or anything else like that, and, as a team and as a Honda UK branch, decided not to support anybody [in British Supersport].
“However, with the revised version of the current 2024 CBR600RR we decided that it would be a great opportunity to showcase that and put it back into the championship. So, last year’s planning for that was: who better to put on it than [...] Jack Kennedy?
“So, that was the plan, and today the plan came to fruition, and here we are as 2024 Supersport Champions with Jack Kennedy.”
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After graduating with a sports journalism degree, Robert joined Crash.net to lead the WorldSBK coverage in 2021, while also providing MotoGP coverage. Fulfilling that role for over three years, Robert was able to put his knowledge about all things racing to the test.
