Honda UK has launched its 2023 racing livery that will be used both on the roads and in short circuit racing in the British Superbike Championship.
2023 will be a curious year for Honda UK’s racing division, with a mix of experience and youth on the roads - where it will field John McGuinness and Nathan Harrison - and a return to the Honda Racing UK team for Andrew Irwin in BSB, following the departure of his brother, Glenn Irwin, at the end of last season.
While the rider line-up is changed somewhat for the upcoming season, Honda’s livery remains unmistakably ‘Honda’ with the traditional red, blue and white colours being featured. The livery is also quite similar, this year, to that used by the HRC WorldSBK team in 2022, and in preseason testing for 2023.
Honda will be looking forward to a season of continued success in 2023, having won the last two National Superstock titles (as a brand, since the 2022 title was won by Davey Todd with Padgett’s); won multiple races and finished second in the BSB championship with Glenn Irwin last season; and having taken multiple wins at the North West 200.
Preparations for the beginning of the 2023 BSB season are well underway by now, with testing set to begin in Navarra, Spain, on 11-13 March. In the meantime, fans looking to get a closer look at the 2023 race bikes can do so at Youles Honda Manchester, where the bikes will be displayed as part of the dealer’s open evening on 22 February. John McGuinness will also be in attendance.
Havier Beltran, Honda Racing UK Team Manager said: “2023 is going to be an exciting season for the team as we have a mixture of new and old faces returning to the team. We are also now into the third year of development with the CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP and we’ll look to continue building on the success that we have experienced to date.
“Continuing our relationship with all our valued sponsors enables us to resume this journey. We look forward to getting the season underway and working together as a team to realise the potential of the Fireblade on the roads and in BSB.”
Neil Fletcher, Head of Motorcycles, Honda UK said: “We are delighted to release our new racing livery for the 2023 season as we aim to continue competing for the positions that we know the Fireblade is capable of.
“It is also fantastic to renew our relationships with our trusted sponsors who continue to support us in our racing endeavours in British Superbikes and on the roads. We have a busy testing program ahead of us before the season gets underway in April and then the racing will come thick and fast. I’m excited to see how the Fireblade performs with another year of development under its belt.”
