Honda Racing confirm endurance plans

Honda Racing in Louth confirmed their World endurance racing plans during the Carole Nash Motorcycle Live Show at the NEC today (Sunday).

The team, to be known as the TT Legends, will be funded by Honda Motor Europe and feature John McGuinness, Keith Amor and Steve Plater and managed by Neil Tuxworth.

McGuinness and Amor will also race at the North West 200 and TT.

Plater, the most experienced of the three riders in endurance racing having finished runner up in the World Championship twice, said: “Endurance racing is close to my heart and I’d love to win a world title before I finish racing.

“Our motorcycle is obviously going to be good enough to do the job. The team has massive experience to draw from. But in endurance racing there’s so much more to winning.”

McGuinness has one Le Mans 24h race back in 2003 under his belt and added: “it’s so exciting. I’ve done the roads, World Supersport, British championship, raced in America and ridden 50GPs but never raced a full season of World endurance so I’m really looking forward to. 

” still get to the North West and TT still so that’s the icing on top for me.”

Amor will be an endurance racing rookie but said: “This will be  a whole new thing for me  and I’m feeling lucky that I’ve got legends like Steve to turn to for advice in World Endurance and John for advice about the North West and TT.”

Although being run out of the Louth workshop, it will be separately run from the HM Plant Honda BSB team managed by Havier Beltran and featuring BSB champion Ryuichi Kiyonari, Shane Byrne plus National Superstock runner Jason O’Halloran.