It's Me, Gracee: Honda

Honda Philippines Motorsports 2023: A Look at an exciting year that was

Honda Wednesday, March 20, 2024

Honda Philippines, Inc. (HPI), the No.1 motorcycle manufacturer in the country had another great year in the field of motorsports. HPI has taken great leaps in support of motorsports’ development and professionalism in both on and off-road competitions both international and domestic. Indeed, the company was able to make good on its On-Road and Off-Road Racing plans, thus intensifying its racing brand through efforts like the Honda Pilipinas Dream Cup. As we look back at 2023, let’s see the significant achievements Honda accomplished as it continues to uplift the field of international and domestic motorsports.

On Road International Racing.

Moto2 is one of the most prestigious international motorcycle racing competitions, aside from MotoGP. For this race Idemitsu Team Honda Asia rider Somkiat Chantra of Thailand attained 6th rank in overall standing. Meanwhile, his teammate Japan’s Ai Ogura finished with a respectable 9th in overall ranking. Honda also participated in Moto3, with Honda Team Asia. The team featured Japan’s Taiyo Furusato who ended the year ranked 16th overall, as well as Indonesian Mario Suryo Aji finishing 31st in overall standing.

Mohd Zaqhwan Zaidi 2nd Place in overall position
Asia Road Racing Championship-ASB1000

Andi Farid Izdihar 3rd Place in overall position
Asia Road Racing Championship-ASB1000

Besides Moto2 & Moto3, Honda also sponsored a team for the ARRC (Asia Road Racing Championship) in the ASB 1000 Category. For this competition, Team HADR (Honda Asia Dream Racing with Showa) saw Malaysian Mohd Zaqhwan Zaidi 2nd in overall position with his teammate Andi Farid Izdihar of Indonesia is in 3rd place overall. Team HADR with Showa team also participated in the Suzuka 8 Hours Challenge where their racers finished in 7th position.

Off-Road International Racing.

Hunter Lawrence Champion
2023 AMA Pro Motocross 250

Jett Lawrence Champion
2023 AMA Pro Motocross 450

For international off-road racing competition, Team Honda HRC riders and brothers Jett and Hunter Lawrence added the AMA Pro Motocross Championship to their list of achievements. Specifically, Jett Lawrence is the 2023 AMA Pro Motocross 450 Champion, and the 2023 Rider of the Year was awarded to him using the CRF450R motorcycles, while older brother Hunter Lawrence became the 2023 AMA Pro Motocross 250 Champion using the CRF250R motorcycles.

Let’s take a look at how motorsports in 2023 turned out and how Honda has been a part of its evolution in supporting domestic motorsports.

On Road Domestic Racing.

Honda’s “Road to Champion” campaign is the company’s initiative in developing the skills of the next generation of Filipino riders.

One such rider is Jakob Sablaya. Mr. Sablaya participated in the MOTOIR Championship race events. In this race, he placed first overall in both MOTOIR’s Super Sports 300 and MOTOIR 2 GP categories. In both instances, Jakob rode a Honda CBR150R converted to race bike motorcycle.

Alfonsi Daquigan

The 2023 IRGP was another race that was well represented by Honda. In this competition, Alfonsi Daquigan was able to showcase his skill when he took Pole Position for the race.

Jacob Sablaya

Meanwhile, Mr. Sablaya also competed with the later particularly in the race’s Super Sports 300 and MOTOIR2 GP categories. He placed 2nd in the Super Sports 300 category riding a Honda CBR300R and 3rd in the MOTOIR2 GP category riding a Honda CBR150R.

Off-Road Domestic Racing.

On the domestic and exciting off-road side, HPI provided support for its JMS - MOS (Man of Steel) Honda Ride Red Racing Team, as its members competed in the 2023 MotorAce Motocross series. The team consisted of Janelle Saulog who became the Overall Champion in the Ladies Category, while local Motocross legend Jovie Saulog, placed 2nd Overall Champion in the Veterans Category. The Father and daughter tandem let us feel the adrenaline rush in motocross using the CRF motorcycle units. On the other hand, Buboy Antonio, making his presence in local races increases seeing his potential with his determination and skills in off-road riding and with Jing Leongson took 2nd Overall and 3rd Overall Champion in the Expert and Veterans Category, respectively using their CRF250R and CRF450R motorcycles.

The Excitement Continues.

As we look forward to 2024, Honda Philippines, Inc. hopes to further reinforce its involvement in supporting the rider’s development and professionalism in Motorsports. Indeed, HPI already has a head start in this endeavor as the company continues to support Alfonsi Daquigan who recently qualified for the 2024 Asia Talent Cup, and Jakob Sablaya who will ride for SDG Team HARC-PRO Honda PH in the 2024 ARRC, AP250 Category.

More significantly, HPI will continue to put as much effort in strengthening the state of On-Road and Off-Road motorsports in the Philippines as providing quality mobility solutions. This is accomplished by providing more opportunities for aspiring Filipino motorsport riders to develop their God-given talents.

For more information, visit www.hondaph.com. Stay updated on Honda’s newest products and promos by following Honda Philippines, Inc. on Facebook (facebook.com/hondaph) and Instagram (instagram.com/hondaph_mc/), YouTube (HondaPhilippines_Motorcycle) and Tiktok (tiktok.com/@hondaphilippines) or contact (02)-8581-6700 to 6799, and 0917-884-6632.

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Honda to unveil Gen-S Sports Model Soon!

Gen-S Friday, October 30, 2015

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Honda Hails New Generation BeAT-FIeSP Series as ‘Scooter for All!’

Honda Thursday, June 04, 2015

Honda Philippines calls its latest offering the New Generation BeAT-FIeSP Series as the ‘Scooter for All’ and the motorcycle manufacturer has all the right reasons to do so.

The New Generation BeAT-FI eSP Series has been especially developed for the Philippine and Indonesian markets in 2015 and serves as the latest iteration to the BeAT scooters currently doing well in both countries. The new scooter is actually a giant leap to a whole new level from features of the groundbreaking BeAT Carb in the Philippines and the best-selling BeAT PGM-Fi in Indonesia.

Present during the launch are the the 3 new brand ambassadors of Honda Beat which are also successful in their respective field. (photo via Yahoo News Ph).

The much awaited launch happened at SM Mall of Asia with different activities like a Basketball game and a dance competition where FEUsion group won.

The ‘Scooter for All’ is a small brother yet compact and sporty version of the very successful and the class-leading Honda Click125i which Honda Philippines launched in February 2015 and referred to as the ‘Premium Scooter.’

Equipped with the exclusive and industry-revolutionizing feature called the Honda Smart Technology, which the company first introduced to the Honda Click125i, the New Generation BeAT-FIeSP Series becomes the ‘Scooter for All’ primarily because of its excellent engine performance, stylish and sporty design, groundbreaking features, plus affordability that enables it to cater to a wider market base among Filipino scooter enthusiasts.

At a retail price of PhP 66,900 for its standard model and PhP69,900 for the variant that highlights the idling stop system (ISS) and the combi-brake system (CBS), the New Generation BeAT-FIeSP Series is quite affordable enough among scooter enthusiasts includingthe young generation of today’s riders as well as the young at heart who are very much willing to let their beat out given the perfect opportunity to do so.

In terms of design, the New Generation BeAT-FIeSP Series is just the right size for the young generation of Filipinos today. It is compact and makes its rider agile and flashy. It exudes a sporty exterior appeal, accentuated further by its trendy colors and speedy stripe, making it thescooter for everyone among today’s generation of scooter enthusiasts.

It also comes with other new design elements including an aerodynamic steering cover, an aggressive headlight form, a very informative meter panel, a sporty tail light, a sporty muffler protector, a stylish fan cover, a new design crank case cover, sporty rear suspension with plastic cover, and a stylish side mirror.

The New Generation BeAT-FI eSP Series is also high on groundbreaking elements and features that are practically typical in most of the scooters in the market today. It comes with customer-friendly features that provide riders more convenience and utility including a larger utility box, bigger tire size, comfortable triangle riding position, unique battery position and cover, and very accessible position of the air cleaner.

In terms of utility space, the New Generation BeAT-FI eSP Series has a larger utility box that is capable of accommodating 11.2 liters worth of personal items or safety equipment.

The Honda Smart Technology is actually what’s powering the New Generation BeAT-FI eSP Series to its very remarkable on-road performance punctuated no less by its class-leading fuel efficiency which is 63 kilometers per liter for its CBS/ISS variant and 58.5 kilometers per liter for the standard model based on the ECER40 test method.

Honda has also maintained its trend-setting safety and security features in the New Generation BeAT-FI eSP Series including a secure key shutter, a side stand switch, park brake lock, automatic headlight on (AHO), and the combi-brake system.

With the key secure key shutter, the New Generation BeAT-FIeSP Series comes with a magnetic locking system that can be closed manually, which reduces the risk of theft apart from being more practical and comfortable.

It also comes with a side stand switch equipped with an electric circuit breaker. Majority of motorcycle and scooter accidents happen because riders forget to lift the side stand as they drive. It won’t happen with the New Generation BeAT-FIeSP Series as the scooter engine would not start if the side stand is in the down position thereby eliminating the risk of possible accident and ensuring safety for the rider.

The park brake lock is meant to prevent the motor current to jump start the engine and jerk the scooter, and also avoid the risk of unwanted accident for the rider. It is very easy to operate by hand since all the rider needs to do is to pull back the left brake lever and the park brake lock is released.

Having the automatic headlight on whenever a rider is driving greatly ensures his visibility to other motorists. And that is the reason why it is also a form of safety feature of the New Generation BeAT-FI eSP Series.

And finally the combi-brake system is the safety feature that delivers controllability, convenience, and the sense of confidence for the rider because the technology in the scooter gives it the optimum braking power while reducing nosedive, which is very common in many scooters and motorcycles. Because the technology enables the application of the right amount of brake power on both wheels of the scooter, shortest stopping distance when braking can be achieved.

With all these new features, there is no doubt that the New Generation BeAT-FIeSP Series is the ‘Scooter of All’ and to everyone who are willing to let their beat out at every chance they can get.