MOTOGP: Honda Reloads - SPEEDtv.com

For a two decade run there might have been no more overpowering force in the world of motorsport than the Honda Motor Corporation. Driven to succeed due in large part thanks to Soichiro Honda's racing background, and with virtually unrivaled engineering know-how, it didn't matter if it was Formula 1, American open-wheel cars, Superbikes, or Grand Prix machines, Honda seemed capable of not only winning practically any series they desired, but humiliating the opposition along the way.

During the late '80s and early '90s Honda-powered cars claimed six straights F1 titles. Seeking a new challenge, they did the same thing in the CART IndyCar World Series, and later chased away all competitors due to their domination of the IRL.

The story was much the same in the two-wheeled arena with Mick Doohan, Alex Criville, and Valentino Rossi teaming up to score nine of ten 500GP/MotoGP titles from 1994 to 2002. The wicked NSR500 was widely regarded the class of the field long before that, only being held back from even greater success due to superior talents such as Wayne Rainey and Kevin Schwantz representing their rivals in spectacular fashion.

During this golden era, some of their most remarkable feats took place in World Superbike. The RVF750RR RC45 proved to be something of a blunder when first introduced, but through pure engineering muscle, HRC overcame its shortcomings -- as well as the rulebook disadvantages it faced versus the twin-cylinder Ducatis -- and transformed the once ridiculed V4 into a blisteringly fast world champion-wining machine in 1997. Then, just to prove a point, they turned out a V-Twin of their own for their next-gen racers and promptly walked away with the championship in its debut season.

But that was a long time ago. The once-razor sharp teeth have dulled and the name Honda doesn't quite strike the same sort of fear into its competition these days. A prolonged attempt to reclaim their former Formula 1 glory never produced the intended results, and just to add insult to injury, when they finally pulled the plug on the program, the team they abandoned went on to immediately storm the championship once freed.

And Honda is now just another player in the Superbike World Championship, a winner of one of eight championships since the series became more of a importer affair than the realm of full-works efforts.

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