eventually had its just reward —
no doubt backed up by a budget
ending with several extra zeros.
Team manager Neil
Tuxworth’s British-based Castrol
Honda team had been charged
with World Superbikes victory
in 1997. HRC Chief Engineer
Shuhei Nakamoto had supplied a
186-horsepower version of Honda’s V4
engine. John Kocinski, recruited from
Ducati in a straight swap with Honda’s
Carl Fogarty, was the vital final piece of
the puzzle.
Eventually it was mission accom-
plished for the Castrol Honda team,
with Kocinski clinching the World
Championship ahead of Ducati’s
Fogarty and his Honda teammate Aaron
Slight. To celebrate that, I was given the
exclusive chance to ride the title-win-
ning RC45 in Sentul, Indonesia, the dayafter Kocinski had scored his ninth race
victory of the season in the final round.
For me, this completed a hands-on
overview of the extended development
cycle of the RC45, which I first rode in
prototype form at Suzuka almost five
years before. Back then, I’d already had
an inkling of the handling problems
that would afflict the new model. The
front wheel felt light, leading to power
understeer and potentially compro-
mised steering and front end grip. Full
marks to Honda for not taking umbrage
at my criticism, but allowing me to rideHRC Chief Engineer
Shuhei Nakamoto (right).68 MOTORCYCLE CLASSICS September/October 2019