This year’s Monterey Car Week (August 12-16) will celebrate Japanese Motorsports with historic race machines on display or demonstrated.
This is a press release from Honda…
Torrance, CA (August 6, 2026) — Honda will celebrate eight decades of two- and four-wheel motorsports heritage during California’s famed Monterey Car Week (Aug 12-16). The showcase includes more than 20 iconic Honda and Acura championship-winning race cars and motorcycles that competed in such iconic races series as Formula One, IndyCar, IMSA, SCCA, Baja racing, MotoGP, Dakar, the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy, AMA Supercross, Formula Xtreme and more.
The race machines will be featured at premier events throughout the week, including Motorlux, The Quail, a Motorsports Gathering, the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion (RMMR) at Laguna Seca and the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.
“Our founder, Soichiro Honda, believed in competition as a means to improve our company, our engineers and our products and racing became a key part of the corporate culture of Honda,” said David Salters, president, Honda Racing Corporation USA (HRC US). “Honda has won at the highest levels of motorsports here and around the world, and we’re excited to share our rich motorsports heritage at Monterey Car Week with more Honda and Acura championship-winning race machines heading to the Monterey Peninsula than ever before.”
Motorsport is deeply ingrained in Honda’s corporate DNA. The company has consistently competed and won at the highest levels of motorsports worldwide. From its inaugural participation in the Isle of Man TT motorcycle race in 1959, Honda has achieved numerous victories and championships on two wheels and four. Notably, Honda boasts an impressive 17 Indianapolis 500 victories, the most among any major auto manufacturer, 25 premier-class Grand Prix and MotoGP Constructors’ Championships, six Formula One Drivers’ Championships, and six Formula One Constructor’s titles.
Honda Racing Corporation (HRC), the global racing arm of Honda, has been a driving force in motorsports since its founding in 1982, building on the racing spirit that has led the Honda and Acura brands to the top of motorsports’ greatest podiums.
With the support of HRC US, the American Honda Collection Hall, the Honda Collection Hall in Motegi, Japan, as well as team partners and private owners, Honda and Acura will display and demonstrate race and championship winning machines throughout Monterey Car Week. Below is a partial list of race machines to be displayed:
2026 Honda RC213V // Displayed at RMMR
The current MotoGP entry of the Honda HRC Castrol team ridden by Luca Marini and Joan Mir, the RC213V has won seven constructors, six rider and six team championships in the fifteen years from its debut in 2012. The motorcycle is powered by a Honda 1000cc V4 four-stroke engine and achieves top speeds of over 223 mph.
Nicky Hayden’s 2006 Honda RC211V // Displayed at RMMR
Nicky Hayden’s 2006 Laguna Seca and championship-winning machine is one of the most successful MotoGP bikes of all time. With a unique 990cc V5 four-stroke engine (inline-three at the front, inline-two at the rear), the RC211V dominated the premier class, securing 48 race wins, 3 rider championships and 4 constructor titles during its 5-year run.
Mick Doohan’s 1997 Honda NSR500 // Displayed at RMMR
Mick Doohan won the 1997 FIM Grand Prix championship on this bike on his way to five world championships. The 500cc two-stroke Honda NSR500 is an iconic, championship-winning machine that pioneered advanced GP technology, including the notorious “Big Bang” firing order and early electronic fuel injection. Doohan preferred the “Screamer” firing order engine, which is what this bike has. From 1984-2002, the NSR500 was ridden to over 100 race wins, carrying legends like Mick Doohan, Valentino Rossi, Eddie Lawson and Wayne Gardner to 10 riders’ world championships, cementing its legacy as one of the most dominant race machines in motorsport history.
Daytona 200
Dick Mann 1970 Honda CR750 Replica // Displayed at RMMR
The racing version of the world’s first superbike—the revolutionary 4-cylinder Honda CB750—introduced in 1969. Honda entered four CR750s in the 1970 Daytona 200 with Dick Mann, Bill Smith, Tommy Robb and Ralph Bryans, some of the best motorcycle racers in the world. Mann went on to win the race, cementing the performance legacy of the Honda CB750 and giving Honda its first Daytona 200 victory.
Dakar Rally
Ricky Brabec’s 2020 Honda CRF450 RALLY // Demonstration laps at RMMR
Ridden to Dakar Rally victories in 2020 and 2024 by Ricky Brabec and in 2021 by Kevin Benavides, the Honda CRF450 Rally features a liquid-cooled, single-cylinder 450cc engine and a massive multi-fuel-tank system designed for long, 250+ mile desert stages. Brabec’s win in 2020 gave Honda its first Dakar victory since 1989. Known as the toughest sporting event in the world, Honda has won the Dakar Rally eight times.
AMA Supercross / Motocross / Supersport
2004 CBR600RR AMA Formula Xtreme // Displayed at RMMR
Canadian motorcycle racer Miguel Duhamel and Honda were dominant in AMA Supersport and Formula Xtreme 600cc racing from the late 1980s through the early 2000s with the rider capturing eight national championships and Honda winning a total of 11 with Duhamel, Doug Polen, Tom Kipp and Nicky Hayden. Duhamel also clinched the 1995 AMA Superbike crown and five Daytona 200 wins from 1991-2005. The production-based CBR600RR race bike features a 599cc transverse inline four-cylinder, DOHC engine with powertrain, brake system, steering and suspension upgrades.
Jett Lawrence’s 2025 Honda CRF450R // Displayed at RMMR
Campaigned during the 2024 AMA Supercross and Pro Motocross seasons, Jett Lawrence rode the production-based factory race bike to eight race wins to take the 2024 Supercross championship and won four rounds of that year’s Motocross season. Lawrence also went on to win the 2025 Pro Motocross Championship and SuperMotocross Championship. The bike features a 450cc single-cylinder engine with Unicam SOHC, four-valve engine.
