Honda Celebrates 50 Years of Motocross
Celebrating five decades of elite motocross heritage, Honda today unveiled a tribute to that prestigious history with a unique CRF450R, to be ridden at the MXGP of Spain this weekend.
50 years after the debut of the 1973 CR250M Elsinore – Honda’s original motocross machine – the bikes ridden by Team HRC’s Tim Gajser and Mitch Evans at the Intu Xanadu-Arroyomolinos circuit will feature a special livery, complete with styled parts evoking memories of the iconic CR models that dominated motocross around the world in the 1980s.
Honda’s success in motocross started in 1973 when Gary Jones – onboard the CR250M Elsinore – won the AMA 250 Motocross Championship and since then, Honda has gone from strength to strength, winning world championships in 125cc, 250cc, 500cc throughout the 70s, 80s and 90s. More recently, Tim Gajser has become the most successful rider in Honda’s history as he won his 39th GP overall at this year’s MXGP of Italy on the latest Honda CRF450R. The Slovenian currently has four world titles on CRF-machinery including three MXGP (2020, 2019, 2016) and one MX2 crown (2015), and currently leads the 2022 MXGP World Championship by 79 points.
Honda World Motocross History Milestones
- 1973: Introduction of CR250M Elsinore
- 1973: Gary Jones wins Honda’s first AMA 250 Motocross Championship (CR250M Elsinore)
- 1973: Introduction of XR75
- 1974: Introduction of CR125M Elsinore
- 1979: Graham Noyce wins Honda’s first FIM 500 Motocross World Championship
- 1980: Introduction of CR80R (XR75 becomes XR80 and is positioned as a trail bike)
- 1980: Andre Malherbe wins FIM 500 Motocross World Championship (RC500)
- 1981: Introduction of CR450R Elsinore
- 1981: Andre Malherbe wins FIM 500 Motocross World Championship (RC500)
- 1982: CR450R becomes CR480R
- 1983: Introduction of CR60R
- 1984: “Elsinore” is officially dropped from the CR line name
- 1984: Last year of CR60R
- 1984: CR480R becomes CR500R
- 1984: Andre Malherbe wins FIM 500 Motocross World Championship (RC500)
- 1985: David Thorpe wins FIM 500 Motocross World Championship (RC500)
- 1986: David Thorpe wins FIM 500 Motocross World Championship (RC500)
- 1987: Eric Geboers wins FIM 250 Motocross World Championship (RC250)
- 1987: Georges Jobé wins FIM 500 Motocross World Championship (RC500)
- 1988: Jean-Michel Bayle wins FIM 125 Motocross World Championship (RC125)
- 1988: Eric Geboers wins FIM 500 Motocross World Championship (RC500)
- 1989: Jean-Michel Bayle wins FIM 250 Motocross World Championship (RC250)
- 1989: David Thorpe wins FIM 500 Motocross World Championship (RC500)
- 1990: Eric Geboers wins FIM 500 Motocross World Championship (RC500)
- 1991: Trampas Parker wins FIM 250 Motocross World Championship (RC250)
- 1991: Georges Jobé wins FIM 500 Motocross World Championship (RC500)
- 1992: Greg Albertyn wins FIM 125 Motocross World Championship (RC125)
- 1992: Georges Jobé wins FIM 500 Motocross World Championship (RC500)
- 1993: Greg Albertyn wins FIM 250 Motocross World Championship (RC250)
- 1994: Marcus Hansson wins FIM 500 Motocross World Championship (RC500)
- 1995: Alex Puzar wins FIM 125 Motocross World Championship (RC125)
- 1996: Stefan Everts wins FIM 250 Motocross World Championship (RC250)
- 1997: Stefan Everts wins FIM 250 Motocross World Championship (RC250)
- 1999: Frederic Bolley wins FIM 250 Motocross World Championship (RC250)
- 2000: Frederic Bolley wins FIM 250 Motocross World Championship (RC250)
- 2001: Last year of CR500R
- 2002: CRF450R is introduced
- 2003: CR80R becomes CR85R
- 2004: Introduction of CRF250R
- 2007: Last year of CR85R, CR125R, CR250R
- 2007: Introduction of CRF150R
- 2015: Tim Gajser wins FIM MX2 World Championship (CRF250R)
- 2016: Tim Gajser wins FIM MXGP World Championship (CRF450R)
- 2019: Tim Gajser wins FIM MXGP World Championship (CRF450R)
- 2020: Tim Gajser wins FIM MXGP World Championship (CRF450R)
