A lot of us know the motorcycle and automotive brands we know today because of racing. Big names like Motul, HKS, Bosch—the list goes on—have all been plastered onto race cars and race bikes which have become objects of lust among kids and aspiring racers alike.
But out of all those names, you could argue that two oil and lubricant manufacturers have become the most iconic in the world of racing. I am, of course, talking about Repsol and Castrol. Repsol has become synonymous with racing and performance simply because of how prominent it has become over the years in motorcycle racing, more specifically, with a certain Japanese manufacturer called Honda.
I’m not gonna lie, as a kid just beginning to develop an appreciation for motorcycles, I actually thought that the Repsol liveried Honda CBR10000RR was a bike made by Repsol and not Honda. It wasn’t until I was a bit older did I come to understand that Repsol was an oil and lubricant maker, and not a motorcycle manufacturer.
And as for Castrol, well, apart from making some of the best lubricants on the market, who could forget the Castrol TOM’s Toyota Supra GT? I mean it’s literally the most recognizable race car from Japan’s Super GT racing series, and the most badass car in the entire Gran Turismo paddock.
But now you may be wondering, what do Castrol and Repsol have in common apart from both making oil and lubricants and ending with “ol?” Well, as it would turn out, Castrol’s about to take the spotlight from Repsol, as it’s finalizing a deal with Honda’s MotoGP factory team to replace Repsol from the 2025 season. It’s quite an epic change, as Repsol and Honda have been working together for three decades. Nevertheless, this symbolic passing of the baton to Castrol looks promising, and might actually be refreshing for Honda fans.
Throughout the years, Honda-Repsol’s bikes were among the most competitive, with a total of 15 riders’ titles, 10 constructors’ titles, and 183 race wins from 1995 to present bagged by the red, white, and orange machines. And now that the Honda-Repsol partnership is set for the history books, chances are we’ll soon be seeing very different colors from the Honda Factory Team.
In fact, Honda’s satellite team, LCR Honda, has been in a partnership with Castrol since 2015, and its current livery for the 2024 season looks pretty slick, at least for me.
And as for the reason why Repsol decided to end its relationship with Honda, well, it had quite a bit to do with Marc Marquez’s departure from Honda. Repsol’s monetary support to HRC was reportedly substantially reduced when Marquez hopped over to Ducati, and this was clear to see on the livery of this year’s HRC MotoGP bikes. There’s also much less orange on this year’s livery, too, with HRC’s red, blue, and white colors figuring more prominently in the livery.
And as a fan of Castrol’s clean and cool-to-the-eye green, white, and red liveries, I think this motif looks pretty good on the Honda RC213V. It’ll definitely be interesting to see how Honda’s Factory Team adds some spice into the mix, and differentiates itself from LCR Honda’s livery, too.
Source: Motorsport
