In 1959 a young Japanese bikemaker called Soichiro Honda took on the on the might of the British and Italian motorcycle industries on that most dangerous of street circuits, the 60km Isle of Man TT course.
It was the start of growing involvement with the Manx races, reflecting Soichiro Honda's belief that the TT represented the pinnacle of motorcycle racing achievement.
In 2009 the company celebrated 50 years of World championship racing at the TT, throwing its weight behind John McGuinness in his attempt to take second place in the list of all-time TT winners behind the late Joey Dunlop and Ian Hutchinson's efforts in the Supersport TT on a CBR600RR
