Rekluse Announced as Official Clutch System Technical Partner for Honda Racing Corporation’s (HRC) 2014 MX1 Race Team
Boise, Idaho USA (January 3, 2014) – Rekluse, an American manufacturer of motorcycle and ATV clutch technology, has been named the official clutch supplier to Honda Racing Corporation’s MX1 Motocross Team. With two world-class MX1 pilots, the dominant Honda team will be debuting Rekluse’s new and innovative manual clutch product, Core Manual with TorqDrive™.
Paolo Martin, Honda Racing Corporation Team Manager, remarks, “In back-to-back testing with other clutch systems, our pilots preferred the feeling of the Rekluse TorqDrive clutch. The Rekluse clutch delivered more power to the ground with better control and no clutch lever fade. The pilots felt that the bike was faster and their lap times actually improved. The new Rekluse clutch also lasts significantly longer and runs cooler than other clutch systems.”
Al Youngwerth, Founder and Chairman of Rekluse Motor Sports, Inc., states,“We are honored that Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) has chosen Rekluse as their clutch system supplier and technical partner for Honda’s 2014 Factory MX1 Race Team. Rekluse is well known in the top levels of off-road racing and has worked to gain the same level of acceptance at the top levels of Motocross and Supercross competition. To break into this market, we had to be more than just a little better. We challenged our engineering team to produce a manual clutch system that provides a measureable competitive advantage. This agreement with HRC and the positive test results with pilots verify that the Rekluse engineering team has met their objectives. I’m very proud of their accomplishments.”
Benefits of Rekluse Core Manual with TorqDrive™
Prevents clutch fade
Powerful traction
Better control through clutch lever
Increased torque capacity
Lower operating temperatures
Higher durability
HRC 2014 MX1 Pilots (Profiles courtesy of Honda Racing)
Evgeny Bobryshev #777
25 years old – Russian racer Evgeny Bobryshev, who is known as ‘Bobby’ to most, is beginning his fourth term aboard Honda MX1 machinery, with which he’s enjoyed the highs and lows of racing throughout the past few seasons. The super-tough racer made his MX1 debut in 2010 and quickly established himself as one of the lead competitors, finishing in the top 10 in the world, despite being relatively unknown in his preceding MX2 days.
Bobryshev won the MX1 British Championship title in his first year with CAS Honda, before moving over to the Honda World Motocross squad in 2011. It was another progressive season for the MX1 star, as he earned six podiums to his name, including an outstanding double moto win at the Grand Prix of Germany to take fourth in the series overall, despite missing a round with a back injury.
2012 was certainly full of promise for Bobryshev, but a thumb injury at the season opener in Valkenswaard hampered his progress for a number of rounds, with the injury having little time to heal between each race. As the healing process took time, Bobryshev had less and less bike time, which proved a vicious circle that he carried throughout the majority of the season. Illness saw the Russian unable to compete in Mexico, and with ninth in the championship overall, the Russian star is certainly keen to put such a challenging season behind him. The Honda racer is excited about racing the new CRF450R, has undergone a good pre-season of training and has a new approach to his racing, as he aims to stay consistently strong all season.
Other notable points about Bobryshev are that he was a competitive road racer in his earlier career, winning the 125cc Russian Championship before making the decision to compete in the European MX2 series for a more permanent career move. He won another Russian title in 2007, this time in MX2, before launching his full World MX2 career in 2008. In 2009 he finished runner-up in the Dutch MX2 series and broke into the top ten at the Latvian leg of the World series. However due to his bigger build, moving to MX1 in 2009 could not have come at a better time.
Maximilian Nagle
Maximilian Nagl joins the Honda World Motocross team for the 2013 season and his first time on Honda machinery since his schoolboy days. The 25-year-old German star from Weilheim is a proven talent, having finished runner-up in the MX1 series in 2009, and following a tough season last year he is keen to make a strong season long campaign aboard his CRF450R.
Nagl began riding at the age of five years old and won his first race three years later. In 2000 he won the German 85cc national title followed by national adult ADAC championship wins in 2004 and 2006. Nagl took his first MX1 Grand Prix victory in Italy in 2008, and has since taken numerous Grand Prix wins, moto wins and podium finishes, with the highlight of his career being when he achieved the runner-up spot in the MX1 World series in 2009.
Nagl has made a strong comeback towards the end of 2012 and now begins a new chapter in his career as he chooses to race Honda machinery alongside Evgeny Bobryshev for 2013. A hand injury due to a racing incident during pre-season has hampered his progress somewhat but the Honda rider has got to grips with his CRF450R well following 12 years with another manufacturer. Nagl is certainly determined and ready to show the world what he’s capable of and believes he has the machinery to help him match his motivation.
HRC Background
Martin Racing, managed by Paolo Martin, was established in 1980 and achieved immediate success with a World Title Championship. The team quickly became known as the dominant Honda team contesting World Championship Motocross racing.
In 2011, Martin Racing began developing a stronger partnership with Honda. As a result, the team was rebranded as the official Honda World Motocross team.