Honda debuts electric motocross prototype

Honda has given motocross fans a little glimpse into the future with the competitive debut of its CR Electric Proto model.

Trey Canard piloted the battery-powered electric motocross bike entry in the eighth round of the All-Japan Motocross Championship in Saitama over the weekend with mixed results. The event was seen as a trial run by Honda in a bid to gather information and data for the ongoing development of the machine.

Competing in the premier IA1 (450cc) category as a wildcard entry, Canard got off to a flying start on Saturday, finishing second overall in practice behind Jay Wilson, and fifth in the qualifying race.

The main three races on Sunday proved to be a mixed bag for Canard and the CR Electric, but the unique experiment showed that electric motocross bikes can compete strongly against petrol-powered machines.  

Canard finished second in the opening race and was just 0.7s off the fastest lap. He started strongly in race two, but clashed with Jay Wilson and was ruled out of the moto. The third race saw Canard grab an early lead, but another crash robbed him of the moto win.

Interestingly, the instant torque of the CR Electric Proto helped Canard secure two out of three holeshots, showing the impressive starting abilities of the bike.

“This weekend was definitely a big challenge for me but it was a great race for our development,” said Canard. “Each time I was on the track, we improved the motorcycle and the CR Electric Proto team adapted to the challenge.

“We had some shines of brilliance as a team, the starts being one of them with two of the three holeshots. There were also some sections on the track that were very impressive and that makes me excited for the future of this motorcycle.”

Team HRC manager Taichi Honda took a lot from the weekend. “We had three heats today for the first time and we will take what we learnt from each race and feed it back to the ongoing development of the CR Electric project,” he said. “I would like to thank the development team and everyone involved for preparing the CR Electric Proto in such a short time.”

While a production version of the CR Electric Proto is likely at some stage, it appears Honda is focusing on research and development in the short term. Electric motocross bikes are still largely seen as a novelty, although the arrival of the Stark Varg has renewed interest in the segment.