Honda planning British Supersport expansion in 2025 after Jack Kennedy title success
Up to eight Honda CBR600RRs could be on the British Supersport grid with Honda UK support in 2025.
Honda is looking to expand its presence in the British Supersport Championship next year following the success of the CBR600RR to the class in 2024.
The CBR600RR returned to British Supersport this year as the model was reintroduced to Europe by the Japanese brand, having withdrawn it in 2018.
In some part because of this, Jack Kennedy’s 2024 triumph in the British Supersport Championship was the first for Honda in the class since Sam Lowes won the 2010 title.
“The CBR600RR was sort of phased out, if you like, from Europe,” Beltran told Crash.net on Saturday at last weekend’s Brands Hatch BSB, following Kennedy’s title-clinching Race 1 victory.
“So, we pulled back from support, or developing or riding or anything else like that, and, as a team and as a Honda UK branch, decided not to support anybody [in British Supersport].
“However, with the revised version of the current 2024 CBR600RR we decided that it would be a great opportunity to showcase that and put it back into the championship.
“So, last year’s planning for that was: who better to put on it than [...] Jack Kennedy?
“So, that was the plan, and today the plan came to fruition, and here we are as 2024 Supersport Champions with Jack Kennedy.”
Looking forward to next year, Beltran said that Honda is looking to expand its presence in the British Supersport Championship.
“The rules we’re running with this is Next Generation,” he said.
“Next year it’s compulsory for all bikes in the class. However, there’s obviously a disparity between the Triumph, the Ducati, Suzuki, then you’ve got the Yamaha and the Honda with the inline-four.
“However, we’ve worked hard with the development project with this, and we’re looking forward to sort of the next phase, if you like, [so that] we can supply to all the other teams I plan to have in Supersport next year.
“We’ve gone from our two riders— starting off with Jack, then bringing in Dean [Harrison] to help evaluate and understand and help with development — [and] next year I’d like to have six-to-eight riders out there in the championship.”
