Doohan to ride 'ultimate Honda' at Goodwood.

Honda have announced that five-times 500cc Motorcycle World Champion Mick Doohan (pictured) will be lighting up this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed on a state-of-the-art Honda NR750.

Many consider the ?38,000 super production-bike, built in 1991, the ultimate in technical innovation; only 200 of the 'no expense spared' machines were ever made with a mere 15 shipped to British shores.

The engine is an oval-pistoned V-4 unit and is the only production bike to incorporate this system, developed by Honda R&D in order to get V-8 performance from an engine with half the cylinders.

The NR750 was also the first production motorcycle to feature carbon fibre and titanium as standard composite parts.

As well as Doohan and the NR750, Honda Motor Company will also bring the RC163, which won all nine races in the 1962 250cc World Championship at the hands of Jim Redman. British rider Stuart Graham, the only winner of car and bike TT races, will be reunited with the machine at Goodwood.

Tommy Robb, also a former Honda factory rider and 350cc World Champion in 1962, will be in charge of the RC166, winner of 10 out of 10 races in the 1966 250cc World Championship. The RC166 is capable of generating 60 bhp at 18,000 rpm and also won the 1966 Isle of Man TT race at the hands of Mike Hailwood.

A year later, Hailwood and Honda returned to the TT with the six-cylinder RC174 and won again, in a season where the team had also claimed the 500cc World Championship by winning seven out of eight races. Northern Ireland rider, Ralph Bryans will be demonstrating the RC174 on the hill in the much anticipated event.

The Goodwood Festival of Speed takes place from July 11-13 - therefore clashing exactly with the British Grand Prix at Donington Park.