Honda relaunches Big Bike flagship shop; sends off int’l racer Troy Alberto
LAST week, Honda Philippines Incorporated (HPI) relaunched its Honda Big Bike Showroom along EDSA Makati. Alongside this opening was HPI’s sendoff party for young, international rider Troy Alberto to compete in the upcoming Idemitsu Asia Talent Cup (ATC) and Honda Thai Talent Cup – both premier, one-make motorbike races (held in the Asian region) that use the spirited Honda NSF250R bike.
“I’m dreaming that finally, a rider from the Philippines will join the MotoGP!” exclaimed a hopeful Daiki Mihara, President of HPI, during the sendoff ceremony held at the newly reopened flagship shop. The occasion gathered key HPI executives as well as motoring media and bike enthusiasts, in a simultaneous effort to promote motorbike racing in the Philippines.
Troy, who is only 16, is the only Filipino who has been selected to participate in the Asia Talent Cup this year. This came after a series of try-outs that were held last August 2017, and after further test races held in Malaysia just last February 19-20.
The ATC will begin on March 16, will have six legs and will run for several months in various locations within countries such as Thailand, Japan and Qatar. Meanwhile, the Thai Talent Cup will begin in April. Both races seek to develop competitive riders who might eventually compete in the renowned Motorcycle Grand Prix (MotoGP).
The young Troy’s experience with racing began as early as when he was just four years old. His bikeenthusiast father was his main influence in getting into the sport, and he was lucky to have both parents completely supportive of honing his skills.
And when asked onstage whether he already had a girlfriend, he replied: “No sir, I don’t have a girlfriend... I only ride bikes.”
Gilbert Sison was keen to point out that “Honda believes that Filipinos are very capable of becoming MotoGP riders... given the right support and push.” He thus saw it fitting to encourage Filipino talents to race in Honda one-make races to enrich their experience and sharpen their riding skills.
Honda continues to inspire young riders in the Philippines to hone their craft by regularly holding Honda Racing Clinics—open to interested individuals who are 13-30 years old. HPI also conducts its Honda Ride Red events for off-road-riding enthusiasts, and its popular Honda Pilipinas Dream Cup for competitive, intermediate riders.
“We believe in helping young, talented racers like Alberto by providing them a training ground to hone their skills and propel them to the most prestigious international competitions,” remarked Mihara while speaking to the press.
And to align itself with Honda’s globalized goals in motorsports, HPI has likewise upgraded its local flagship shop to now offer: an extensive, multi-rack display of Honda’s latest bikes; a full stock of key bike parts, preventive maintenance parts and accident and fastmoving parts; a plethora of genuine, big bike accessories (from Japan and Thailand); its very own Honda-developed synthetic oil (which perfectly complies with Honda’s R&D standards); well-equipped service facilities; specific services available exclusively at the flagship store; a wellappointed riders’ lounge and even a test-ride area.
The property is a corner lot 640 square meters in area, and is “more ready than ever for Honda’s growing community of riders,” explained an enthusiastic Mihara.
The flagship shop’s new service bays now include more modern facilities such as: its own bike lifters per bay; specialized tire changers; and proper, bike diagnostics tools. Moreover, its new fully synthetic oil—which is proprietary to Honda— promises tough oxidation resistance and better power for your bike, thanks to the reduced friction of moving parts.
Furthermore, Honda’s flagship Big Bike shop will start holding ‘Happy Honda Days’ on selected Fridays and Saturdays – occasions with special promotional offerings, to help promote rider awareness of the newly improved shop, and also increase its number of walk-in customers.