Honda's Iconic MotoGP Sponsor Repsol Is Breaking Ties with the Team

Since 1995, Honda's factory motorcycle racers have consistently competed in the orange-and-red livery of Spanish oil sponsor Repsol. After 30 years, 183 grand prix wins, and countless Repsol liveries wrapped onto street bikes in honor of the racers, however, that alliance has come to an end: Repsol has announced it will end its sponsorship of Honda's bikes after this MotoGP season.

Repsol's deal with Honda started in the middle of Mick Doohan's five-year consecutive reign as motorcycle grand prix racing champion. The livery remained on Honda bikes for two Valentino Rossi championships, six Marc Marquez titles, and single championships for Àlex Crivillé, Casey Stoner, and the late Nicky Hayden.

From the first year of the sponsorship in 1995 until 2019, the Repsol-backed Honda team had never finished worse than third in the motorcycle grand prix racing team championship. Since star rider Marc Marquez started missing time with a series of major injuries in the 2020s before eventually leaving the program, however, those fortunes have changed. Honda has finished fourth or worse in each of the last four seasons, and is on pace to finish fifth in this season's title fight.

The partnership between the oil company and the motorcycle maker has even extended to the streets. Honda has wrapped some production bikes in the livery from time to time, generally for special editions of high performance models. Notably, the titular character from the mid-2000s medical drama House rode one, although a 1.0-liter bike is not recommended for a middle-aged man suffering from chronic leg pain.

Repsol had already reduced its level of sponsorship with the Honda team this season, leading the team to cut the brand's amount of space on the bike. The newly-opened areas have been filled with more traditional Honda shades of blue and white — colors that could become the dominant colors on the bikes next season, if another title sponsor does not choose to re-design the livery.

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