Evgeny Bobryshev has signed an agreement to race with the Honda World Motocross team for the next two years in the FIM MX1 World Championship.
24-year-old Bobryshev, who hails from Kondrovo in Russia, has ridden Honda machinery since his step up to the MX1 class in 2010 where he finished 10th in the World and won the British Championship prior to moving to the Honda World Motocross squad for the last two seasons. The Russian ace has certainly made the most of his time and development with the team so far, having enjoyed his maiden Grand Prix win with a double moto victory in Teutschenthal, Germany last year along with a number of podium finishes, which secured him fourth place in the World MX1 Championship.
This season has certainly been tough so far for Bobryshev as an injury to the hand from the first round in The Netherlands has thwarted his progress along with sickness at the Mexico and Brazil rounds of the series. However, the Honda pilot has demonstrated his speed and potential with his huge amount of desire to succeed, which has urged Honda Europe and the Honda World Motocross team to retain his services for the next few years.
"I am really happy to continue to be part of the Honda family for the next two years," Bobryshev said. "This is my second year with the Honda World Motocross team, and I am comfortable here with everyone working so hard together with the same goal. This is the main reason for me to stay, as this family feeling is important as a rider for us to achieve what we aim for and to have the support during all of the ups and downs."
"I look forward to continuing our hard work to gain the results we are aiming for and the group around me is really strong, so I am confident of success," the Russian continued.
"I have looked at other possibilities, but fundamentally the important thing for me is the feeling with the team and the confidence in the people you are working with. I am also very happy with the CRF 450R; the support from the R&D department in Japan, as well as Honda Europe, Showa and Dunlop comes together to create a really extensive programme with a strong development path to give me the best tools to do the job."
The feeling is mutual, as a Honda grown rider that has belief in the CRF 450R and the family that surrounds him during the intense World Motocross season, Bobryshev was keen to scribe his commitment to Honda so he can concentrate on returning to full fitness and the results he is capable of.
Honda Motor Europe Off-Road Manager, Roger Harvey, added, "We've seen the potential in Bobby over the years, and he's come up through as a Honda rider. We still have great belief in what he can do and what he can achieve, although this year hasn't worked out as expected with the number of small injuries he's had along with the illness.
"He is what we see as the future, and a Honda person who has been brought up in the Honda way with his belief in our machinery. For us it made sense to continue this relationship and I am really happy, as he's a great guy to work with; his work ethic is good, he is a great ambassador for the sport and he is strong both physically and mentally. He is quite a late developer really, and we've seen his speed, so it's just a case of bringing everything together while omitting those small mistakes and then we'll see the true potential."
The Honda World Motocross team, which is headed by Team Owner Paolo Martin, is based on years of experience having worked with Honda machinery for over 20 years. The team benefits from expertise from its technical partners including Showa, Dunlop, Investment Trade Bank and One Industries, as well as development of the race machines while working closely with Honda's R&D department in Japan.
Paolo Martin, concluded, saying, "It's good news for us to have Bobby staying with us for a further two years. I am very happy, and although this year has been tough, the progress over the past two seasons that we've made is good. At the moment Bobby isn't 100% in being able to win the title, and we have more areas to work on together, but from last year we've come from being at top ten level to top five level, and finally we are at around 80% of our full potential.
"I think within the next two years we should be in a good position for the championship, and Bobby is good to work with, as he has taken on board everything by learning how to become a factory level professional rider. His speed is there, but we need to find the consistency required throughout a season to turn that into the results we are looking for."
Main Photo Credit: Sarah Gutierrez
