In what has become a long-standing tradition, Team HRC rider Ferruccio Zanchi headed to Japan this weekend to take part in the in the IA1 (450cc) class at the 62nd MFJ-GP Motocross Competition D.I.D All Japan Motocross Championship Series 2024 Round 8. Teammate Tim Gajser has done it in the past, and it is a good opportunity for members of the race effort in Europe to meet face to face with their colleagues in Japan, as well as give the Honda fans a chance to see a top rider up close. On this occasion, it was also a chance for Zanchi to ride the 2025 Honda CRF450R in a competitive environment for the very first time, which he did with tremendous success as he won every race over the course of the weekend.
After visiting the HRC factory and taking in the sights of Japan, Zanchi turned his attention to the racetrack and immediately looked comfortable on the production bike, despite having ridden the 250cc all season in the MX2 class. The young Italian won the qualification race yesterday before going out and completing a hat-trick of victories by winning both the points-scoring races on a glorious day in the Japanese countryside. His one-one performance continued his excellent end to the 2024 season and gives him a lot of confidence for the off-season where he’ll be preparing himself once again to race in the MX2 World Championship.
Ferruccio Zanchi 73
I really enjoyed coming to Japan and racing here this weekend. It’s been a lot of fun seeing everything and meeting all the people here and then coming to the race and riding well and taking the victory. The 2025 CRF450R is very nice to ride and I immediately felt comfortable on it, and we didn’t have to work too hard for me to find good settings for the races. I had to work hard in both races to come through the pack, but I just rode smart and had fun out there. I want to thank Honda for this opportunity to come out here and I look forward to getting the chance to do it again in the future.
Marcus Pereira de Freitas
HRC General Manager – MXGP
It is important for HRC to keep growing bond between our factory in Japan and our race effort in Europe, so that they can see their work on the race track, and we can see all their work behind the scenes. We have seen that when we work together well, we can achieve great things and given how well the 2025 Honda CRF450R has done in America with the Lawrence’s and now with Ferruccio here, it is great to see that all the feedback from our testing with Tim has paid off and we have created a great product for the consumers. Well done to every member of staff for this 2024 season and we will keep building for the future!
