Evotech Performance & Honda Ron Haslam Race School
Evotech Performance has partnered with the famous Honda Ron Haslam Race School (HRHRS) for six years. The partnership involves design development and supply of unique EP Crash Protectors for the race school’s large fleet of Honda motorcycles used in its Premier and Premier Plus Experiences. For 2019, HRHRS ran a substantial amount of the latest Honda CBR650R bikes at the school’s Donington Park base. Additional off-the-shelf EP crash protection products for various Honda models are often used in the race school’s alternative Experience packages.
Peter Wetters is Chief Mechanic for HRHRS. All of the school’s bikes are under his wing. That’s a lot of motorcycles to prepare and maintain across the riding season. Needless to say, Peter knows all of the school bikes closely and the challenges they and EP Crash Protectors have to face. So who better to talk to about EP Crash Protectors?
“The CBR650R EP Crash Protectors are not the same as a customer would buy. Yes, the bobbins are the same mix of nylon with an aluminium insert moulded internally, but the mounts have been designed specifically for our use.
“Our race school’s CBR650Rs wear QD race fairings that mimic the standard bodywork; these are used so we can remove them in seconds, which is important given the amount of bikes and the time needed for service work. So to help keep service time to a minimum, Evotech Performance developed crash protectors that allows us to make slight alterations to the panels in order for them to slip over easily and quickly.
“To be fair to Ron [Haslam] and his team of instructors, considering the huge number of customers that come here, we don’t have many incidents where the crash protectors are properly put to the test. But the odd occasion it does happen, I can tell you they do their job.
“What you have to remember is, just like riding on the road, no crash is the same. Kerbs, gravel, and speed all play a part on how a bike ends up. As a rule the crash protectors take the brunt of an impact so a bike’s downtime is minimal. We can’t fault them.”
Click here for further information on the Honda Ron Haslam Race School.