While Honda's VTR1000 Firestorm was a success on the road, it didn't have (and wasn't intended to have) the track ability required for Honda to beat Ducati in the world of racing. Ducati's 916 and 996 were dominating World Superbike, and Honda's V-4 RC45 was ageing fast. Honda had already decided to build a racing V-twin to beat Ducati at its own game.

The result, launched in 2000, was the VTR 1000 SP-1. The 999cc V-twin engine owed little to the Firestorm's design, and featured an oversquare bore and stroke achitecture of 100 x 63.6mm (3.9 x 2.5in). An all-new PGM-F1 fuel-injection system replaced the carburettors of the older bike, and the four camshafts were driven by accurate gear drive, rather than less-precise chains.

But it was the chassis which received most attention. Honda's racing division, HRC, provided the know-how to develop a new ultra-rigid aluminium twin-spar frame, using the engine as an extra load-bearing member within the frame. The frame also incorporates a cunning air inlet design: the distinctive front ram-air scoop between the fox-eye headlights runs straight through the cast aluminium steering head. This provides a direct path into the airbox for high-pressure air from the front fairing when the VTR is travelling at high racing speeds. Honda VTR1000 Fairings