Moriwaki Engineering

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For the surname, see Moriwaki (surname).
Moriwaki Engineering Co., Ltd.
Company typePrivate
IndustryTransportation
FoundedSeptember 30, 1973
Headquarters
Suzuka, Mie Prefecture
,
Japan
Area served
10+ countries and regions including North America, Europe and Australia
Key people
Mamoru Moriwaki, Founder and Representative Director
Namiko Moriwaki, Senior Managing Director
Midori Moriwaki, Managing Director
ProductsMotorbikes
Revenue10,000,000 JPY
WebsiteMoriwaki Engineering

Moriwaki Engineering is a Japanese manufacturer of speciality high performance products and motorcycle accessories.

Company founder

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Mamoru Moriwaki is a Japanese motorcycle tuner, race team owner and founder of Moriwaki Engineering, a Japanese specialty engineering company that designs, manufactures and sells high performance parts for motorcycles and cars.[1]

His motorcycle industry career is closely intertwined with that of Pops Yoshimura, another respected motorcycle tuner.[2]

Moriwaki began his career as a motorcycle racer for Hideo "Pops" Yoshimura, a respected motorcycle mechanic and tuner involved in Japanese motorcycle racing.[2][3] Moriwaki received no formal training in engineering while working for Yoshimura. Instead, he became self-taught, learning about mechanical engineering from books borrowed from his local high school.[2] Moriwaki married Namiko Yoshimura, Pops’ eldest daughter, while he was working for the company.[2][3] While working for the Yoshimura racing team, Moriwaki also successfully competed in auto racing, driving a Yoshimura-prepared Honda S800 sports car to a class victory at the 6 Hours of Fuji endurance race on July 26, 1970, and the GTS1 Class at the 1971 Japan Grand Prix.[4]

In 1971, Yoshimura made the decision to move his company to the United States to take advantage of the burgeoning American motorcycle market.[5] Moriwaki did not agree with Yoshimura and refused to leave his home in Japan.[2] This created a rift between the two men; however, within a year Yoshimura had returned to Japan and sought Moriwaki for help after he had been cheated out of all his money in a business transaction in America.[2] Moriwaki loaned Yoshimura money to re-establish himself.[2] Yoshimura would go on to establish one of the premier manufacturers of motorcycle high performance parts in the United States and became closely associated with the Suzuki racing program.[5]

Moriwaki Kawasaki ridden by Wayne Gardner in the 1981 Suzuka 8 Hours endurance race

Moriwaki remained in Japan and in 1973 he founded Moriwaki Engineering in Suzuka City, Japan. He became known for modifying engines and constructing frames for the Kawasaki Z1.[2] His bikes were successfully raced in the Australian Superbike championships in the late 1970s by New Zealander Graeme Crosby.[6] Crosby and co-rider Tony Hatton finished in third place at the prestigious Suzuka 8 Hours endurance race in 1978.[7][8] Moriwaki's reputation continued to be enhanced when Crosby and Akitaka Tomie qualified a Moriwaki Kawasaki on pole position at the 1979 Suzuka 8 Hours, ahead of all the major factory racing teams.[9] At the 1980 Suzuka 8 Hours race, the Moriwaki team of Dave Aldana and David Emde qualified in a respectable second place ahead of the official Kawasaki factory-backed team of Eddie Lawson and Gregg Hansford.[10]

After Crosby went on to race in the world championships, Moriwaki hired Australian rider Wayne Gardner in 1981.[2] Also in 1981, Moriwaki developed the world's first aluminum frame for large capacity motorcycles and entered them in competitions.[1] Gardner and John Pace qualified their Moriwaki Kawasaki on pole position at the 1981 Suzuka 8 Hours, once again beating all the major factory racing teams.[11][12] Gardner then rode the Moriwaki Kawasaki to an impressive fourth-place finish at the 1981 Daytona Superbike race behind Yoshimura Suzuki riders Crosby, Wes Cooley and Honda's Freddie Spencer.[13] Moriwaki and Gardner proceeded to compete in the British championship, winning their first race in England.[6] Gardner entered the final race of the season with a chance to win the title but, an engine misfire relegated him to third place overall in the championship.[6] Gardner's impressive results on the Moriwaki Kawasaki eventually earned him a contract with the Honda factory racing team and an eventual world championship in 1987.[2][6]

1984 Moriwaki Honda Zero X-7

In the 1980s, Moriwaki became closely associated with Honda Racing Corporation, the racing division for the Honda parent company.[2] Moriwaki was the first outside firm allowed to use one of Honda's racing engines.[2] From 2003 to 2005, Moriwaki competed in the premier MotoGP class with a Honda RC211V engine in a Moriwaki designed frame.[3][14] The firm gained valuable knowledge from this experience and in 2010, a Moriwaki-framed machine run by Gresini Racing took the inaugural Moto2 title with rider Toni Elias.[2][15][16] On the MD600, Elias won 7 races with the bike and secured the championship with a fourth place at the Malaysian Grand Prix, held at Sepang.[17]

The Moto2 formula is based on a universal engine and engine-ancillary equipment specification, with identical controlled engines supplied to teams via the organisers, previously based on the Honda CBR600RR superseded by the Triumph Street Triple RS 765 from the 2019 season.[18] Fuel, oil brakes and tyres are also controlled. Teams are able to use any supplier of chassis, suspension and bodywork under strict regulations to enable no one team to dominate by technology or expenditure.[19]

Midori Moriwaki and World Superbikes

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In late 2018 at EICMA, it was announced that Moriwaki would join with Honda Racing Corporation to run the Honda Fireblade in World Superbikes during 2019 with riders Leon Camier and Ryuichi Kiyonari. Initially using Japanese Superbike race series specification as a base-setting, the team collaborated with Europe-based Althea Racing.[20][21][22] Previously Honda's alliance was with Ten Kate Racing,[23] but due to poor results Honda decided on full-factory backing with long-term partner in Japan motorsport Moriwaki Racing.[24][21] Previously Midori Moriwaki was Team Manager for KYB Moriwaki Motul Racing in Endurance events.[25]

WSBK Results

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(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Team Bike Tyres No. Riders 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 RC Points TC Points MC Points
R1 SR R2 R1 SR R2 R1 SR R2 R1 SR R2 R1 SR R2 R1 SR R2 R1 SR R2 R1 SR R2 R1 SR R2 R1 SR R2 R1 SR R2 R1 SR R2 R1 SR R2
2021 MIE Racing Honda Team Honda CBR1000RR-R P SPA SPA SPA POR POR POR ITA ITA ITA GBR GBR GBR NED NED NED CZE CZE CZE SPA SPA SPA FRA FRA FRA SPA SPA SPA SPA SPA SPA POR POR POR ARG ARG ARG INA INA INA
36 Argentina Leandro Mercado Ret 18 18 12 14 13 Ret 18 15 Ret 19 17 15 10 14 Ret C 15 8 11 11 16 16 15 9 C Ret 21st 33 13th 33 5th 250
52 Italy Alessandro Delbianco Ret Ret Ret NC 0
2022 MIE Racing Honda Team Honda CBR1000RR-R P SPA SPA SPA NED NED NED POR POR POR ITA ITA ITA GBR GBR GBR CZE CZE CZE FRA FRA FRA SPA SPA SPA POR POR POR ARG ARG ARG INA INA INA AUS AUS AUS
27 Chile Maximilian Scheib 20 21 21 NC 0 13th 13 5th 258
35 Malaysia Hafizh Syahrin 21 22 20 20 22 17 19 16 19 17 13 Ret 17 19 20 Ret 15 12 20 17 19 WD WD WD Ret 23 19 13 15 14 15 12 17 23rd 10
36 Argentina Leandro Mercado 20 20 21 19 18 15 Ret 14 18 19 19 18 Ret 20 17 17 17 15 21 20 Ret 18 19 27 23 21 20 Ret 17 19 Ret 16 17 17 14 15 29th 3
2023 Petronas MIE Racing Honda Team Honda CBR1000RR-R P AUS AUS AUS INA INA INA NED NED NED SPA SPA SPA EMI EMI EMI GBR GBR GBR ITA ITA ITA CZE CZE CZE FRA FRA FRA SPA SPA SPA POR POR POR SPA SPA SPA
35 Malaysia Hafizh Syahrin 15 19 17 16 17 15 19 18 14 14 16 Ret Ret 15 15 17 19 15 18 18 14 19 19 Ret 20 19 Ret 15 16 19 21st 11 13th 12 5th 205
20 Italy Roberto Tamburini 18 21 18 NC 0
36 Argentina Leandro Mercado 17 20 21 NC 0
38 Estonia Hannes Soomer Ret 19 19 21 17 15 25th 1
51 Brazil Eric Granado 16 18 19 DNS 19 DNS 21 21 17 Ret DNS DNS 19 24 18 Ret 24 19 Ret 17 Ret Ret Ret 19 21 DNS DNS NC 0
88 Japan Ryo Mizuno 21 19 Ret NC 0
2024 Petronas MIE Racing Honda Team Honda CBR1000RR-R P AUS AUS AUS SPA SPA SPA NED NED NED ITA ITA ITA GBR GBR GBR CZE CZE CZE POR POR POR FRA FRA FRA ITA ITA ITA SPA SPA SPA POR POR POR SPA SPA SPA
27 Malaysia Adam Norrodin 20 20 19 20 Ret 18 17 Ret 20 20 21 Ret 20 21 Ret WD WD WD WD WD WD 29th 0 14th 9 5th 185
36 Argentina Leandro Mercado 20 19 17 31st 0
75 Portugal Ivo Lopes 19 22 20 Ret 19 19 19 22 20 15 20 15 20 23 18 27th 2
79 United States Hayden Gillim 21 20 18 34th 0
95 United Kingdom Tarran Mackenzie 19 Ret 18 16 20 17 14 17 11 Ret 18 19 Ret DNS DNS Ret 18 18 Ret 23 Ret 18 19 18 18 19 Ret 24 21 Ret 23rd 7
2025 Petronas MIE Racing Honda Team Honda CBR1000RR-R P AUS AUS AUS POR POR POR NED NED NED ITA ITA ITA CZE CZE CZE EMI EMI EMI GBR GBR GBR HUN HUN HUN FRA FRA FRA ARA ARA ARA POR POR POR SPA SPA SPA
95 United Kingdom Tarran Mackenzie 16 18 Ret 14 Ret 17 12 9 14 Ret Ret Ret DNS 21 Ret 16 Ret DNS 21st* 9 (20)* 14th* 9* 4th* 118*
53 Spain Tito Rabat Ret 19 19 17 Ret 15 14 18 Ret 24th* 3 (6)*
21 Malaysia Zaqhwan Zaidi DNQ DNQ DNQ Ret 21 16 17 19 22 20 22 20 Ret 22 Ret 17 18 17 18 17 17 15 19 18 26th* 1*
75 Portugal Ivo Lopes Ret 20 20 29th* 0*

* Season still in progress.

World Supersport Results

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(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Team Bike Tyres No. Riders 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 RC Points TC Points MC Points
R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2 R1 R2
2025 Petronas MIE Honda Racing Team Honda CBR600RR P
AUS AUS POR POR NED NED ITA ITA CZE CZE EMI EMI GBR GBR HUN HUN FRA FRA ARA ARA EST EST SPA SPA
12 Italy Luca Ottaviani 21 22 47th* 0* 16th* 12* 6th* 79*
27 Japan Kaito Toba 14 9 27 Ret Ret Ret Ret 15 19 24 30 NC 16 20 Ret 14 Ret 22 25th* 12*
63 Malaysia Syarifuddin Azman 17 19 Ret 25 DNS DNS 26 Ret 24 27 29 23 21 21 21 25 35th* 0*
67 Malaysia Ibrahim Norrodin 24 Ret 53rd* 0*

* Season still in progress

References

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  1. ^ a b "Moriwaki Company History". moriwaki.co.jp. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Moriwaki Engineering Company - Nature's Tuning Shop". sportrider.com. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  3. ^ a b c "Moriwaki dream to beat factory team". crash.net. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  4. ^ "Yoshimura Racing History". yoshimura-jp.com. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  5. ^ a b "Pops Yoshimura at the Motorcycle Hall of Fame". motorcyclemuseum.org. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  6. ^ a b c d "Wayne Gardner's 1980 Moriwaki Kawasaki". ma.org.au. Archived from the original on 4 February 2016. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  7. ^ "Graeme Crosby - The Early Days". graemecrosby.com. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  8. ^ "1978 Suzuka 8 Hours results". motoracing-japan.com. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  9. ^ "1979 Suzuka 8 Hours qualifying results". motoracing-japan.com. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  10. ^ "1980 Suzuka 8 Hours qualifying results". motoracing-japan.com. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  11. ^ "1981 Suzuka 8 Hours qualifying results". motoracing-japan.com. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  12. ^ "MORIWAKI's Spirit Alive and Well After 9 Years Away". honda.com. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  13. ^ Ulrich, John (1981). Yoshimura Dominates Superbike Production Again. Retrieved 29 January 2016. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  14. ^ "Moriwaki MotoGP Project". moriwaki.co. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  15. ^ Moriwaki unveil latest Moto2 contender Motor Cycle News 24 April 2009. Retrieved 2015-07-21
  16. ^ Latest evolution of Moriwaki MD600 Moto2 bike Motor Cycle News 2 September 2009. Retrieved 2015-07-21
  17. ^ Toni Elias confirms Gresini Moto2 ride Motor Cycle News 18 January 2010. Retrieved 2015-07-21
  18. ^ "Triumph announced as Moto2 engine supplier from 2019". motogp.com. 2017-06-03. Archived from the original on 2017-06-24. Retrieved 2021-03-12.
  19. ^ Regulations - Moto2 defined - The Racing Rules Dunlop Motorsport, Retrieved 2015-07-21
  20. ^ Moriwaki Althea Honda Team Announces Team Structure Honda Global Racing, 17 February 2019. Retrieved 9 April 2019
  21. ^ a b Fast Talk – Midori Moriwaki Australian Motorcycle News, 2 February 2019. Retrieved 7 April 2019
  22. ^ WSB: Where are Honda? Motorcycle News, 28 January 2019. Retrieved 7 April 2019
  23. ^ Honda unveils bike for factory World Superbike return Yahoo! Sport, 17 February 2019. Retrieved 7 April 2019
  24. ^ Moriwaki Althea Honda Team officially launch their 2019 colours and team Honda Racing Corporation, 17 February 2019. Retrieved 7 April 2019
  25. ^ KYB Moriwaki Motul Racing ends the 2018 Suzuka 8 Hours Race in 8th overall Moriwaki Engineering, 29 July 2018. Retrieved 7 April 2019
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