Wide-Open Off-Road with SLR Honda
The SLR Honda professional off-road team chases championships in all the premier West Coast off-road series, including WORCS, NGPC, Hare and Hound, and SCORE International. Partners in racing, the ProX crew took a trip to visit their shop settled in their own off-road paradise.
Headed by multi-time Baja Champion, Mark Samuels, the SLR Honda team is core off-road. They’ve dominated many SCORE races South of the border and have racked up a combination of National Grand Prix and WORCS Championships. Their riders cover both 250 and 450 Pro classes, as well as Pro-Am classes as well, which means the SLR Honda stable consists of CRF250RX, CRF450RX, and CRF450X race machines.
In off-road racing, riders are pushing race pace for anywhere from 2 to 24 hours, including the endurance series hosted at Glen Helen. Not only is this a test of rider fitness and stamina both physically and mentally, but it’s just as much a test of a bike’s durability, too. As of the most recent couple seasons, SLR Honda has partnered with ProX on some critical components that have to hold up through off-road racing and riding.
Some of the most abused components in long form racing are the clutch and the brakes. Both are subject to an excessive amount of heat, sometimes for hours at a time. In general, heat is an enemy for dirt bike parts, as heat typically induces accelerated wear. SLR Honda riders prefer OEM-style clutch performance, but they needed a more accessible solution with the same or better performance and longevity. ProX clutch packs, consisting of clutch fibers, steel drive plates, and clutch springs, have checked that box for the SLR crew, holding up strong and resisting clutch fade race-in and race-out.
Race engine performance is only useful the bike is equipped with the brakes to stop it. Brakes, especially in off-road conditions, are constantly exposed to the varying conditions of racing outdoors with sand, mud, and everything in between. Add the natural heat of heavy brake use on top and that’s a recipe for quick brake wear. The SLR Honda machines are equipped with ProX brake rotors, which add a little thickness over OEM for extended brake life in conjunction with ProX’s Cooling Edge Cut, CNC-machined design that simultaneously delivers strong braking response while keeping performance-hindering heat out.
The SLR Honda roster has been seen on the podium of many West Coast off-road and even MX events, including riders Cole Martinez, Tallon LaFountaine, Justin Morgan, Jack Simpson, Collier Martinez, and Mark Samuels. If you want to check out more on the team, you can find links to their social channels on their site, and if you’re at the races, stop by and give ’em a fist bump.