1959 Isle of Man team member Naomi Taniguchi entering Parliament Square on his way to sixth place in the 125ccTT on his twin cylinder RC142.

Honda’s racing evolution lasted just nine years from its first appearance in the Isle of Man to its withdrawal from world championship racing at the end of the 1967 campaign.

During that time it won 16 world titles, 18 manufacturers’ titles, 18 Isle of Man TTs and 137 grands prix, aided by its relentless engineering innovation.

But those early days, as the five-man team pushed their 125 twins onto the Glencrutchery Road grid for the factory’s first Isle of Man TT appearance, could hardly have heralded the glorious days which were to follow.

Led by American team captain Bill Hunt, the brave yet inexperienced Japanese squad stuck to their task in a typical professional manner and brought their mounts home in sixth, seventh, eighth and 11th to claim the team prize and that was without a points score from Hunt who fell during the race.

This was the period of European manufacturer domination and Honda were the gutsy underdogs led by their bold and adventurous visionary owner, Soichiro Honda.

Them team approach, despite these modest beginnings, was a harbinger and one which the initial critics overlooked.

This was the beginning of a dream for the eponymous head of the Japanese engineering power.

When they returned, they arrived with five racing machines, four training bikes and enough spares to absorb the rigours of a two-week marathon around the toughest racing terrain in the world.

The team already carried the hallmarks of a tight-knit group, well-resourced, well-organised, one which was at the beginning of a journey of engineering discovery and success.