JOHNNY CAMPBELL TALKS ABOUT HIS JOB AT HONDA: ON THE SPOT VIDEO SERIES

 Editor Mark Tilley and Johnny Campbell talk his success in racing along with his involvement with American Honda and the Dakar Rally effort. 

After racing Hondas as a privateer for several years, Campbell originally joined Honda in 1992 as an off-road racer aboard the XR600R. His first big win was the 1995 Nevada Rally, but he would become best known for his success racing in SCORE. He won the Baja 500 in 1997 as a teammate to Bruce Ogilvie (a Honda manager who would go on to become Campbell’s mentor), and then topped the Baja 1000 the same year, with teammates Tim Staab and Greg Bringle. He went on to collect a record total of 11 wins in the Baja 1000, and five in the Baja 500. He also competed in the 2001 Dakar Rally, finishing eighth overall and first privateer.

In addition to his racing, Campbell has supported Honda in a number of other ways. In 1994, he was brought in-house by Ogilvie to build Honda’s off-road race machines—initially based on the XR600R, eventually the XR650R and ultimately the CRF450X. Along the way, Campbell assumed more responsibilities, including forming his own team (Johnny Campbell Racing) and taking over Honda’s SCORE effort in 2008, with the blessing of Ogilvie . JCR transitioned from SCORE to the GNCC series in 2014 and continues to compete in the American Motorcyclist Association’s NGPC and NHHA series. Campbell also serves as Off-Road Coordinator for American Honda, working with the SLR Honda and Phoenix Racing Honda squads.