Two images from racing's days gone by passed through the site in-box this week. Both of them feature factory Honda tackle from the early to mid-1990s.

1992: Rich Arnaiz's daughter looks on at her dad's RC30 Superbike while Ann Plumb tells someone how it is. image: from the files

the first image was shot at Daytona, back when Daytona and the Daytona 200 were seemingly on a different planet than they are today. This was back when even Daytona garage space was valued and sought after during "bike week". In fact, when Rob Muzzy and Kawasaki split in the late 1990s, there was a very animated "discussion" between those parties as to who exactly "owned" the Daytona garage space after the split. Back then, a garage at Daytona was a crude, oil-stained refuge, a sanctuary from Daytona's Main Street.

The first photo shows the '92 Commonwealth Honda RC30, a bike ridden by former dirt tracker Rich Arnaiz. Arnaiz had a slightly lackluster year on the Honda team, but previously won the F1 world title and a Road America Superbike race. In 1992 he was teamed with Canadian newcomer Miguel DuHamel.

Note the near production level front end on this version of the Camel-sponsored Honda RC30 Superbike.

The Honda team gather around the then new RC45 at Mid-Ohio. Camel Honda entered Mike Smith and Kevin Magee in 1994. image by sean grab

The second image, from Mid-Ohio, shows a veritable who's-who of the Commonwealth Honda effort in 1994. Mike Smith's Honda RC45 is straddled by his crewchief Al Ludington with (left to right) Glen Frankin, Rick Mitchell, Mr. Izawa, Bob Weindorf and longtime Honda wrench Ray Plumb watching on.

If you believe, like some, that the RC30 Superbike stayed at least a year past its expiration date, then you also probably believe that the RC45 arrived about a season too early. Former World Superbike rider Aaron Slight writes extensively about this—and about being teamed with Doug Polen—in his autobiography.

Regardless of its competitive curve, the RC45 was arguably the first true modern Superbike, it rolled with complex—for the period—data acqusition, fuel injection, and at least in AMA Superbike-trim, on carbon-carbon brakes.