Wow, things must really be tough at Honda. It shouldn’t surprise us with what is happening in the economy, but for some reason we tend to think of Honda as being above it all. But the reality is that not only are their auto sales down over 30%, but motorcycle/powersports sales are even more dismal. Honda has already pulled out of AMA Superbike racing, although they will still support a couple of private teams. Hopefully, they will reschedule some sort of event for the Honda faithful, but with sales and budgets being slashed, the chances do not look good. Here is the press release-

12/19/08

Torrance, CA: American Honda announced today that the 2008 Honda Hoot will bring to a close 15 years of what has been one of the most successful motorcycle rallies in history. Over the years, almost a quarter of a million guests attended the Honda Hoot which was born in the hills of Ashville North Carolina and eventually moved to Knoxville, Tennessee. At the first event, a little over 3000 attendees enjoyed what would grow to become one of the largest rallies in North America

The Hoot set new precedence for what a motorcycle rally should be, offering not only a wonderful opportunity to test ride new products but also focusing on family fun and growing the industry from the ground up. Based on the current economic crunch which may have significant impact on our customers during 2009, American Honda will take this time to seek out new and innovative ways to engage with our customers so that we can continue to ride together.

American Honda extends our deepest gratitude to the more than 1,300 volunteers who helped make the Honda Hoot a success and to all our event sponsors, to our two host cities, Knoxville, Tennessee and Asheville, North Carolina, and especially to all the good people who helped make the Hoot such a great event.

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