The Honda Motorcycles Junior GP Challenge was a star attraction at last weekend’s Rolex Australian Formula One Grand Prix in Melbourne.

Honda’s concept provides an opportunity for young kids between the ages of five and 10 who had never ridden a motorcycle before to not only have their first ride on a Honda CRF50F in a controlled environment, but also receive some handy coaching along the way.

Conducting the coaching was Lee Hogan, Tim Vare and Ryan Mitchell from the Building Champions Program.

“Nothing compares to seeing the smiles on these kids faces when they finish their first ever ride on a motorcycle,” said Lee Hogan, director of the BCP coaching program. “I had my first ever dirt biking experience many years ago on a Honda XL 75cc and I never looked back from there.

“It means the world to be able to assist in these kids first ever ride on a motorcycle in a safe and controlled environment and I really must give a big tip of the cap to Glyn Griffiths, Sam Gangemi and Honda Motorcycles for piecing this terrific initiative together.”

Honda Motorcycles national manager, marketing racing and promotions, Glyn Griffiths said it was a successful activation for the brand.

“After a successful debut at the the Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix in 2013 and then at Adelaide’s Clipsal 500, the popularity of Honda’s F1 mini bike activation has cemented it’s presence at selected major events nationally throughout 2014,” Griffiths commented.

Upon completion of their 15-minute session, over 150 kids received a Honda Showbag with an assortment of goodies including a pair of genuine Honda sunglasses, a pretend Honda kids tattoo, a Honda Motorcycles catalogue and a signed BCP Fox Honda poster.