Following an earlier release outlining American Honda’s intention to participate in the Moto2 class at the 2010 Red Bull Indianapolis Grand Prix, August 27 to 29, American Honda now announces that the team will be led by Kevin Schwantz.

Schwantz, the 1993 500cc Grand Prix World Champion, has a wealth of racing knowledge and currently runs the Schwantz School, where riders can learn from the best aboard Honda CBR600RR machines. “It’s an honor for me to be chosen as team manager,” said Schwantz. “We’ve been using CBR600RRs for some time now at our schools, and I’ve ridden a Moto2 bike and it’s very good. I watched the first three Moto2 races and I expect the racing to be just as good at Indy.”

Led by Schwantz, the team will field a Honda-powered Moriwaki MD600 ridden by wild card entry Roger Lee Hayden. Roger Lee Hayden has a solid history with American Honda, and a string of 12 national road race victories on 600cc machines en route to a Supersport championship. Along with his siblings Nicky and Tommy, the Hayden brothers are American racing royalty, and the Indy GP will give American fans another pportunity to see Roger racing on American soil. At 27, Hayden also qualifies to race as a wild card entry: Moto2 rules require all wild card riders to be 28 years old or younger.

“This is a great opportunity for me to race in front of my home crowd at a MotoGP event,” said Roger, who is currently competing in the World Superbike Championship. “The Moto2 class is really competitive and I’m looking forward to jumping in the middle of it.”

The team will be staffed by Erion Racing technicians led by Kevin Erion. Erion Racing has been American Honda’s premier support team for more than 15 years, winning 16 national championships—many of them with Honda’s CBR600 in the process. “We’re excited to partner with American Honda again and participate in our first World-Championship event,” said Kevin Erion.

The American Honda Indy GP Moto2 team will also benefit the Ride for Kids® (RFK) program and the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation® (PBTF) through special fund-raising activities. At Indy, for example, Schwantz will lead the Lap of Champions, where 300 participants will join him in a lap around the track in a special fund-raiser that benefits the PBTF by raising funds to promote childhood brain tumor research.

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Cycle News release