American Honda announced today that Lars Lindstrom has been promoted to the position of Team Manager of the factory Team Honda HRC motocross/supercross effort. Erik Kehoe, who held the position previously and announced his retirement last month, will stay on through the off-season to assist in the transition.

Although new to the position, Lindstrom has a long history with American Honda’s motocross racing project, and an even longer involvement with the sport. His father is Swedish-born American motocross/off-road pioneer and AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Gunnar Lindstrom, who managed Honda’s motocross-racing program for the 1979 and 1980 seasons. A talented racer himself, Lars joined Honda as a shop assistant in 2000 and worked his way up, serving in just about every capacity, including mechanic, parts room, engine tech, suspension tech, special projects and, most recently, 450 crew chief.

“I’m thankful for this opportunity that Team Honda HRC has given me,” Lindstrom said. “My nearly two decades with Honda have been great, and I’m excited for many more years to come. With my background, I feel I have the experience, knowledge and work ethic to be at the helm of the team. I’m also proud to have a personal relationship with every single Honda team manager since my father held the position, which is a huge reason for my passion and connection to the team. It’s great to be able to get advice from leaders that I have a deep respect for, like Dave Arnold, Cliff White, Wess McCoy, Dan Betley and of course Erik Kehoe – the one who has taught me the most. With these guys in my corner, and with the guidance of [American Honda Senior Manager of Customer Engagement] Bill Savino and [American Honda Manager of Sports & Experiential] Brandon Wilson, I feel like I can accomplish anything.”