Robert Clarke was named president of Honda Performance Development in April, 2005. He joined HPD when the company was established in April, 1993, first serving as general manager and later vice president. He joined American Honda in 1981 in the motorcycle accessory and product planning departments, after spending five years as a professor of art and architecture at the University of Notre Dame and three years as a designer at motorcycle accessory manufacturer Vetter Corporation.
A California native, Clarke studied architecture at Texas Tech University and art/industrial design at Notre Dame. A long time SCCA racer, he currently owns a Chevron Formula Atlantic car campaigned in vintage events.
Clarke oversees daily operations at HPD and is also heavily involved in HPD's long-term development and expansion into a full-fledged Research & Development facility.