Hondanews Online Newsroom

Honda Racing: Honda Performance Development Unveils Ambitious Worldwide Sports-Prototype Effort

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 10:29:00 -0800

Honda Performance Development today unveiled its largest customer endurance racing program to date, as six teams will campaign a total of seven HPD-powered LMP1 and LMP2 prototypes in the 2012 World Endurance Championship and the American Le Mans Series.

"In recent years, teams running HPD engines and chassis have delivered remarkable results at some of the world's greatest sports-car races," said Steve Eriksen, HPD vice president, "starting with an amazing LMP2 victory - and second and third overall finishes - at our endurance racing debut, the 2007 12 Hours of Sebring. Another highlight was Strakka's LMP2 victory and fifth-place finish overall at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2010, also on our first attempt!

"Returning to LMP1, while continuing our LMP2 program, will be the biggest challenge yet for our engineers and associates," Eriksen added, "but I'm extremely confident in our capabilities and look forward to another exciting season in 2012. We expect that the proven design, development and engineering expertise of HPD and its technical partners will provide our teams with the tools they need to succeed. It will be an exciting season."

Three teams, all experienced, accomplished racing organizations, will campaign the new HPD ARX-03a in the LMP1 class. The British-based Strakka Racing group continues its three-year association with HPD, but moves from LMP2 to the premier category in the new FIA World Endurance Championship with drivers Jonny Kane, Nick Leventis and Danny Watts.

Joining them on the WEC grid in 2012 will be JRM Racing, which comes to LMP1 after winning the drivers' title in the FIA GT-1 World Championship last season. Now, drivers David Brabham, Karun Chandok and Peter Dumbreck will have HPD's LM-V8 engine and new ARX-03a chassis at their command for the eight-race WEC schedule, which begins March 17 with the classic 12 Hours of Sebring endurance contest.

Sebring also marks the start of the 2012 American Le Mans Series, where Greg Pickett's Muscle Milk Racing team will debut the ARX-03a chassis it will campaign during the full ALMS schedule for team regulars Klaus Graf and Lucas Luhr.

In addition to the LMP1 program utilizing the new ARX-03a chassis and proven HPD LM-V8 normally aspirated, gasoline engine, HPD will continue its support of the cost-capped LMP2 formula in 2012, which features the production-based HR28TT twin-turbocharged V6 engine powering the new HPD ARX-03b cost-capped LMP2 chassis.

Fresh off an undefeated LMP2 season with HPD power in the 2011 ALMS, Level 5 Motorsports returns to defend its team and drivers' championships, and HPD's LMP2 engine-manufacturers' title, with a pair of new ARX-03b chassis for regular drivers Christophe Bouchut and Scott Tucker. The team also plans on returning to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, following up on their strong third-place finish in LMP2 last year, in their inaugural attempt at the French racing classic.

Level 5 will be joined on the ALMS grid this year by Black Swan Racing, which will campaign an HPD-powered Lola B10/80 coupe after winning the ALMS GTC championship in 2010. The driving duo of team owner Tim Pappas and Jerome Bleekmolen now move up to LMP2 competition as part of the HPD lineup.

Another American-based team has announced plans to take part in the full WEC schedule, as the Florida-based Starworks Motorsport team completes the 2012 HPD sports-prototype lineup. Coming off a strong second-place finish at the recent 24 Hours of Daytona, the Starworks HPD ARX-03b will join the LMP2 grid for the first time with team regulars Ryan Dalziel and Enrico Potoliccio behind the wheel.

In 2011, Wirth Research and Honda Performance Development announced a new long-term technical partnership building upon the global successes achieved in recent years - a partnership that has produced numerous class and/or outright victories in all the world's premier sports-car races and championships, including the Le Mans 24 Hours and 12 Hours of Sebring.

Honda Performance Development (HPD) is the Honda racing company within North America. Founded in 1993 and located in Santa Clarita, Calif., HPD is the technical operations center for high-performance Honda racing cars and engines. HPD prepares and fields the Honda Indy V6 turbocharged engines used in the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series; and spearheaded championship-winning efforts in the 2009-2010 American Le Mans Series, 2010 Le Mans Series and the 2010 24 Hours of Le Mans.

HPD also participates in multiple U.S.-based Touring Car series; and administers The Honda Racing Line to provide racing enthusiasts and professionals with dependable racing products and support, from entry level to pinnacle forms of motorsports.

2012 HPD Sports Prototype Program

FIA World Endurance Championship
Class	Team	Chassis	Engine
LMP1	Strakka Racing	HPD ARX-03a	HPD LM-V8
LMP1	JRM Racing	HPD ARX-03a	HPD LM-V8
LMP2	Starworks Motorsport	HPD ARX-03b	HPD HR28TT V6

American Le Mans Series Championship
LMP1	Muscle Milk Racing	HPD ARX-03a	HPD LM-V8
LMP2	Level 5 Motorsports	HPD ARX-03b	HPD HR28TT V6
LMP2	Black Swan Racing	Lola B11/80 coupe	HPD HR28TT V6

Honda Racing: Honda to Power Dale Coyne Racing in 2012

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 09:20:00 -0800

American Honda and its Honda Performance Development (HPD) subsidiary will power a two-car effort from Dale Coyne Racing in the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series, HPD and the team announced today.

Under terms of the agreement, HPD will provide its new, turbocharged 2.2-liter Honda Indy V-6 engines to all Coyne entries in the IZOD IndyCar Series and at the Indianapolis 500.

"Dale Coyne Racing has been one of IndyCar's most durable teams, with a history that extends for nearly 30 years." said Erik Berkman, president of Honda Performance Development and vice president, corporate planning and logistics, for American Honda. "It's great to have them racing with us in 2012. Dale's team has made great strides in recent seasons, and he has made moves this off-season to further improve. We're looking forward to continuing our association with him in 2012."

Designed at HPD's Santa Clarita, California, facility, the all-new Honda Indy V-6 engine is now being tested on the race track. Dale Coyne Racing joins Chip Ganassi Racing - winner of the last four IndyCar drivers' championships - A.J. Foyt Racing, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing and Sam Schmidt Motorsports as Honda-powered teams in 2012.

"We have felt a part of the Honda family from their first days in CART back in the early 1990s till today," commented DCR team owner Dale Coyne. "We are very pleased to enter this next stage of IndyCar history with a company so dedicated to winning and rich in successful motorsports heritage like Honda. Together we hope to accomplish great things in 2012."

Honda has been a fixture in North American open-wheel racing since 1994, and has played an active role in the growth of the IZOD IndyCar Series - as both a Manufacturers' Championship competitor and single engine supplier - since joining the series in 2003.

The company scored its first Indianapolis 500 victory in 2004 with Buddy Rice; Manufacturers' Championships in 2004 and '05; and became engine supplier to the entire IZOD IndyCar Series in 2006.

Honda has supplied racing engines to the full, 33-car Indianapolis 500 field every year since 2006, and for a record-six consecutive years, the ‘500' has not seen a single engine failure. The 2010 Indianapolis 500, won by Dario Franchitti, marked Honda's 100th race win as a manufacturer and engine supplier in IZOD IndyCar Series competition.

Founded in 1993, Honda Performance Development (HPD) is the Honda racing company within North America. HPD is the technical operations center for high-performance Honda racing cars and engines and operates at race circuits around the world from its headquarters in Santa Clarita, California.

In addition to its efforts in Indy car racing, HPD spearheaded championship-winning efforts in the 2009-2010 American Le Mans Series, 2010 Le Mans Series and the 2010 24 Hours of Le Mans.

HPD offers a line of race engines for track applications from prototype sports cars to karting; for professional, amateur and entry-level efforts.

Starting in 1984 as a driver/owner, Dale Coyne raced for five seasons in Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) competition, before stepping out of the cockpit in 1990 and becoming a full-time owner for his Plainfield, Illinois-based team. Through the years, his team has given many up-and-coming drivers their first opportunities in IndyCar competition, including Paul Tracy, future fellow IndyCar team owner Eric Bachelart and 2011 rookie James Jakes.

In 1998, Coyne developed Route 66 Speedway, a state-of-the-art drag racing facility in nearby Joliet, Illinois. Later, in partnership with then Indianapolis Motor Speedway CEO Tony George and the International Speedway Corporation, the facility was expanded to include the 1.5-mile Chicagoland Speedway oval. In 2009, Justin Wilson scored the team's first IndyCar Series victory at Watkins Glen International Raceway in New York.

Honda Racing: 2012 Honda Civic Si Makes Racing Debut At 25 Hours of Thunderhill

Sun, 04 Dec 2011 17:26:00 -0800

Honda Performance Development, in partnership with the Ohio-based Honda of America Racing Team (HART), gave the 2012 Honda Civic Si a successful competition debut at this year’s 25 Hours of Thunderhill. Developed for racing in the Grand-Am’s Continental Tire Challenge Series, SCCA World Challenge and similar categories, the HART/HPD Civic finished seventh in the E0 class at the season-ending National Auto Sport Association (NASA) endurance race, held at the three-mile Thunderhill Raceway road course north of Sacramento, California.

Members of HART, the Ohio-based race team comprised of Honda associates, joined with HPD to prepare and run the Civic Si, which was built up from a body-in-white as displayed by HPD at the recent Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association (SEMA) show in Las Vegas, utilizing a spec Honda K-24 engine as approved by Grand-Am and the SCCA, on BFGoodrich R1 tires.

Starting fifth in the E0 class, a field that included a half-dozen BMW M3s and an FFR Cobra Daytona Coupe replica, the Civic ran competitively throughout the first quarter of the 25-hour contest. At the six-hour mark, the equivalent of multiple Continental Tire/World Challenge races for which the car was designed, the Civic was ranked sixth in E0, and continued to run without any mechanical issues.

In the early hours of Sunday morning, however, transmission issues sent the Civic behind the wall for repairs. But the HART/HPD team returned to competition after replacing the transmission, and the Civic Si went on to a seventh-place finish in E0.

“This was an encouraging race debut for the 2012 Civic Si,” said Lee Niffenegger, HPD senior engineer. “The HPD-developed parts and K-24 engine all ran flawlessly throughout the event. The one issue we did encounter, with the transmission, only developed after the equivalent of two Grand-Am race weekends, which isn’t completely unreasonable. We’ll be able to take what we learned this weekend and apply it to future HPD-developed cars and parts.”

In addition to the HART/HPD Civic effort, Team Honda Research-West (THR-W) – comprised primarily of California-based Honda R&D associates who compete regularly in NASA events – also campaigned an Acura RSX in the E1 class., one of the largest of the six classes at the 25 Hours.

The RSX started strong, leading its class through the six-hour mark and building a lead of more than a lap at 8 hours. But shortly before half-distance, an off-course excursion – due to oil on the track – cost the team time behind the wall replacing a broken damper. After repairs were completed, the THR-W Acura returned to finish fifth in E1.

Honda Performance Development (HPD) is the Honda racing company within North America. Founded in 1993 and located in Santa Clarita, Calif., HPD is the technical operations center for high-performance Honda racing cars and engines. HPD served as single engine supplier to the IZOD IndyCar Series from 2006-2011 and spearheaded championship-winning efforts in the 2009-2010 American Le Mans Series, 2010 Le Mans Series and the 2010 24 Hours of Le Mans.

HPD offers a line of race engines for track applications from prototype sports cars to karting; for professional, amateur and entry-level efforts.

Honda Racing: Honda Returns to 25 Hours of Thunderhill

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 12:43:00 -0800

Honda Performance Development, in partnership with the Ohio-based Honda of America Racing Team (HART), will field a 2012 Honda Civic Si at this year’s 25 Hours of Thunderhill.

Developed for competition in the Grand-Am’s Continental Tire Challenge Series, SCCA World Challenge and similar categories, the HART/HPD Civic will be part of an expected 86-car field in the season-ending endurance race sanctioned by the National Auto Sport Association (NASA). The 25 Hours of Thunderhill will be contested December 3-4 on the three-mile Thunderhill Raceway road course, north of Sacramento, California.

Members of HART, the Ohio-based race team comprised of Honda associates, will join with HPD to prepare and run the Civic Si, which was built up from a body-in-white as displayed by HPD at the recent Specialty Equipment Manufacturers Association (SEMA) show in Las Vegas.

The Civic has been constructed to NASA’s EO-class specifications, utilizing a spec K-24 engine as approved by Grand-Am and the SCCA, competition roll cage and safety equipment, and HPD-designed motorsports performance parts. The car will run on BFGoodrich R1 tires.

At the 2010 Thunderhill event, HPD fielded a pair of Honda CR-Zs – the first production-based, gasoline-electric hybrids to race in North America – and a B-Spec Honda Fit, which also was making its competition debut. One of the CR-Zs finished second in the E3 class and eighth overall in the 72-car field, ahead of many entries from faster categories.

In addition to the HART/HPD Civic effort, Team Honda Research-West (THR-W) – primarily made up of California-based Honda R&D associates who compete regularly in NASA events – will again campaign its Acura RSX as a club entry at the 25 Hours.

Honda Performance Development (HPD) is the Honda racing company within North America. Founded in 1993 and located in Santa Clarita, Calif., HPD is the technical operations center for high-performance Honda racing cars and engines. HPD served as single engine supplier to the IZOD IndyCar Series from 2006-2011 and spearheaded championship-winning efforts in the 2009-2010 American Le Mans Series, 2010 Le Mans Series and the 2010 24 Hours of Le Mans.

HPD offers a line of race engines for track applications from prototype sports cars to karting; for professional, amateur and entry-level efforts.

Honda Racing: Honda to Power Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 13:20:00 -0700

American Honda and its Honda Performance Development (HPD) subsidiary will power Rahal Letterman Lanigan in the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series, HPD and the team announced today.

Under terms of the agreement, HPD will provide its new, turbocharged 2.2-liter Honda Indy V-6 engines to all Rahal Letterman Lanigan entries in the IZOD IndyCar Series and at the 2012 Indianapolis 500.

"Many fans already know that the roots of Honda's relationship with Bobby Rahal and his team extend to our initial entry into American open-wheel racing in the early 1990s," said Erik Berkman, president of Honda Performance Development and vice president, corporate planning and logistics for American Honda.

"In addition to being our first partner when Honda entered Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) competition in 1994, the Rahal team also joined us when Honda entered the IndyCar Series in 2003 and joined us in Victory Circle with driver Buddy Rice for Honda's first Indianapolis 500 win in 2004. We're looking forward to continuing our long and successful relationship with Rahal Letterman Lanigan as IndyCar begins a new era of multi-manufacturer competition in 2012."

Designed at HPD's Santa Clarita, California, facility, the all-new Honda Indy V-6 engine began track testing in late October . Rahal Letterman Lanigan is the fourth team to align with Honda in preparation for the 2012 return of OEM competition to the IZOD IndyCar Series.

In May, Honda announced that Chip Ganassi Racing, winner of the last four IndyCar drivers' championships, would be its anchor team beginning next year. A.J. Foyt Racing and Sam Schmidt Motorsports will also utilize Honda power in 2012.

"We are pleased to once again be partnering with Honda," said team co-owner Rahal. "We have a storied history with Honda and respect its tradition of excellence in motorsports. In putting together our plans for 2012, we felt that having the full support of a proven winner such as Honda would aid us in building the strongest program possible, and we intend to represent Honda in the best manner possible."

The company scored its first Indianapolis 500 victory - with the Rahal team and driver Buddy Rice - in 2004; IndyCar Manufacturers' Championships in 2004 and '05; and became engine supplier to the entire IZOD IndyCar Series in 2006.

Honda has supplied racing engines to the full, 33-car Indianapolis 500 field every year since 2006, and for a record-six consecutive years, there has not been a single engine failure in the '500'. The 2010 Indianapolis 500, won by Dario Franchitti, marked Honda's 100th race win as a manufacturer and engine supplier in IZOD IndyCar Series competition.

In addition to its efforts in Indy car racing, HPD spearheaded championship-winning efforts in the 2009-2011 American Le Mans Series, 2010 Le Mans Series and the 2010 24 Hours of Le Mans.

HPD offers a line of race engines for track applications from prototype sports cars to karting; for professional, amateur and entry-level efforts.

Honda Racing: 2012 Honda Civic Si Wows At SEMA Show

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 13:10:00 -0700

Seven modified 2012 Civic Si Coupes and Sedans are featured prominently in the Honda booth at the 2011 SEMA Show, which opens today. The all-new 2012 Civic Si Coupe and Civic Si Sedan emphasize the performance potential of the Civic lineup and represent great platforms for vehicle personalization. Several significant vehicles are being unveiled at the show, including a 2012 Civic Si Coupe equipped with a limited-edition Honda Factory Performance™ (HFP™) package, the Honda Performance Development, Inc. (HPD) Compass360 Racing HPD 2012 Civic Si Coupe Racecar, the Accord Coupe HFP Concept and several vehicles equipped with Honda Genuine Accessories.

“The Honda Civic was instrumental in the first import-tuner movement in the U.S. during the ‘80s,” said Bruce Smith, vice president of Service and Technical Operations for American Honda Motor Co., Inc. “The all-new Civic Si builds on that proud history by offering inspiring performance, improved fuel economy and a great platform for personalization.”

Show-goers will get the first look at the 2012 Civic Si Coupe fitted with a limited-edition HFP package. Limited to only 500 complete kits and on sale today at Honda dealers in the U.S., the package includes: high-performance springs, reducing ride height by 15 mm; high-performance dampers tuned for enhanced road handling and decreased body roll; 18x7 inch HFP Alloy Wheels; full HFP aerodynamic body kit; HFP carpet floor mats; red ambient interior illumination; and, HFP emblems. All of the painted parts will come color-matched to each of the seven available Civic Si Coupe colors.

After unveiling the Compass360 Racing HPD 2012 Civic Si Coupe Racecar, HPD provided details about its new racing performance parts program for the all-new Civic Coupe. Earlier this year, HPD began sales of Civic bodies-in-white, also on display. For builders of racecars, starting their build with a body-in-white represents significant cost and labor savings when compared to the purchase and conversion of a fully-equipped production car. Sales of the body-in-white began in July, and HPD has delivered a number to licensed race teams thus far, priced at $3,500 each. Additionally, HPD will soon offer HPD-designed parts and branded racing components for the new Civic through the Honda Racing Line. These racing parts are tailored for use in the SCCA World Challenge and Grand Am's Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge. They will be available early in 2012, and full details and pricing will be available at that time.

Combining the expertise of HPD and the styling and performance history of HFP, the Accord Coupe V6 HFP Concept features a full suite of currently-available HFP components. HPD guided the creation of the “concept,” which includes a supercharger and performance air intake and exhaust systems. Building upon a stock 3.5-liter V6 engine, the supercharged engine is estimated to produce 335 hp and 285 ft. lbs of torque (up 64 hp and 34 ft. lbs vs. stock car). This vehicle was modified to demonstrate the performance potential of the Accord V6 coupe and to gauge consumer interest. Honda has no current production plans for the concept.

Sporting available Honda Genuine Accessories, the 2012 Civic Si Sedan shows that performance and style can come with four doors. It features 18x7 inch HFP alloy wheels, all-season floor mats, trunk tray, cargo net, cargo hook and splash guards. All Honda Genuine Accessories, including HFP components, offer a 3-year/36,000 mile warranty like the Civic itself, if they are purchased and installed at the time of new vehicle purchase, and are engineered to be fully compatible with each Honda vehicle.

Nestled amongst two previously-seen Honda-modified CR-Z sport hybrids, the HPD CR-Z Hybrid R Concept and the CR-Z with MUGEN accessories, is a stand-alone HPD CR-Z engine concept equipped with a supercharger. This 1.5-liter engine concept builds upon HPD’s experience with the turbocharged HPD CR-Z Racer that competed at the 25 Hours of Thunderhill last year and represents HPD’s continued exploration of the performance potential of the CR-Z.

Reaching out to the import community, Honda invited three independent vehicle tuners to build and display their Civic Si concepts at the SEMA Show. Tuners were asked to push the limits of performance and style with their builds, and the vehicles on display demonstrate the personalized potential of the Si Coupe and Sedan. Following last year’s amazing CR-Z build, Bisimoto Engineering delivered a 1004 hp version of the Civic Si Coupe. Having previously built two generations of Fit project vehicles, Tjin Edition brings its own take on the Civic Si Sedan, showing that style and performance can coexist with kids and a family. And making its Honda SEMA Show debut, Fox Marketing pulled out all of the stops to create a wide-body, turbo-charged version of the Civic Si Coupe.

Vehicles on Display at the Honda Booth

From American Honda Motor Co., Inc.
2012 Civic Si Coupe with limited-edition HFP™ package
2012 Civic Si Sedan with Honda Genuine Accessories
2012 Accord Coupe V6 HFP™ Concept
2011 CR-Z with MUGEN Accessories
2012 Civic Si Coupe modified by blink-182 for the Honda Civic Tour

Historic Civic models from the American Honda Collection
2000 Civic Si Challenge winner (by Superstreet magazine)
1975 Civic 3dr

From Honda Performance Development, Inc.
2012 HPD Compass360 World Challenge Spec Civic Si racecar
2012 Civic Coupe body-in-white
2011 CR-Z Hybrid R Concept
HPD CR-Z engine concept with supercharger (engine only)

Aftermarket Project Vehicles
Bisimoto Engineering 2012 Civic Si Coupe
Fox Marketing 2012 Civic Si Coupe
Tjin Edition 2012 Civic Si Sedan

Honda Racing: 2012 Honda Civic Si Project Vehicle Program

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 13:09:00 -0700

Reaching out to the import community, Honda invited three independent vehicle tuners to build and display their 2012 Honda Civic Si concepts at the 2011 SEMA Show. Tuners were asked to push the limits of performance and style with their builds, and the vehicles on display demonstrate the personalized potential of the Si Coupe and Sedan.

Honda invited the tuners to tell the stories of their cars, and those details are provided below.

All modification information listed was provided by the vehicle builders and has not been confirmed by American Honda Motor Co., Inc. The modifications to these vehicles may void the manufacturers warranty, may not be legal for street driving in all 50 states and have not been specifically suggested, recommended or approved by American Honda Motor, Inc.

Company Name: Bisimoto Engineering
Name of Vehicle: Bisimoto 2012 Honda Civic Si Coupe

Vehicle Description:
Bisimoto Engineering is known worldwide for awe-inspiring street, show and race vehicles. With no fear of the unknown, Bisimoto is always on the cutting edge of automotive technology. The Bisimoto 2012 Civic Si Coupe was no exception with a 1004+ hp turbocharged, factory-based new K24Z7 powerplant, which embraces the "Civic for all people" vision: a street friendly time attack, drag, and road race flex-fuel concept chassis.

Powertrain Modifications:
Bisimoto built 2.4L K24Z7 engine
Bisimoto steel rods, turbo kit, intake gasket, injectors, and web level 2.4 camshafts
Arias forged pistons
AEM Series 2 EMS, and smart coils
MSD coil wires
NGK Iridium spark plugs
Torco Oils
Turbonetics 72mm turbocharger, blow-off, wastegate and intercooler
Golden Eagle sleeved block, and intake manifold
Griffin Radiator
Supertech valvetrain
Vibrant Vanjen clamps and stainless hardware
Holley billet fuel pump
ARP head, main, and wheel studs
K-Tuned alternator relocation, pulley and water neck kits
Portflow custom headwork
VP Racing E85R fuel
Kinsler fuel filters
ATI Engine Damper

Chassis/Suspension Modifications:
Steen roll cage
Eibach coil suspension and sway bar
Eins Gramm 18x8 aluminum wheels
Falken 215/35-18 tires
Bisimoto-spec Action 2MS Clutch
Buddy club racing steel lug nuts
StopTech brakes

Exterior Modifications:
Gatorwrap custom laminated body wrap
Type 2 graphics
Denmatic design scheme
Bisimoto Extreme Dimensions hood and aero upgrades
Burns Stainless muffler and hardware

Interior Modifications:
Buddy Club P1 racing seats and harness
Bisimoto reservoir socks
Racepack IQ3 dash
Bisimoto fighter special control box
Odyssey PC-925 dry cell battery
Rywire mil-spec harness
G&J braided lines
Rueda interior paint
Honda "First aid" kit

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Company Name: Fox Marketing Cars/Mugsy's Repair
Vehicle Name: Fox Marketing 2012 Civic Si Coupe

Theme of Vehicle:
The main focus of this build was to showcase the reliability and performance capability of Honda's new K24Z7 power plant. With a properly engineered turbo kit, the new Civic Si can consistently provide an enthusiast with over 450 horsepower without blinking an eye. Because the K24Z7 is so strong from the factory, we added a new Full-Race intercooled turbo kit featuring the BorgWarner EFR turbo as seen in Honda's LMP1/LMP2 engine program and 2012 IndyCar teams. To properly and accurately tune the vehicle, Hondata FlashPro was selected to control Injector Dynamic 1000cc fuel injectors and the 255lph fuel pump, all made possible with the Chasebays Engine Harness. For additional power and durability, the stock plastic K24Z7 intake manifold was replaced with a Honda RRC intake manifold (euro Accord Type-R) sourced from ImportDPS. Since the car has these types of power numbers we need serious traction - so a 10.5 inch wide Vossen wheel with Toyo Tire will put the power to the ground. We then hand-built the widebody kit around the wheel and tire set up, and painted the civic BASF R-M Ultrasonic Blue Pearl, a new-school take on the classic Civic Si electron-blue-pearl. The interior was upgraded with Yonaka Ronin Racing Seats with factory Civic Si fabric inserts front, and rear. We hope you enjoy our vision for this new Si, and stay tuned to our Facebook and YouTube page for full dyno videos after SEMA!

Engine:
Full-Race 2012+ Civic Si Turbo Kit
Full-Race Turbo Manifold
Full-Race Intercooler w/ 2.5" Charge piping (Black Chrome finish)
Full-Race 3" Downpipe
Full-Race 3" Cat-Back Exhaust
BorgWarner EFR Turbocharger
Hondata FlashPro
Injector Dynamics 1000cc Injectors
Walbro 255lph Fuel Pump
ChaseBays Engine Harness
2006 Civic Si ECU
Yonaka Silicone Hoses
Yonaka Clamps
Competition Clutch Stage 4
Competition Clutch Flywheel
Hardware909 Billet Oil Cap
Hardware909 K Series Flat Head Bolts
Hardware909 Billet Oil Dip Stick
Custom Steel braded AC Line
Valve Cover Insert painted BASF R-M Ultrasonic Blue
Intake Manifold Cover painted BASF R-M Silverstone
Installed by: Mugsy's Repair - Gold Certified Honda Techs

Suspension/Braking:
Front: SSBC 13 inch 4 Piston Calipers
Road Magnet 1.5 inch Springs
Rear: 12 inch 2 Piston Calipers
Road Magnet 1.2 inch Springs

Wheels/Tires:

Front:
20x10.5 Vossen CV3 Brushed Aluminum with BASF R-M Carizzma Flat Black Barrels
255/30/20 Toyo Proxes 4 Tires
Yonaka Tuner Lug Nuts

Rear:
20x10.5 Vossen CV3 Brushed Aluminum with BASF R-M Carizzma Flat Black Barrels
255/35/20 Toyo Proxes 4 Tires
Yonaka Tuner Lug Nuts

Exterior:
BASF R-M Ultrasonic Blue Pearl
BASF R-M Carizzma Flat Black
BASF R-M Black
CarBodyKits.com Custom Front Bumper
CarBodyKits.com Custom 2.5 inch Fender Flares
CarBodyKits.com Custom Side Skirts
CarBodyKits.com Custom Rear Valance
Custom Carbon Front Splitter
Advan Carbon Hood
Custom Tined Taillights with BASF R-M DC5335 Clear
Custom Tinted Headlights with BASF R-M DC5335 Clear

Interior:
Yonaka Ronin Black Leather Seats with Factory Si fabric inserts
Custom Rear Black Leather with Factory Si fabric inserts

Partners:

BASF Refinish
Yonaka Motorsports
Mugsy's Repair
Full-Race Motorsports
BorgWarner Turbo Systems
Hondata
ID Fuel Injectors / T1 Race Development
Vossen Wheels
Toyo Tires
ChaseBays.com
Hardware909
SSBC Brakes
Road Magnet
Hybrid Racing
CarBodyKits.com
Advan Carbon
Honda-Tech.com
9thCivic.com

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Company Name: Tjin Edition

Name of Vehicle: Tjin Edition 2012 Honda Civic Si Sedan

Vehicle Description:
The Tjin Edition Honda Civic Si Sedan was built to showcase our abilities to build an overall impressive car that can be driven daily on the streets of Southern California. We wanted our Civic Si Sedan to be able to seat four comfortably (both adults and kids), while still incorporating our signature themes into the build. The interior of our Civic Si Sedan is customized in a black leather finish with purple diamond stitch, a full audio system and a pair of Recaro kids seats. The exterior of the Tjin Edition Honda Civic Si Sedan has been completely redone by the team at Daley Visual and Wraptivo. The exterior sports a custom wrap and carbon fiber front grille, roof, wing and rear diffuser. As the Tjin Edition Honda Civic Si Sedan rolls around the streets we wanted to make sure that people stopped and stared at the one-off 19x8.5" and 19x9.5" candy orange and candy purple concave Rotiform BLQ wheels and our Si's slammed stance thanks to Function and Form.

Modification	Supplier

Exterior
Wraptivo custom wrap	Wraptivo
Carbon fiber front grille, roof, wing, rear diffuser	Wraptivo
Customized front bumper	Unique Fabrication
Unique Fabrication rear spoiler	Unique Fabrication
Tangent Titanium bolt kit	Tangent Bolts
Light Wurkz LED headlights /taillights	Light WurkZ
Ignited HID lighting	Ignited HIDS
Webasto sunroof	Webasto
Custom Tjin Edition emblems	3rd Shift Studio
Thule roof rack	Thule

Wheels and Tires
19x8.5" Rotiform BLQ Concave wheels orange candy centers	RotiForm Wheels
19x9.5" Rotiform BLQ Concave wheels purple candy centers	RotiForm Wheels
215/33/19 and 225/35/19 Falken tires	Falken

Suspension
Function and Forum fully adjustable coilovers	Function and Forum
Custom camber shims	Unique Fabrication

Brakes
Baer big brake calipers and rotors	Baer Big Brakes
Front and rear: 6p anodized purple and orange calipers	Baer Big Brakes
Front and rear: race cross-drilled rotors	Baer Big Brakes

Audio
(2) 10" subwoofers	Realm Audio
(2) amplifiers	Realm Audio
Component speakers	Realm Audio
Custom speaker box	Realm Audio
Custom amplifier rack	Realm Audio
Custom rear deck lid featuring speakers	Realm Audio
Escort 9500ci radar	Escort
Braille Batteries	Braille
Scosche wiring	Scosche
Scosche sound dampaning material	Scosche

Interior
Custom black leather interior with diamond stitching	LR Interiors
Rewrapped front and rear seats	LR Interiors
Custom rewrapped door panels and dash insert	LR Interiors
Custom rewrapped center section of dash	LR Interiors
Custom rewrapped front, side and rear pillars	LR Interiors
Custom rewrapped center console	LR Interiors
Custom gauge pod mounted on dashboard	LR Interiors
GlowShift digital gauges in custom cluster	GlowShift
Status Racing 5pt harnesses	Status Racing
4pt harness bar	Unique Fabrication
Innovate OT-2 unit	Innovate
Recaro baby seats	Recaro
Painted NX bottles and bottle openers	NX

Engine
MagnaFlow Performance Exhaust	MagnaFlow Exhaust
Fuel rail and spark plug cover	K-Tuned
Nitrous Express set-up	Nitrous Express
Royal Purple products	Royal Purple
Dupont painted engine bay	Dupont

Honda Racing: Dan Wheldon Fatally Injured at Las Vegas

Sun, 16 Oct 2011 19:00:00 -0700

Sunday's season-ending IZOD IndyCar Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway was cancelled after a multi-car crash on Lap 11 resulted in fatal injuries for two-time Indianapolis 500 champion Dan Wheldon.

Wheldon was one of 15 drivers involved in the collision, which took place in Turn Two, after relatively minor contact between two cars set off a large, chain-reaction crash. Running in the middle of the field, Wheldon's car went airborne before making heavy impact with the retaining wall and catch fencing. He was airlifted to University Medical Center, where he succumbed from his injuries.

Wheldon was a mainstay of the Honda IndyCar program from his debut in 2003 with Andretti Green Racing. In 134 IndyCar race starts, he won 16 times, and recorded 93 top-10 results. Wheldon won the Indianapolis 500 for the first time in 2005, going on to win the series championship that year, and won the '500' again earlier this year. He also scored Honda's first IndyCar victories at Twin Ring Motegi in Japan, winning at the Honda-owned circuit in 2004 and again in 2005.

In addition to his parents and siblings, Weldon is survived by his wife, Susie, and sons Sebastian and Oliver.

Erik Berkman (President, Honda Performance Development) on the loss of Dan Wheldon: "For everyone in the Honda family, this is a day of tragedy and incalcuable loss. For us, Dan was more than a driver, he was a member of the Honda family. But most of all, our thoughts and prayers go out to his family, wife Susie and two young sons. Dan had a passion for motorsports and a wonderful personality that made him a friend to everyone in the racing community. His talent and dedication were an inspiration to us all. We will miss him terribly, and everyone at Honda extends our deepest sympathies to his family, friends and fans across the world."

Honda Racing: Pagenaud to Sample Honda Formula F at Las Vegas

Mon, 03 Oct 2011 16:01:00 -0700

Pacific Formula F Super Series participants will have a chance to test themselves against one of the world's best all-round racers this weekend at the Las Vegas season finale for the open-wheel racing championship, as Simon Pagenaud joins the series for a one-off appearance aboard the PR1 Motorsports-prepared Piper Honda DF5 Formula F.

In the past year, Pagenaud has sampled a wide variety of HPD racing products, racing everything from a Honda-powered IndyCar in the IZOD IndyCar Series to a Honda Civic Si in the Grand-Am Continental Tire Challenge Series. Last December, Pagenaud took part in the 25 Hours of Thunderhill grassroots endurance race, driving stints in both a Honda CR-Z and Honda B-Spec Fit. At the other end of the endurance sports-car racing spectrum, he also finished second this year at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, driving for Peugeot, and second at this year's Twelve Hours of Sebring, driving an HPD ARX-01e prototype for Highcroft Racing in the American Le Mans Series.

"Formula F is going to be a lot of fun, for me and I hope also for the other competitors in the series," Pagenaud said. "It has been a long time since I have driven a small formula car, and I have never raced on the Las Vegas road course – although I am familiar with the oval track next door! The Piper/Honda is a very modern design, and I think it will be exciting and enjoyable to race it alongside the West Coast series Formula F racers."

The final Pacific Formula F Super Series event of 2011 takes place October 7-9, with a two-race weekend at the challenging 2.4-mile Las Vegas Motor Speedway road course, located adjacent to the 1.5-mile oval speedway. The companion Pacific F2000 Series will also conclude its season with a pair of concurrent races.

Pagenaud will continue to sample and race a variety of HPD performance products through the remainder of the year, including a Rallycross version of the B-Spec Fit, as well as a Honda-powered kart. Videos of Pagenaud's efforts in assorted HPD machinery can be found posted at: http://www.youtube.com/user/HondaRacingHPDTV#p/u.

The goal of Pagenaud's participation in these events is to help HPD engineers develop better products for members of the Honda Racing Line.

"I really enjoy participating with the HPD engineers in the development of all these cars," Pagenaud said. "Hopefully, my feedback can help both current and new Honda Formula F drivers. Honda and HPD really have a great range of options for competitors. I think you'll see young drivers come through the Honda system in karts and Formula F to rise into IndyCars and professional sports-car racing."

Honda Racing: Kentucky Race Report

Sun, 02 Oct 2011 17:59:00 -0700

Circuit: Kentucky Speedway (1.5-mile oval) Sparta, KY
2010 Winner:Helio Castroneves (Team Penske Honda) 174.402 mph avg.
Weather:Sunny, cool, 55 degrees F

Race Results:

Fn.	St.	Driver	Team	Engine/Chassis	Laps	Average Speed/Notes
1.	4.	Ed Carpenter	Sarah Fisher Racing	Honda Dallara	200	174.039 mph avg.; led 8 laps
2.	11.	Dario Franchitti	Target Chip Ganassi	Honda Dallara	200	-0.0098 seconds; led 143 laps
3.	7.	Scott Dixon	Target Chip Ganassi	Honda Dallara	200	-0.1048 seconds
4.	3.	James Hinchcliffe-R	Newman Haas Racing	Honda Dallara	200	-0.3007 seconds
5.	8.	Ryan Hunter-Reay	Andretti Autosport	Honda Dallara	200	-0.4040 seconds
6.	9.	Oriol Servia	Newman Haas Racing	Honda Dallara	200	-0.6806 seconds
7.	15.	Wade Cunningham	Sam Schmidt Motorsports	Honda Dallara	200	-0.7020 seconds
8.	18.	Ryan Briscoe	Team Penske	Honda Dallara	200	-0.7895 seconds
9.	17.	Buddy Rice	Panther Racing	Honda Dallara	200	-1.0011 seconds
10.	14.	Danica Patrick	Andretti Autosport	Honda Dallara	200	-1.0067 seconds
11.	26.	Townsend Bell	Dreyer & Reinbold Racing	Honda Dallara	200	-1.1769 seconds
12.	2.	Graham Rahal	Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda Dallara	200	-1.2320 seconds
13.	10.	Charlie Kimball-R	Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda Dallara	200	-1.7795 seconds
14.	28.	Dan Wheldon	Sam Schmidt Motorsports	Honda Dallara	200	-2.0668 seconds
15.	22.	Takuma Sato	KV Racing Technology	Honda Dallara	200	-2.1161 seconds
16.	21.	Vitor Meira	A.J. Foyt Racing	Honda Dallara	200	-2.4294 seconds
17.	19.	Tony Kanaan	KV Racing Technology	Honda Dallara	200	-3.0101 seconds
18.	12.	Mike Conway	Andretti Autosport	Honda Dallara	200	-3.4970 seconds
19.	1.	Will Power	Team Penske	Honda Dallara	200	-6.4970 seconds; led 48 laps
20.	5.	JR Hildebrand-R	Panther Racing	Honda Dallara	199	Running; led 1 lap
21.	27.	James Jakes-R	Dale Coyne Racing	Honda Dallara	198	Running
22.	29.	Pippa Mann-R	Rahal Letterman Lanigan	Honda Dallara	197	Running
23.	23.	E.J. Viso	KV Racing Technology	Honda Dallara	192	Running
24.	20.	Ana Beatriz-R	Dreyer & Reinbold Racing	Honda Dallara	165	Did not finish – crash
25.	13.	Simona de Silvestro	HVM Racing	Honda Dallara	141	Did not finish – crash
26.	24.	Alex Lloyd	Dale Coyne Racing	Honda Dallara	140	Did not finish – crash
27.	6.	Marco Andretti	Andretti Autosport	Honda Dallara	140	Did not finish – crash
28.	25.	Dillon Battistini-R	Conquest Racing	Honda Dallara	124	Did not finish – fatigue
29.	16.	Helio Castroneves	Team Penske	Honda Dallara	34	DNF - broken coolant pipe

R - IndyCar Series Rookie

Carpenter Passes to Popular Kentucky Victory

After finishing second at Kentucky Speedway in both 2009 and 2010, Ed Carpenter used his Honda "overtake assist" at just the right time on the final lap Sunday to edge ahead of Dario Franchitti for his and Sarah Fisher Racing's first IZOD IndyCar Series win. Carpenter's victory margin of 0.0098 seconds was the closest in the history of the 1.5-mile Kentucky oval, and the sixth-closest in IndyCar Series history.

Franchitti's second-place finish moved him back to the top of the drivers' championship standings with just one race remaining. Franchitti now has an 18-point lead over rival Will Power, who started from the pole but was delayed by a collision on pit lane and resulting body damage following contact with Ana Beatriz. Power, who led the standings coming into today's 200-lap event, finished 19th, the final car on the lead lap.

Continuing a six-season tradition of equality and reliability, 29 Honda-powered drivers completed 12,763 miles this weekend on the fast but bumpy Kentucky Speedway oval without a single failure of the Honda Indy V-8 engine. It has been more than two years since a Honda in-race engine failure, the last one taking place at Infineon Raceway in 2009.

Franchitti's teammate, Scott Dixon, finished third to clinch the A.J. Foyt Award as the top oval-track driver in the series this year, while Newman Haas Racing's James Hinchcliffe finished fourth to take the lead in the IndyCar Rookie of the Year standings for the first time this season.

The IZOD IndyCar Series now takes a week off before heading to another 1.5-mile oval, the Las Vegas Motor Speedway circuit, for the season-ending IZOD IndyCar World Championships Presented by Honda on Oct. 16.

IZOD IndyCar Series Championship (after 16 of 17 events):
1. Dario Franchitti	573 points (4 wins)	6. Ryan Briscoe	364
2. Will Power	555 (6 wins)	7. Ryan Hunter-Reay	347 (1 win)
3. Scott Dixon	518 (2 win)	8. Marco Andretti	337 (1 win)
4. Oriol Servia	425	9. Graham Rahal	320
5. Tony Kanaan	366	10. Danica Patrick	314

Ed Carpenter (#67 Sarah Fisher Racing Honda) started 4th, finished 1st, his first IndyCar victory in 113 starts: "It [winning] is way better than even I ever thought it would be! The team made changes to the car at every pit stop and at the end, I knew I had a better car than Dario [Franchitti]. I knew I needed to get a good final restart and I was able to do just that. Dario raced me hard and clean, but I had one more ‘push-to-pass' left and I used it on the last lap. It was just enough, but we got it done. It feels unbelievable."

Dario Franchitti (#10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) started 11th, finished 2nd, retakes the drivers' championship lead by 18 points over Will Power with one race remaining: "It just shows you never give up. It was a nice surprise coming out in the lead after the first round of pit stops. Once we were in the lead, we just kept it in the bottom lane and that worked well until Ed [Carpenter] caught up to us at the end. He drove a hell of a race. I had to use my ‘overtake assist' repeatedly to keep him from getting clear [in front], because then it would have been all over. Ed and their team did a great job. He raced us hard and fair and I enjoyed it. Congratulations to them. Shortly before the race, I got an e-mail from [team manager] Barry Wanser and [his son] Michael [who is fighting a serious illness] telling us to ‘go for it', so this is dedicated to them."

Scott Dixon (#9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) started 1st, finished 3rd : "First of all, it's a big honor to win the A.J. Foyt oval award. The guy's a legend, and you all know that. Today was a bit of a different story; it was difficult to get the car up to speed at the start and on restarts. It would take three or four laps to get back to where we needed to be. Obviously a big swing in the championship points today, and we'll do everything in our power to help Dario win the championship at Las Vegas in two weeks."

Roger Griffiths (Technical Director, Honda Performance Development) on today's race: "Races like this are what attracted me to IndyCar racing in the first place. Congratulations to Ed [Carpenter], who has come so close to a victory, so many times. Today's victory was hard-fought and I think one of the most popular we've seen this year. Congratulations as well to Sarah [Fisher], her husband and co-team owner Andy O'Gara, and the entire SFR organization. This is the best possible ‘present' for their newborn daughter Zoey! Now, we go to another 1.5-mile for the season finale, and it should be fantastic as well."

Honda Racing: HPD, Level 5 Dominate LMP2 at Petit Le Mans

Sun, 02 Oct 2011 17:09:00 -0700

The new Honda Performance Development ARX-01g continues its successful run in American Le Mans Series LMP2 competition, with Level 5 Motorsports dominating the category at Saturday’s Petit Le Mans, finishing sixth overall and eight laps ahead of its nearest LMP2 competitor.

It was the second consecutive LMP2 win for HPD and Level 5 since the debut of the new, cost-capped ARX-01g two weeks ago at Laguna Seca. As in that event, the winning car was driven by Christophe Bouchut and Scott Tucker, with Joao Barbosa rejoining the team for this weekend’s 14th annual Petit Le Mans, a 1,000-mile endurance racing classic at Road Atlanta.

As at Laguna Seca, Level 5 Motorsports scored a dominant victory in LMP2, taking the new HPD ARX-01g to an eight-lap victory over the United Autosports Oak-Pescarolo Judd of Stefan Johansson, Mark Patterson and Zak Brown.

The Level 5 driving trio of Tucker, Bouchut and Barbosa enjoyed an early-race battle with the Signatech Nissan Oreca 03 Nissan of JK Vernay, Franck Mailleus and Lucas Ordonez, before the Nissan ran into power-steering issues in the sixth hour, dropping to an eventual third-place finish. That gave the Level 5 trio clear sailing to the end.

Level 5’s sister HPD entry, co-driven by Tucker, Luis Diaz and Marino Franchitti, qualified on the LMP2 pole but started from the pit lane after encountering electrical issues. The car raced to the front of the field in the opening hours, then was delayed by a turbocharger issue before rejoining to finish fifth.

"What an amazing race today. The Level 5 Motorsports team repeated its excellent performance at Sebring by bookending the 2011 American Le Mans Series season with a win against worthy competition from across the globe," said Steve Eriksen, vice president of HPD. "Congratulations to Level 5 on this win and the American Le Mans Series LMP2 championship."

An evolution of the pace-setting HPD ARX-01d run by several LMP2 teams in 2011, the HPD ARX-01g is designed specifically to meet the ACO’s new cost-capped LMP2 regulations for private entrants.

HPD also recently announced its plans to return to LMP1 competition in the new FIA World Endurance Championship with another chassis evolution, the ARX-03a, powered by an HPD-developed, normally aspirated 3.4-liter V8 engine.

"This is the perfect way to end the first season of the new 2011 HR28TT V6 turbo engine, which was co-developed by Honda Performance Development Inc. and Honda R&D Americas, Inc.," said Eriksen. "The great results of the engine in its inaugural season speak to the results achieved by combining the talents of our production and race engineers in the crucible that is racing."

"In addition, the HPD chassis showed its characteristic speed and high reliability, just weeks after the launch of the new ARX-01g cost-capped LMP2 version. Many thanks to our partners at Wirth Research and Michelin for all of their hard work in achieving this great result. We’re already looking forward to the 2012 American Le Mans Series season."

Honda Performance Development (HPD) is the Honda racing company within North America. Founded in 1993 and located in Santa Clarita, Calif., HPD is the technical operations center for high-performance Honda racing cars and engines. HPD is the single engine supplier to the IZOD IndyCar Series and spearheaded championship-winning efforts in the 2009-2010 American Le Mans Series, 2010 Le Mans Series and the 2010 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Honda Racing: Honda, Acura Racers Shine at SCCA Runoffs

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 09:59:00 -0700

Honda and Acura racers claimed one national championship and an additional five podium (top three) finishes as the Sports Car Club of America [SCCA] National Championship "Runoffs" returned to the famed Road America circuit in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, September 19-25. In all, 11 of 28 competing classes at the Runoffs featured members of the Honda Racing Line, Honda Performance Development's grassroots motorsports support program.

Greg Gauper highlighted a weekend of outstanding performances from a combined 36 Honda and Acura drivers at the Runoffs, winning the H-Production race on a damp track in his Honda Civic. Rain affected nearly all of Sunday's eight races, and Gauper had established a strong wet-weather setup earlier in the week. He used it to good advantage in the race, moving up from his second-row grid position to take the lead on the third lap and edge out a 3-second margin of victory at the end of the 13-lap (52-mile) event.

"It still hasn't sunk in," Gauper said at the finish. "I really expected I'd be battling for possibly third spot. I didn't think the rain was going to be as much of an advantage [for us]. My stomach was just butterflies [before the start] … ‘am I making the right [tire] choice?' We decided to go out with intermediates on the front and slicks on the back. It was a handful, but it worked out well for me."

In addition to Gauper's victory, five other Honda and Acura drivers recorded top-three finishes at the Runoffs, highlighted by a thrilling, come-from-behind second-place run for 2010 Touring 3 National Champion Chad Gilsinger in his Acura TL-SH AWD,

Starting 15th in a large, 26-car Touring 2 field, Gilsinger's all-wheel-drive package came to the fore during his 10-lap, rain-shortened race. Despite starting on slick BF Goodrich tires, Gilsinger was able to find traction on a damp-but-drying track in the early laps, then really began to move up in the order when rain returned with a vengeance on Lap Seven. With the rain increasing in severity, Gilsinger caught and passed everyone save winner Marty Grand, who started on full rain tires in his four-wheel-drive Mitsubishi.

"We started the race on slicks, and knowing we had all-wheel-drive gave me a little bit more comfort," Gilsinger said. "At the beginning, it was wet enough that I was able to take advantage. Then, it started to dry out and our power-to-weight was not quite there, so we started to move a little backwards. But then, it downpoured and there were puddles everywhere, and that's when it got bad for everyone. You have to work really hard to keep it on the track in those conditions. I don't think I've ever been so happy to see the checkered flag!"

In Touring 3, Chris Puskar led the Honda S2000 effort on a damp-but-drying track with a second-place finish, surviving a quick spin while trying to catch and pass eventual winner Kevin Fandozzi. In addition to scoring his best Runoffs result, Puskar also set fastest race lap and won the "Hard Charger" award for gaining the most positions in the race after starting 11th.

Lee Niffenegger, the 2009 Showroom Stock B champion, repeated his 2010 performance with another second-place run in his Honda Civic Si, a car he borrowed for the Runoffs from Honda of Keene in New Hampshire. Defending GT-Lite Champion Peter Shadowen raced second this year in his Honda CRX-Si; while Rob Coffey was another Honda-powered racer who excelled in Sunday's rain, charging from 28th on the grid to finish a remarkable third in the E-Production race. In addition to his third-place medal, Coffey also won the "Hard Charger" award after the outstanding run in his Honda Prelude Si.

Each year, racers from across the country compete in 70 SCCA national club events to qualify for one last, winner-take-all event in each of 28 classes: the National Championship "Runoffs". Previous Runoffs champions include Bobby Rahal, Skip Barber, Paul Newman and Jimmy Vasser. Other Runoffs competitors through the years have included Michael Andretti, Parker Johnstone, and former Acura American Le Mans Series racer Scott Sharp.

More than 500 drivers participated at this year's Runoffs, the third to be held at the historic, four-mile Road America circuit, located 60 miles northwest of Milwaukee. Thirty-six were Honda and Acura drivers, competing in 11 of the 28 classes.

Launched in July 2009, the Honda Racing Line is a program targeted at licensed participants in sanctioned amateur and entry-level professional racing. The Honda Racing Line was formed to provide its members with a direct connection to Honda Performance Development and its unparalleled record of success at the highest levels of motorsport. Competitors may register for the Honda Racing Line through HondaRacingLine.com.

HPD is the single engine supplier to the IZOD IndyCar Series and competes in prototype sports-car racing under the HPD banner in the American Le Mans Series, Intercontinental Le Mans Cup and the European-based Le Mans Series. HPD offers a variety of race engines for track applications from sports prototypes to karting; for amateur and entry-level professional racers.

2011 Honda SCCA National Championship Runoffs Podium Results:
1st H-Production: Greg Gauper, Rana Mort Racing Honda Civic
2nd Touring 2: Chad Gilsinger, Team Honda Research Acura TL-SH AWD
2nd Touring 3: Chris Puskar, Puskar Racing Honda S2000
2nd Showroom Stock B: Lee Niffenegger, Team Honda Research Honda Civic Si
2nd GT-Lite: Peter Shadowen, Road ‘n Racing Honda CRX-Si
3rd E-Production: Robb Coffey, David Hobbs Honda Prelude

Honda Racing: Honda Performance Development Cost-Capped LMP2 Chassis Scores Debut Win at Laguna Seca

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 18:05:00 -0700

A class-winning, fourth overall finish for the new Honda Performance Development ARX-01g and Level 5 Motorsports last weekend at Laguna Seca Raceway delivered the 2011 American Le Mans Series LMP2 drivers' championships for team owner Scott Tucker and co-driver Christophe Bouchut, and announced HPD's arrival into the new cost-capped era of LMP2 competition with a value-oriented engine/chassis package capable of immediate, race-winning performance.

An evolution of the pace-setting HPD ARX-01d run by the Strakka and RML LMP2 teams in 2011, the HPD ARX-01g is designed specifically to meet the ACO's new cost-capped LMP2 regulations for private entrants. Power for the Level 5 entry comes from the HR28TT, a 2.8-litre twin-turbo V6 created for this year by HPD in partnership with Honda R&D Americas

The ARX-01g is designed as a customer car and the Wisconsin-based Level 5 organization is the privately owned team responsible for the car's impressive debut win in California, its highest overall finish of the season. The HPD prototype hadn't turned a wheel until Wednesday, September 14, and had less than three hours of combined running time before the race start.

"This was a fantastic performance, the best possible start to HPD's expanded participation in the new cost-capped LMP2 era," said Steve Eriksen, HPD vice president. "The result speaks for itself, and is a credit to our engineers at HPD, our partners at Wirth Research and Honda R&D, as well as flawless execution in the race from the drivers and team at Level 5 Motorsports."

With the HPD ARX-01g running like clockwork through all six hours, not a single unscheduled pit stop or issue befell the #055 Microsoft Office 2010-sponsored machine. Bouchut recorded a best lap time of 1:16.867 during his middle stint, only one second slower than the LMP1 race-winning car's quickest time, aptly demonstrating the strength of the HPD chassis/engine package, even in the early stages of its development in the cost-capped configuration.

"This was exactly what we had hoped for," said Level 5 team manager David Stone. "The car ran like a Swiss watch all day. That's really what we wanted to do, so we couldn't have asked for anything more than that. The drivers all did a great job of not putting a scratch on the car, which is good. The Level 5 team put in another stellar effort with such a short time frame in putting a brand-new car together. All of the people from HPD also did a great job. We're looking forward to getting into Petit Le Mans and going for the big one."

"Sometimes it's hard to push the car to the limit, but today, the car was really good," Bouchut said. "Traffic and the track conditions were difficult but I was able to push the car and didn't make any mistakes. We made a lot of improvements on the setup in such a short period of time. The car reacted very well to the changes we made. It's been a wonderful start to this new program. Everybody on the Level 5 team is very happy."

The Level 5 crew now heads to HPD's partner Wirth Research in England to prepare the team's second new HPD ARX-01g for its planned debut at next month's Petit Le Mans, which will close out the 2011 American Le Mans Series season. The 1,000-mile/10-hour race at Road Atlanta will also play host to the penultimate Intercontinental Le Mans Cup round of the year.

Earlier this month, Wirth Research and Honda Performance Development announced a new long-term technical partnership building upon the global successes achieved in recent years - a partnership that has produced numerous class and/or outright victories in all the world's premier sports-car races and championships including the Le Mans 24 Hours and 12 Hours of Sebring.

HPD also recently announced its plans to return to LMP1 competition in the new FIA World Endurance Championship with another chassis evolution, the ARX-03a, powered by a normally aspirated 3.4-liter V8 engine.

HPD will continue its support of the ACO's cost-capped LMP2 formula in 2012, utilizing the existing production-based HR28TT twin-turbocharged V6 engine along with a further update of the HPD ARX cost-capped LMP2 chassis. This update, dubbed the ARX-03b, will include a new monocoque chassis tub, designed by Wirth Research to the latest FIA safety and cost-capped regulations, and accommodating a wider range of drivers with its improved ergonomics.

"Utilizing the HPD line of sports-car products, our teams have already delivered some remarkable results in all of the world's greatest sports-car series and races, including the 12 Hours of Sebring and Le Mans 24 Hours," said Eriksen. "We expect the proven design, development and engineering expertise of HPD and our technical partners to provide our customers further success with our two latest prototype contenders."

Honda Performance Development (HPD) is the Honda racing company within North America. Founded in 1993 and located in Santa Clarita, Calif., HPD is the technical operations center for high-performance Honda racing cars and engines. HPD is the single engine supplier to the IZOD IndyCar Series and spearheaded championship-winning efforts in the 2009-2010 American Le Mans Series, 2010 Le Mans Series and the 2010 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Honda Racing: Honda Racers Star at NASA National Championships

Wed, 21 Sep 2011 07:45:00 -0700

The National Auto Sport Association (NASA) National Championship returned to the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course September 6-11, with more than 40 Honda and Acura racers in attendance and claiming four class national titles.

An impressive 34-car field took the standing start for the featured Honda Challenge race on Sunday, led by veteran Kevin Helms on the overall and H1 pole in his Honda Civic while Jeremy Croiset headed the H2 field in his Honda CRX.

In H1, Helms and Jonathan Meris were locked in a fierce two-car battle for much of the race, exchanging the lead a total of seven times. Then on Lap 18, both John Schmitt and Luke Wilwert caught the leaders, making it a four-way fight for the championship over the final laps. At the finish, it was Meris just ahead of Helms and Schmitt.

"I have never had a race like that, ever," Meris said at the finish. "Hats off to Kevin Helms and his Honda Works team, he drove a clean race. We respected each other on the track and had a great race."

In the H2 race, Croiset led from the start and pulled out and appeared headed for the victory until slowing with mechanical issues mid-race. Teammate Manny Coats then took over at the front, having earlier passed both Colin Botha and the second-starting Erik Olson. Coats held a three-second lead at the finish, with Botha second and Olson rounding out the top three.

"It was a very hard race," Coats said at the finish. "I started fifth and it was really difficult to get by other cars at the beginning. I saw [teammate] Jeremy [Croiset] start to check out, but then he ended up breaking and it became a three-way battle with me, Erik [Olson] and Colin [Botha]. We were going back-and-forth, and then I think Colin's tires were going [off], and I was able to get by him."

Members of the Honda Racing Line taking part in the Honda Challenge races were eligible for up to $2,500 in contingency awards at Mid-Ohio. In addition, American Honda provided catered trackside hospitality exclusively for Honda/Acura competitors and their crew members. The tent offered a buffet lunch from Thursday, Sept. 8 through Saturday, Sept. 10.

Other Honda winners on the weekend included Brian Shanfeld, who overcame a back-of-the-field start after missing the qualifying races earlier in the week, to win PTD; and Brian Maske, in his fourth appearance at the National Championships, winning his first title in the PTE class and taking the TTE title as well. Maske dedicated the victory to his father, who passed away just two weeks prior to the race.

HPD is the single engine supplier to the IZOD IndyCar Series and competes in prototype sports-car racing under the HPD banner in the American Le Mans Series, Intercontinental Le Mans Cup and the European-based Le Mans Series. HPD offers a variety of race engines for track applications from prototype sports cars to karting; for professional, amateur and entry-level racers.

2011 Honda NASA National Champions:
Honda Challenge 1: Jonathan Meris, Honda Civic
Honda Challenge 2: Manny Coats, Honda CRX
PTD: Brian Shanfeld, Honda Civic
PTE & TTE: Brian Makse, Honda Civic

###

Honda Racing: Indy Japan Race Report

Sun, 18 Sep 2011 17:04:00 -0700

Circuit: Twin Ring Motegi (2.983-mile road course) Motegi, Tochigi, Japan
2010 Winner:Helio Castroneves (Team Penske Honda) 147.008 mph (1.5-mile oval track)
Weather:Mostly sunny, warm, humid, 88 degrees F

Race Results:

Fn.	St.	Driver	Team	Engine/Chassis	Laps	Average Speed/Notes
1.	1.	Scott Dixon	Target Chip Ganassi	Honda Dallara	63	96.653 mph avg.; led 62
2.	2.	Will Power	Team Penske	Honda Dallara	63	-3.4375 seconds; led 1 lap
3.	10.	Marco Andretti	Andretti Autosport	Honda Dallara	63	-4.4782 seconds
4.	15.	Alex Tagliani	Sam Schmidt Motorsports	Honda Dallara	63	-5.5913 seconds
5.	16.	Oriol Servia	Newman Haas Racing	Honda Dallara	63	-6.1621 seconds
6.	14.	Sebastien Bourdais	Dale Coyne Racing	Honda Dallara	63	-6.6394 seconds
7.	19.	JR Hildebrand-R	Panther Racing	Honda Dallara	63	-8.7436 seconds
8.	9.	Dario Franchitti	Target Chip Ganassi	Honda Dallara	63	-9.0690 seconds
9.	20.	Mike Conway	Andretti Autosport	Honda Dallara	63	-9.3816 seconds
10.	11.	Takuma Sato	KV Racing Technology	Honda Dallara	63	-10.1187 seconds
11.	23.	Danica Patrick	Andretti Autosport	Honda Dallara	63	-10.6995 seconds
12.	3.	Graham Rahal	Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda Dallara	63	-11.4555 seconds
13.	8.	James Jakes-R	Dale Coyne Racing	Honda Dallara	63	-11.6119 seconds
14.	26.	Simona de Silvestro	HVM Racing	Honda Dallara	63	-12.0651 seconds
15.	5.	James Hinchcliffe-R	Newman Haas Racing	Honda Dallara	63	-12.5498 seconds
16.	25.	Giorgio Pantano-R	Dreyer & Reinbold Racing	Honda Dallara	63	-14.4549 seconds
17.	22.	Tony Kanaan	KV Racing Technology	Honda Dallara	63	-15.8407 seconds
18.	21.	Hideki Mutoh	Sam Schmidt Motorsports	Honda Dallara	63	-16.3024 seconds
19.	4.	Ana Beatriz-R	Dreyer & Reinbold Racing	Honda Dallara	63	-20.5159 seconds
20.	13.	Ryan Briscoe	Team Penske	Honda Dallara	63	-38.5887 seconds
21.	18.	E.J. Viso	KV Racing Technology	Honda Dallara	63	-99.0777 seconds
22.	6.	Helio Castroneves	Team Penske	Honda Dallara	63	Penalized – pass under yellow
23.	7.	Charlie Kimball-R	Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda Dallara	62	Did not finish – off course
24.	17.	Ryan Hunter-Reay	Andretti Autosport	Honda Dallara	62	Running
25.	24.	Vitor Meira	A.J. Foyt Racing	Honda Dallara	62	Did not finish – off course
26.	12.	Joao Paulo de Oliveira-R	Conquest Racing	Honda Dallara	19	Did not finish – mechanical

R - IndyCar Series Rookie

Dixon Dominates “The Final” at Moteg

In a virtual repeat of his winning performance earlier this year at Mid-Ohio, Scott Dixon dominated Sunday’s Indy Japan “The Final” at the Honda-owned Twin Ring Motegi circuit in Japan, leading all but one lap on the 2.983-mile road course to score his second IZOD IndyCar Series victory of the season.

Starting from the pole, Dixon quickly established an advantage over the 26-car starting field, with only Team Penske’s Will Power able to keep the leader in sight. Even a late-race caution period, the result of contact between Ryan Hunter-Reay and Sebastien Bourdais, failed to blunt Dixon’s efforts. When the green flag waved for the final time on Lap 61, Dixon quickly edged away from Will Power – his closest challenger all day and the only other driver to lead a lap today – by just over a second per lap to the checkers.

Continuing a six-season tradition of equality and reliability, all 26 Honda-powered drivers completed 10,870 miles this weekend on the Motegi road course without a single failure of the Honda Indy V-8 engine. It now has been more than two years since a Honda in-race engine failure, the last one taking place at Infineon Raceway in 2009.

Finishing second was more than enough for Power to take over the drivers’ championship points lead with two races remaining. Dario Franchitti, the championship leader for much of this season, started ninth but quickly moved up to fifth in the early laps. However, on a Lap 25 restart, Franchitti tapped the right rear wheel of Ryan Briscoe as the pair entered Turn 1, sending Briscoe into third-place Graham Rahal and delaying all three cars.

Franchitti was penalized for unnecessary contact and moved to 23rd, at the rear of the lead-lap field. He then put on a spirited charge for the remainder of the race, setting some of the fastest laps of the day and passing more than a dozen cars to finish eighth. Franchitti now trails Power by 11 points with two races remaining.

With the conclusion of the 14th and final race for Indy cars in Japan, and the final road-race event of 2011, the IZOD IndyCar Series now takes a week off before returning to 1.5-mile oval circuits for the final two races of the season, beginning with the October 2 Kentucky 300 at Kentucky Speedway and followed by the season-ending IZOD IndyCar World Championships Presented by Honda at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Marco Andretti took third for Andretti Autosport, jumping ahead of Oriol Servia in the final stops. Servia attacked Andretti at the late restart, but ended up being shuffled back to fifth behind Sam Schmidt Motorsports driver Alex Tagliani.

IZOD IndyCar Series Championship (after 15 of 17 events):
1. Will Power	542 (6 wins)	6. Ryan Briscoe	340
2. Dario Franchitti	531 points (4 wins)	7. Marco Andretti	327 (1 win)
3. Scott Dixon	483 (2 win)	8. Ryan Hunter-Reay	317 (1 win)
4. Oriol Servia	367	9. Helio Castroneves	302
5. Tony Kanaan	340	Graham Rahal	302

Scott Dixon (#9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) started 1st, finished 1st, his 2nd win of 2011 and 27th career IndyCar victory: “The team gave me a fantastic car today. The pit stops were perfect, too. Everything was flawless and that’s exactly what we needed to win today. It’s all a huge credit to the team. Only the last restart was nerve-racking. Will got a pretty good run at the green and we had to work for it going into the first turn. It was the perfect end to a fantastic weekend.”

Will Power (#12 Team Penske Honda) started 2nd, finished 2nd, takes over the series points lead and claims the Mario Andretti trophy as top IndyCar road racer of 2011: “We had the mindset going into this weekend to NOT think about [championship] points, but instead to just focus on the things we could control: our own car and race. We did that and had a very good day as a result. But there are still two races to go. I love the 1.5-mile ovals, but there’s no doubt that [Dario] Franchitti is strong on them as well. It looks like [the championship’s] going down to the wire once again.”

Erik Berkman (President, Honda Performance Development) on today’s race: “Congratulations to Scott Dixon and Target Chip Ganassi Racing. It looks like Scott has developed into a dominating force at Honda-affiliated tracks like Mid-Ohio and Motegi. It was great to see such a large and enthusiastic crowd here today, despite the heat. It’s unfortunate that the series won’t be returning here in the near future. Meanwhile, the fight for the championship has taken an interesting turn, with Will Power having another great weekend and Dario now the challenger rather than the leader. We’re looking forward to a dramatic finish to the season.”

Honda Racing: Baltimore Grand Prix Race Report

Sun, 04 Sep 2011 21:03:00 -0700

Circuit: Oriole Park at Camden Yards (2.04-mile temporary street circuit) Baltimore, MD
2010 Winner:N/A (inaugural event)
Weather:Mostly sunny, warm, humid, 87 degrees F

Race Results:

Fn.	St.	Driver	Team	Engine/Chassis	Laps	Average Speed/Notes
1.	1.	Will Power	Team Penske	Honda Dallara	75	Mostly sunny, warm, humid, 87 degrees F
2.	16.	Oriol Servia	Newman Haas Racing	Honda Dallara	75	-10.2096 seconds
3.	11.	Tony Kanaan	KV Racing Technology	Honda Dallara	75	-10.8557 seconds
4.	4.	Dario Franchitti	Target Chip Ganassi	Honda Dallara	75	-11.0831 seconds; led 2 laps
5.	10.	Scott Dixon	Target Chip Ganassi	Honda Dallara	75	-11.5032 seconds
6.	25.	Danica Patrick	Andretti Autosport	Honda Dallara	75	-18.5661 seconds
7.	21.	Alex Tagliani	Sam Schmidt Motorsports	Honda Dallara	75	-18.5671 seconds
8.	6.	Ryan Hunter-Reay	Andretti Autosport	Honda Dallara	75	-18.9269 seconds; led 1 lap
9.	14.	Vitor Meira	A.J. Foyt Racing	Honda Dallara	75	-22.3096 seconds
10.	2.	Graham Rahal	Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda Dallara	75	-22.6977 seconds
11.	20.	Martin Plowman-R	Sam Schmidt Motorsports	Honda Dallara	75	-23.7405 seconds
12.	12.	Simona de Silvestro	HVM Racing	Honda Dallara	75	-24.7568 seconds; led 1 lap
13.	26.	Sebastian Saavedra-R	Conquest Racing	Honda Dallara	75	-29.6042 seconds
14.	3.	Ryan Briscoe	Team Penske	Honda Dallara	75	-30.9855 seconds; led 1 lap
15.	9.	E.J. Viso	KV Racing Technology	Honda Dallara	75	-50.6756 seconds
16.	22.	Ana Beatriz-R	Dreyer & Reinbold Racing	Honda Dallara	75	-60.5667 seconds
17.	7.	Helio Castroneves	Team Penske	Honda Dallara	74	Running
18.	28.	Takuma Sato	KV Racing Technology	Honda Dallara	73	Did not finish – crash
19.	19.	JR Hildebrand-R	Panther Racing	Honda Dallara	73	Did not finish – crash
20.	27.	Ed Carpenter	Sarah Fisher Racing	Honda Dallara	73	Running
21.	18.	Charlie Kimball-R	Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda Dallara	73	Running
22.	24.	Tomas Scheckter	Dreyer & Reinbold Racing	Honda Dallara	71	Running
23.	8.	Mike Conway	Andretti Autosport	Honda Dallara	64	Did not finish – exhaust
24.	17.	James Hinchcliffe-R	Newman Haas Racing	Honda Dallara	54	Did not finish – suspension
25.	23.	Marco Andretti	Andretti Autosport	Honda Dallara	40	Did not finish – oil line
26.	15.	Giorgio Pantano-R	Dreyer & Reinbold Racing	Honda Dallara	39	Did not finish – contact
27.	13.	James Jakes-R	Dale Coyne Racing	Honda Dallara	37	Did not finish – contact
28.	5.	Sebastien Bourdais	Dale Coyne Racing	Honda Dallara	9	Did not finish – electrical

R - IndyCar Series Rookie

Power Perfect in Inaugural Baltimore Run

It was another maximum effort that garnered maximum results for Team Penske's Will Power, as the Australian dominated the inaugural Grand Prix of Baltimore, scoring a series-leading sixth IZOD IndyCar Series victory Sunday at the new temporary street circuit adjacent to Oriol Park at Camden Yards.

In tandem with the victory, qualifying on the pole and leading the most laps earned Power 53 championship points, the maximum available, as he closed to within five points of championship leader Dario Franchitti, who finished fourth for Target Chip Ganassi Racing. Three races remain in the season.

Continuing a six-season tradition of equality and reliability, all 28 Honda-powered drivers completed 7,478 miles this weekend on the punishing streets of Baltimore without a single failure of the Honda Indy V-8 engine. It now has been more than two years since a Honda in-race engine failure, the last one taking place at Infineon Raceway in 2009.

At the start, Power fought off a determined challenge from the second-starting Graham Rahal, who briefly took the lead in the first corner. But after reclaiming the advantage in Turn 3, Power was in control for the rest of the 75-lap run, turning over the lead only during routine pit stops on the way to a 10-second victory over Oriol Servia.

Adjacent to the home of the Baltimore Orioles, the similarly-named Servia and his Newman Haas Racing team used an alternate pit strategy – stopping early to change to the faster "Red" alternate tires and then saving fuel to make the race distance – to gain track position early in the event. Once in the lead pack, Servia demonstrated great race pace that kept him ahead of a tight pack that included Tony Kanaan, Franchitti, Scott Dixon and Takuma Sato.

Using a strategy similar to Servia, Kanaan recovered from his airborne crash during the morning warm-up that forced him to start from a backup Honda-powered Dallara at the rear of the 28-car starting field. His third-place finish equals his best result of the season, scored at the St. Petersburg opener.

After back-to-back events on the opposite sides of the United States, the IZOD IndyCar Series now takes a week off before heading overseas for the second and final time of 2011 season, for the September 18 Japan Indy 300 at Honda's own Twin Ring Motegi Circuit, north of Tokyo.

IZOD IndyCar Series Championship (after 14 of 17 events):
1. Dario Franchitti	507 points (4 wins)	6. Ryan Briscoe	328
2. Will Power	502 (6 wins)	7. Ryan Hunter-Reay	305 (1 win)
3. Scott Dixon	430 (1 win)	8. Marco Andretti	292 (1 win)
4. Oriol Servia	367	9. Helio Castroneves	290
5. Tony Kanaan	340	10. Graham Rahal	284

Will Power (#12 Team Penske Honda) started 1st, finished 1st, series-leading 6th win of 2011 and 15th career victory: "That feels like one of my best wins. I've never driven so hard in my life. I gave it absolutely every thing I had, from start to finish, and I'm exhausted. It was a 'championship run', and I believe one of the best races I have ever driven. And Baltimore is awesome. It was an unbelievable crowd and an atmosphere unlike anything I've experienced outside of Surfers Paradise [Australia]."

Tony Kanaan (#82 KV Racing Technology Honda) started 27th, finished 3rd in a backup car after destroying his primary car in a morning warmup crash: "What a fantastic effort from the entire team after our trouble this morning [when brake failure led to his crash]. We had a great race pace in our backup car, and to finish strong at [sponsor] Geico's 'home track' was very, very important. This is an awesome track and a great event. We want to race where people come out to watch us and for a first event, this was a huge success."

Oriol Servia (#2 Newman Haas Racing Honda) started 11th, finished 2nd, his second 2nd-place finish in the last three races: "[Will] Power was just too 'powerful' today; he had everyone covered. But this is a great result for us today. We're fourth in [championship] points and fighting for the podium at every race, and there's more to come. I crashed in qualifying [Saturday], but we never gave up. The car was very good and the strategy was even better. The pit strategy was perfect today and I knew if I didn't make any mistakes, the podium was ours."

Erik Berkman (President, Honda Performance Development) on today's race: "Congratulations to Will and the Penske organization. It was a great race, a dominating performance and very impressive to watch. Our inaugural event in Baltimore seems to have been a winner. It's a wonderful city, the fans are great and we look forward to coming back. The championship has tightened further, and we're looking forward to a dramatic finish to the season."

Honda Racing: Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma Race Report

Sun, 28 Aug 2011 19:13:00 -0700

Circuit: Infineon Raceway (2.30-mile road course) Sonoma, CA
1995 Winner: Will Power (Team Penske Honda) 92.063 mph average
Weather: Sunny, mild, 78 degrees F

Race Results:

Fn.	St.	Driver	Team	Engine/Chassis	Laps	Average Speed/Notes
1.	1.	Will Power	Team Penske	Honda Dallara	75	96.408 mph avg.; led 71 laps
2.	2.	Helio Castroneves	Team Penske	Honda Dallara	75	-3.2420 seconds
3.	3.	Ryan Briscoe	Team Penske	Honda Dallara	75	-6.4494 seconds; led 4 laps
4.	4.	Dario Franchitti	Target Chip Ganassi	Honda Dallara	75	-7.6540 seconds
5.	5.	Scott Dixon	Target Chip Ganassi	Honda Dallara	75	-14.4755 seconds
6.	8.	Sebastien Bourdais	Dale Coyne Racing	Honda Dallara	75	-17.1257 seconds
7.	6.	James Hinchcliffe-R	Newman Haas Racing	Honda Dallara	75	-17.2713 seconds
8.	13.	Graham Rahal	Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda Dallara	75	-17.7900 seconds
9.	9.	E.J. Viso	KV Racing Technology	Honda Dallara	75	-21.6276 seconds
10.	19.	Ryan Hunter-Reay	Andretti Autosport	Honda Dallara	75	-22.1731 seconds
11.	18.	Oriol Servia	Newman Haas Racing	Honda Dallara	75	-22.9512 seconds
12.	15.	Martin Plowman-R	Sam Schmidt Motorsports	Honda Dallara	75	-24.2602 seconds
13.	10.	Ana Beatriz-R	Dreyer & Reinbold Racing	Honda Dallara	75	-29.7207 seconds
14.	23.	Sebastian Saavedra-R	Conquest Racing	Honda Dallara	75	-41.1146 seconds
15.	22.	Simon Pagenaud	HVM Racing	Honda Dallara	75	-41.7526 seconds
16.	7.	Mike Conway	Andretti Autosport	Honda Dallara	75	-74.7526 seconds
17.	11.	Giorgio Pantano-R	Dreyer & Reinbold Racing	Honda Dallara	75	Penalized for blocking on last lap
18.	16.	Takuma Sato	KV Racing Technology	Honda Dallara	74	Running
19.	17.	James Jakes-R	Dale Coyne Racing	Honda Dallara	74	Running
20.	12.	Alex Tagliani	Sam Schmidt Motorsports	Honda Dallara	74	Running
21.	25.	Danica Patrick	Andretti Autosport	Honda Dallara	74	Running
22.	28.	Vitor Meira	A.J. Foyt Racing	Honda Dallara	74	Running
23.	20.	JR Hildebrand-R	Panther Racing	Honda Dallara	74	Running
24.	14.	Marco Andretti	Andretti Autosport	Honda Dallara	74	Running
25.	27.	Ed Carpenter	Sarah Fisher Racing	Honda Dallara	74	Running
26.	26.	Charlie Kimball-R	Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda Dallara	66	Running
27.	24.	Ho-Pin Tung-R	Dragon Racing	Honda Dallara	63	Did not finish – crash
28.	21.	Tony Kanaan	KV Racing Technology	Honda Dallara	38	Did not finish – throttle cable

R - IndyCar Series Rookie

Power, Penske Perfect in Sweep of Sonoma

Leading virtually flag to flag, Will Power led a dominating Team Penske performance Sunday at Infineon Raceway, heading teammates Helio Castroneves and Ryan Briscoe in a 1-2-3 finish in the Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma. Collecting the maximum possible championship points by also qualifying on the pole and leading the most laps, Power moved back into contention for the IZOD IndyCar Series championship, now trailing Dario Franchitti, Sunday's fourth-place finisher, by 26 points, with four races remaining.

Power led 71 of 75 race laps, turning the lead over to teammate Briscoe only during his two scheduled pit stops. Even a late-race caution period, due to the crash of series debutant Ho-Pin Tung, failed to present a challenge to Power, as he cruised to a 3.24-second victory over Castroneves. Finishing third, Briscoe ensured the first Team Penske 1-2-3 result since the trio became full-time teammates in 2010, and the first for the Penske organization since Nazareth Speedway in 1994.

Continuing a six-season tradition of equality and reliability, all 28 Honda-powered drivers completed 9,309 miles this weekend at Infineon without a single failure of the Honda Indy V-8 engine. It now has been two years since a Honda in-race engine failure, the last one taking place here at Sonoma in 2009.

Two-time defending series champion and current points leader Franchitti had an uneventful run to fourth, just ahead of his Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammate, Scott Dixon. Sebastien Bourdais survived a last-lap contretemps with Giorgio Pantano to take sixth, equaling Dale Coyne Racing's best result of the season, sixth at Toronto. Pantano was penalized for the last-lap incident, and moved to the rear of the lead lap finishers in the final results.

James Hinchcliffe led the season-high 10 rookies in the field with a seventh-place performance. Another rookie, Simon Pagenaud, finished 15th after being called in as a last-minute replacement for Simona de Silvestro, who was delayed by visa issues and unable to participate in this weekend's event.

The IZOD IndyCar Series now heads rapidly cross-country to the new temporary street circuit on the Inner Harbor, and the inaugural Baltimore Grand Prix on Sunday, September 4.

IZOD IndyCar Series Championship (after 13 of 17 events):
1. Dario Franchitti	475 points (4 wins)	6. Tony Kanaan	305
2. Will Power	449 (4 wins)	7. Ryan Hunter-Reay	286 (1 win)
3. Scott Dixon	400 (1 win)	8. Marco Andretti	282 (1 win)
4. Oriol Servia	327	9. Helio Castroneves	277
5. Ryan Briscoe	312	10. Graham Rahal	264

Will Power (#12 Team Penske Honda) started 1st, finished 1st, 5th victory of 2011 and 14th career win; first 1-2-3 finish for Team Penske since Nazareth 1994: "That is just about the best weekend you can ever have. Team Penske is back on top again. Like I said before the race, if we could finish the way we started [1-2-3], it would be the perfect weekend. Now we have a legitimate shot at the championship. This is one of those tracks I seem to click with. Road courses and street circuits are what I know, and what I'm good at, and I understand what I need to get from the car to go fast. [On three of the final four tracks being new to the series], I always enjoy going to new circuits, and that could potentially play to our strengths as we finish out the season."

Helio Castroneves (#2 Team Penske Honda) started 2nd, finished 2nd, equals his previous best finish of 2011 (also finished 2nd at Edmonton): "No question, it's been a roller-coaster season. We've definitely had our butt kicked a few times this year, but this is the best weekend of the year for the entire team. For me, it was a great race. Will [Power] was just a little bit quicker so we tried something a little different – pitted a little bit early for our run on the [harder compound] 'black' tires. But Will saved enough 'push to pass' [Honda overtake assist] and I couldn't do much. It's so rare to both start and finish 1-2-3, so I'm very happy for myself and the team."

Dario Franchitti (#10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) started 4th, finished 4th, 11th top-five finish of 2011, continues to lead the drivers' championship: "I tried several times to get Ryan [Briscoe] when he'd make a small mistake, but was never able to get [far enough] alongside to make a move. From qualifying on, Team Penske clearly had an advantage over both Scott [Dixon] and myself, particularly on the [softer] 'red' tires. The advantage we had at Mid-Ohio is clearly gone, for whatever reason. So we have some work to do before [the next two races at] Baltimore and Japan."

Roger Griffiths (Technical Director, Honda Performance Development) on today's race: "Today was an important milestone for us, it has now been two years since we've had an in-race engine failure for the Honda Indy V-8. Our last failure during a race, due to a chafed alternator wire, was here in 2009. Meanwhile, the championship contest is getting ever closer, which promises another exciting finish to the season, and we're looking forward to visiting a brand new venue, Baltimore, next weekend."

Honda Racing: Honda Performance Development Boosts 2011 NASA Championship Program

Tue, 16 Aug 2011 09:13:00 -0700

Honda Performance Development (HPD) and American Honda have increased support for the 2011 National Auto Sport Association (NASA) Championships, Sept. 6-11 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio.

A national championship will now pay $2,500 for registered members of the Honda Racing Line in any of the five Honda Challenge classes (H1 through H5). Cash awards also will be presented to all starters, in the same categories, with additional cash prizes to all podium [first, second and third-place] finishers in classes with more than 10 starters. To be eligible, Honda Racing Line members must display the required Honda or Acura decals on their cars.

"The NASA National Championship is an outstanding example of grassroots motorsports, and exactly the sort of program the Honda Racing Line was designed to support," said Marc Sours, general manager of HPD. "We are pleased to continue and expand our contingency program for 2011, and look forward to the event’s return to Mid-Ohio."

Administered by NASA on behalf of American Honda and HPD, these awards will be distributed following the completion of each National Championship race. They include:

$500 for starting a National Championship event;
$1,000 for a third-place finish in an event with 10 or more starters;
$1,500 for a second-place finish in an event with 10 or more starters; and
$2,500 for a first-place finish in an event with 10 or more starters.

Registration for the Honda Racing Line will be offered on-site at Mid-Ohio. In addition, American Honda will again provide catered trackside hospitality exclusively for Honda/Acura competitors and their crew members. The tent will provide a buffet lunch from Thursday, Sept. 8 through Saturday, Sept. 10.

HPD is the single engine supplier to the IZOD IndyCar Series and competes in prototype sports-car racing under the HPD banner in the American Le Mans Series, Intercontinental Le Mans Cup and the European-based Le Mans Series. HPD offers a variety of race engines for track applications from prototype sports cars to karting; for professional, amateur and entry-level efforts.

Honda Racing: MoveThatBlock.com Indy 225 Race Report

Sun, 14 Aug 2011 21:15:00 -0700

Circuit: New Hampshire Motor Speedway (1.025-mile oval) Loudon, NH
1995 Winner: Andre Ribeiro (Tasman Motorsports Honda) 134.203 mph avg. [1st Honda Indycar win]
Weather: Overcast, intermittent rain, 74 degrees F

Race Results:

Fn.	St.	Driver	Team	Engine/Chassis	Laps	Average Speed/Notes
1.	5.	Ryan Hunter-Reay	Andretti Autosport	Honda Dallara	215	112.030 mph avg.; led 71 laps
2.	2.	Oriol Servia	Newman Haas Racing	Honda Dallara	215	-0.2361 seconds
3.	7.	Scott Dixon	Target Chip Ganassi	Honda Dallara	215	-1.4839 seconds; led 2 laps
4.	4.	James Hinchcliffe-R	Newman Haas Racing	Honda Dallara	215	-2.1750 seconds
5.	13.	Will Power	Team Penske	Honda Dallara	215	-2.8250 seconds; led 12 laps
6.	15.	Danica Patrick	Andretti Autosport	Honda Dallara	215	-3.6173 seconds
7.	8.	Takuma Sato	KV Racing Technology	Honda Dallara	214	-4.1174 seconds; led 13 laps
8.	6.	Ryan Briscoe	Team Penske	Honda Dallara	214	Running; led 2 laps
9.	10.	Charlie Kimball-R	Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda Dallara	213	Running
10.	19.	Vitor Meira	A.J. Foyt Racing	Honda Dallara	212	Running
11.	25.	Ed Carpenter	Sarah Fisher Racing	Honda Dallara	212	Running
12.	17.	E.J. Viso	KV Racing Technology	Honda Dallara	212	Running
13.	14.	Alex Lloyd	Dale Coyne Racing	Honda Dallara	211	Running
14.	21.	Ana Beatriz-R	Dreyer & Reinbold Racing	Honda Dallara	210	Running
15.	24.	Sebastian Saavedra-R	Conquest Racing	Honda Dallara	210	Running
16.	26.	Simona de Silvestro	HVM Racing	Honda Dallara	209	Running
17.	9.	Helio Castroneves	Team Penske	Honda Dallara	202	Running
18.	20.	James Jakes-R	Dale Coyne Racing	Honda Dallara	179	Did not finish - transmission
19.	16.	Alex Tagliani	Sam Schmidt Motorsports	Honda Dallara	137	Did not finish - cracked exhaust
20.	1.	Dario Franchitti	Target Chip Ganassi	Honda Dallara	118	Did not finish-crash; led 115 laps
21.	11.	JR Hildebrand-R	Panther Racing	Honda Dallara	118	Did not finish - crash
22.	3.	Tony Kanaan	KV Racing Technology	Honda Dallara	109	Did not finish - crash
23.	18.	Tomas Scheckter	Dreyer & Reinbold Racing	Honda Dallara	109	Did not finish - crash
24.	22.	Marco Andretti	Andretti Autosport	Honda Dallara	109	Did not finish - crash
25.	12.	Mike Conway	Andretti Autosport	Honda Dallara	0	Did not finish - crash
26.	23.	Graham Rahal	Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda Dallara	0	Did not finish - crash
27.	27.	Pippa Mann-R	Rahal Letterman Lanigan	Honda Dallara	0	Did not start [crash in practice]

R - IndyCar Series Rookie

Hunter-Reay Wins "Survivor" in New Hampshire

Dodging raindrops, other competitors and a final attempted re-start that race officials were forced to abort, after the fact, due to wet track conditions, Ryan Hunter-Reay emerged from a chaotic final lap to win Sunday's MoveThatBlock.com 225 on the one-mile New Hampshire Motor Speedway oval. It was Hunter-Reay's first IZOD IndyCar Series victory of 2011 and his first oval triumph since Milwaukee, another one-mile oval, in 2004.

Although he ran in top six throughout the day, Hunter-Reay and the rest of the 26-car starting field raced in the shadow of pole qualifier Dario Franchitti, who dominated the first half of today's scheduled 225-lap contest. Seeking his fifth win of the season, Franchitti led by as much as nine seconds at one point, but contact with second-place Takuma Sato on a Lap 118 restart - after a mid-race caution for light rain - sent Franchitti into the front-stretch wall and out of the race.

That turned the lead over to Will Power, Franchitti's championship rival, who was running out of pit sequence on a gamble that rain would return before the scheduled 225-lap distance. But Power had to pit on Lap 178, relinquishing the lead over to Sato, also out of sequence after pitting and changing a flat right-front tire after his contact with Franchitti.

Sato had to pit on Lap 190, turning the lead over to Hunter-Reay, who previously had battled and passed the Newman Haas Racing duo of James Hinchcliffe and Oriol Servia. The rain returned and the caution flag flew on Lap 206 with Hunter-Reay at the front, followed by Servia and Scott Dixon. Race officials attempted a restart on Lap 216, but the track was too wet and the green flag only triggered multiple spins and contacts with the wall, with those involved including Sato, Will Power and Danica Patrick.

As a result, the red flag came out on Lap 220, and the finish was reverted by race officials to match the running order as of Lap 215, the final scored lap before the aborted restart. Hunter-Reay was credited with the victory, followed by Servia, Dixon, Hinchcliffe and Power.

Continuing a six-season tradition of equality and reliability, 27 Honda-powered drivers completed the race weekend on the one-mile New Hampshire Motor Speedway, including a full day of pre-race practice on Thursday, without a single failure of the Honda Indy V-8 engine. The teams logged an impressive total of 12,856 trouble-free miles during the New Hampshire race weekend.

The IZOD IndyCar Series now takes a week off before making the cross-country trek to Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California for the August 28 Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma County.

IZOD IndyCar Series Championship (after 12 of 17 events):
1. Dario Franchitti	443 points (4 wins)	6. Ryan Briscoe	277
2. Will Power	396 (4 wins)	7. Marco Andretti	270 (1 win)
3. Scott Dixon	370 (1 win)	8. Ryan Hunter-Reay	261 (1 win)
4. Oriol Servia	308	9. Graham Rahal	240
5. Tony Kanaan	295	10. Takuma Sato	238

Ryan Hunter-Reay (#28 Andretti Autosport Honda) started 5th, finished 1st, first victory of 2011, fifth career win, first oval victory since Milwaukee Champ Car event in 2004: "The total complexion of the race changed when Dario [Franchitti] and [Takuma] Sato got together. No one was going to touch Dario before that. In general, it was a blast to drive here. I love these short ovals. There was lots of action all day. At the last caution, I couldn't even warm the tires [by moving side-to-side to build heat], it was so wet. Sure, I would have preferred to win in a different way, but we'll absolutely take it."

Scott Dixon (#9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) started 7th, finished 3rd, sixth podium finish this season: "It was just a bizarre day. If you looked at the [weather] forecast this morning, you couldn't help but think 'we won't be racing here until Wednesday.' But the fans come to see racing and I'm glad the officials did everything they could to get the race in, especially their efforts to dry the track [after the mid-race caution for rain]. I thought it was a 'helluva' race, there was tons of action and it feels like we ran 500 miles today. But they shouldn't have called that last restart. It's good to see everyone so fired up now!"

Oriol Servia (#2 Newman Haas Racing Honda) started 2nd, finished 2nd, best finish of 2011: "I also think it was a good show. If was full of action, lots of lapped traffic and everyone taking runs at everyone else. I'm just sorry it was a sour ending. It's tough for the officials, too. They wanted to end under green if at all possible. It was a difficult call."

Roger Griffiths (Technical Director, Honda Performance Development) on today's race: "I guess it's appropriate that we had a bit of a 'Saturday night short track' finish to our final short oval of 2011. Congratulations to Ryan Hunter-Reay and all of Andretti Autosport for their third win this season, all with different drivers. And it was good to see the two Newman Haas Racing entries, Oriol and James [Hinchcliffe], give that team its best results of the year. The finish certainly shook up the championship. And it was great to return to New Hampshire, where Honda recorded its first Indy car race win with Andre Ribeiro back in 1995."

Honda Racing: Mid-Ohio Race Report

Sun, 07 Aug 2011 18:49:00 -0700

Circuit: Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course (2.258-mile road course) Lexington, OH
2010 Winner: Dario Franchitti (Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) 100.542 mph average
Weather: Mostly sunny, warm, humid, 91 degrees F

Race Results:

Fn.	St.	Driver	Team	Engine/Chassis	Laps	Average Speed/Notes
1.	1.	Scott Dixon	Target Chip Ganassi	Honda Dallara	85	105.861 mph avg.; led 50 laps
2.	3.	Dario Franchitti	Target Chip Ganassi	Honda Dallara	85	-7.6508 seconds; led 4 laps
3.	5.	Ryan Hunter-Reay	Andretti Autosport	Honda Dallara	85	-9.0784 seconds
4.	9.	Takuma Sato	KV Racing Technology	Honda Dallara	85	-12.3062 seconds
5.	16.	Tony Kanaan	KV Racing Technology	Honda Dallara	85	-19.9748 seconds
6.	8.	Alex Tagliani	Sam Schmidt Motorsports	Honda Dallara	85	-20.6367 seconds
7.	19.	Marco Andretti	Andretti Autosport	Honda Dallara	85	-23.6411 seconds
8.	20.	Oriol Servia	Newman Haas Racing	Honda Dallara	85	-23.0252 seconds
9.	11.	Sebastien Bourdais	Dale Coyne Racing	Honda Dallara	85	-26.2582 seconds
10.	21.	Vitor Meira	A.J. Foyt Racing	Honda Dallara	85	-26.2582 seconds
11.	10.	Charlie Kimball-R	Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda Dallara	85	-27.4550 seconds
12.	14.	Simona de Silvestro	HVM Racing	Honda Dallara	85	-29.0438 seconds
13.	18.	Simon Pagenaud-R	Dreyer & Reinbold Racing	Honda Dallara	85	-29.7880 seconds
14.	4.	Will Power	Team Penske	Honda Dallara	85	-42.5675 seconds; led 2 laps
15.	12.	E.J. Viso	KV Racing Technology	Honda Dallara	85	-45.3255 seconds
16.	2.	Ryan Briscoe	Team Penske	Honda Dallara	85	-45.7141 seconds
17.	25.	Ana Beatriz-R	Dreyer & Reinbold Racing	Honda Dallara	85	-47.0943 seconds
18.	26.	Martin Plowman-R	Sam Schmidt Motorsports	Honda Dallara	85	-48.3700 seconds
19.	15.	Helio Castroneves	Team Penske	Honda Dallara	85	-48.8679 seconds
20.	7.	James Hinchcliffe-R	Newman Haas Racing	Honda Dallara	85	-49.4093 seconds; led 26 laps
21.	23.	Danica Patrick	Andretti Autosport	Honda Dallara	85	-59.9851 seconds; led 3 laps
22.	27.	Ed Carpenter	Sarah Fisher Racing	Honda Dallara	85	-69.2913 seconds
23.	24.	James Jakes-R	Dale Coyne Racing	Honda Dallara	85	-69.5303 seconds
24.	6.	Graham Rahal	Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda Dallara	83	Running
25.	13.	JR Hildebrand-R	Panterh Racing	Honda Dallara	81	Running
26.	17.	Mike Conway	Andretti Autosport	Honda Dallara	63	Did not finish – transmission
27.	22.	Sebastian Saavedra-R	Conquest Racing	Honda Dallara	20	Did not finish - crash

Dixon Sweeps the Honda 200 at Mid-Ohio

Scott Dixon scored his first IZOD IndyCar Series victory of 2011 in dominating fashion Sunday at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, leading a 1-2 finish in the Honda 200 for Target Chip Ganassi Racing by a margin of more than seven seconds over teammate Dario Franchitti.

After starting from the pole, Dixon set fastest race lap and led 50 of the 85 laps to post his third win at Mid-Ohio in the last six years. His other victories here also came in odd-numbered years: 2007 and 2009.

Prior to today's race, Geoffrey and Lisa Boles of Wagoner, Oklahoma, received the Honda Racing/HPD Dependability Award. The Boles have logged 282,711 miles – to date – in their trusty 1991 Honda CRX-Si. The award was presented to the Boles by HPD General Manager Marc Sours, who noted that the Boles family has accumulated more than 1,500,000 miles in various Honda cars over the years.

In 2010, the Honda Indy V-8 engines used by the full field in the IZOD IndyCar Series tallied a total of 222,278 miles without a single in-race failure, an unrivaled feat in motorsports. The Honda Racing/HPD Dependability Award celebrates similar achievements of Honda owners, like the Boles family, in the Honda Mile Makers Club.

Franchitti briefly led following the second round of pit stops, but did not put up too much opposition when his teammate passed on a restart following the last caution of the day on Lap 61. Franchitti still extended his championship points lead to 62 over Will Power, as his title rival twice was caught out on track by cautions just before his own scheduled pit stops.

Early in the race, Power elected to stay out one lap longer than Franchitti, but that strategy backfired as a caution flag – for Sebastien Saavedra's crash in Turn Two – dropped him to the back of the field. Power was caught out a second time when contact occured between Danica Patrick and Graham Rahal just after Franchitti and most of the rest of the field had made their second and final stops of the day.

In addition to Dixon, the day's other star was series rookie James Hinchcliffe, as the Newman Haas Racing driver led 26 laps – the first of his IndyCar career – during the middle portion of the race and appeared headed to a top-three finish. Unfortunately, a spin on Lap 62 dropped him to 20th at the finish.

The IZOD IndyCar Series continues its August swing with a return to oval track racing August 14 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, the scene of Honda's inaugural Indy car victory in 2005, with Tasman Motorsports and driver Andre Ribeiro.

IZOD IndyCar Series Championship (after 11 of 17 events):
1. Dario Franchitti	428 points (4 wins)	6. Marco Andretti	258 (1 win)
2. Will Power	366 (4 wins)	7. Ryan Briscoe	253
3. Scott Dixon	335 (1 win)	8. Graham Rahal	230
4. Tony Kanaan	283	9. Helio Castroneves	224
5. Oriol Servia	268	JR Hildebrand-R	222

Scott Dixon (#9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) started 1st, finished 1st, his 1st win of 2011 and 26th career victory: "We worked hard to get the pole, so to come back here today for the win is fantastic. On the last restart I really wanted to get to the front, and Dario [Franchitti] didn't fight too hard, and I respect him a lot for that. This is a great result for the team. We really earned a one-two finish today and I'm happy for all our guys."

Dario Franchitti (#10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) started 4th, finished 2nd, holds a 62-point lead in the drivers' championship: "Scott [Dixon] got a really good restart and he had me to rights. Let's be honest, Scott had one of ‘those' days today. He was in a different time zone and deserved to win. From the time we came here to test [on July 28], he's been on a mission. It was the usual tough race here at Mid-Ohio, but a good points day for us."

Erik Berkman (President, Honda Performance Development) on today's race: "It was a great day for Target Chip Ganassi racing, and for the more than 15,000 Honda associates, dealers and suppliers who came out to enjoy the race and joined what looked like a near-capacity crowd at this beautiful circuit. Honda has had a long and successful partnership here, and we're grateful to the entire Trueman family for their years of service to Mid-Ohio. We look forward to the improvements planned for the facility by Savoree Green Promotions in the future."

Honda Racing: Honda to Power Sam Schmidt Motorsports in 2012

Fri, 05 Aug 2011 06:27:00 -0700

American Honda and its Honda Performance Development (HPD) subsidiary will power Sam Schmidt Motorsports in the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series, HPD and the team announced today.

Under terms of the agreement, HPD will provide its new, turbocharged 2.2-liter Honda Indy V-6 engines to all Schmidt entries in the IZOD IndyCar Series and at the Indianapolis 500.

"Following a decade of achievements – and four championships – in Indy Lights, Sam Schmidt Motorsports has logged additional impressive results since the team's return to full-time IndyCar competition this year." said Erik Berkman, president of Honda Performance Development and vice president, corporate planning and logistics, for American Honda. "Included among those accomplishments are the pole position at this year's Indianapolis 500 and a second pole two weeks later in Texas."

"We believe that Sam, Team Manager Rob Edwards and the rest of the Sam Schmidt Motorsports team have established a solid foundation for future success. We look forward to working with them to achieve our joint goals of race wins and IndyCar Series championships."

Designed at HPD's Santa Clarita, California, facility, the all-new Honda Indy V-6 engine is now under development, with initial track testing scheduled to begin this month. Sam Schmidt Motorsports is the third team to align with Honda in preparation for the return of OEM competition to the IZOD IndyCar Series in 2012.

In May, Honda announced that Chip Ganassi Racing, winner of the last three IndyCar drivers' championships, would be its anchor team beginning next year. Earlier this month, A.J. Foyt Racing became the second team to adopt Honda power for 2012.

"Honda's success both on and off the track is unmatched," said Sam Schmidt Motorsports team owner Sam Schmidt. "I believe its total commitment to performance, reliability and integrity as a company is perfectly aligned with the goals of Sam Schmidt Motorsports and its partners. We look forward to what we hope will be a long and very productive relationship."

"I have raced with Honda and against Honda, and I would always wish to race with them. Racing is part of Honda's DNA," noted Edwards. "We look forward to working with the other Honda-powered teams to develop the 2012 IndyCar package and continue Honda's winning heritage."

Honda has been a fixture in North American open-wheel racing since 1994, and has played an active role in the growth of the IZOD IndyCar Series – as both a Manufacturers' Championship competitor and single engine supplier – since joining the series in 2003.

The company scored its first Indianapolis 500 victory in 2004 with Buddy Rice; Manufacturers' Championships in 2004 and '05; and became engine supplier to the entire IZOD IndyCar Series in 2006.

In addition to its efforts in Indy car racing, HPD spearheaded championship-winning efforts in the 2009-2010 American Le Mans Series, 2010 Le Mans Series and the 2010 24 Hours of Le Mans.

HPD offers a line of race engines for track applications from prototype sports cars to karting; for professional, amateur and entry-level efforts.

Sam Schmidt Motorsports was established in 2001 and is owned by former driver Sam Schmidt, who was paralyzed in 2000 after an accident during testing at Walt Disney World Speedway in Florida. A full-time IndyCar Series entrant in 2001-2002, Schmidt moved to the Firestone Indy Lights Championship, where it became the most successful team in the history of the series, with more than 45 race victories and four championships.

The team returned to full-time IZOD IndyCar Series competition when it acquired the assets of the FAZZT Race Team in March 2011.

Additional Honda-powered teams for 2012 will be announced in the future.

Honda Racing: Edmonton Indy Race Report

Sun, 24 Jul 2011 21:25:00 -0700

Circuit: City Centre Airport (2.556-mile temporary circuit), Edmonton, Alberta
2010 Winner: Scott Dixon (Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda), 101.666 mph average
Weather: Sunny, mild, 73 degrees F

Race Results:

Fn.	St.	Driver	Team	Engine/Chassis	Laps	Average Speed/Notes
1.	2.	Will Power	Team Penske	Honda Dallara	80	90.949 mph avg.; led 57 laps
2.	9.	Helio Castroneves	Team Penske	Honda Dallara	80	-0.8089 seconds; led 1 lap
3.	4.	Dario Franchitti	Target Chip Ganassi	Honda Dallara	80	-1.1735 seconds; led 2 laps
4.	11.	Tony Kanaan	KV Racing Technology	Honda Dallara	80	-11.1507 seconds
5.	15.	Justin Wilson	Dreyer & Reinbold Racing	Honda Dallara	80	-11.7835 seconds
6.	12.	Sebastien Bourdais	Dale Coyne Racing	Honda Dallara	80	-12.6681 seconds
7.	7.	Ryan Hunter-Reay	Andretti Autosport	Honda Dallara	80	-18.0259 seconds
8.	20.	Mike Conway	Andretti Autosport	Honda Dallara	80	-18.3563 seconds; led 2 laps
9.	22.	Danica Patrick	Andretti Autosport	Honda Dallara	80	-21.0430 seconds
10.	6.	Ryan Briscoe	Team Penske	Honda Dallara	80	-31.1587 seconds
11.	24.	JR Hildebrand-R	Panther Racing	Honda Dallara	80	-35.5404 seconds
12.	14.	Vitor Meira	A.J. Foyt Racing	Honda Dallara	80	-37.5572 seconds
13.	23.	Ana Beatriz-R	Dreyer & Reinbold Racing	Honda Dallara	80	-1:07.2455
14.	19.	Marco Andretti	Andretti Autosport	Honda Dallara	80	-1:10.2013
15.	10.	James Hinchcliffe-R	Newman Haas Racing	Honda Dallara	80	-1:11.1179
16.	26.	Sebastian Saavedra-R	Conquest Racing	Honda Dallara	80	-1:15.7811
17.	17.	Alex Tagliani	Sam Schmidt Motorsports	Honda Dallara	80	-1:15.8866
18.	18.	James Jakes-R	Dale Coyne Racing	Honda Dallara	80	-1:16.1893
19.	21.	Charlie Kimball-R	Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda Dallara	79	Running
20.	5.	E.J. Viso	KV Racing Technology	Honda Dallara	79	Running
21.	1.	Takuma Sato	KV Racing Technology	Honda Dallara	79	Running; led 18 laps
22.	8.	Oriol Servia	Newman Haas Racing	Honda Dallara	76	Running
23.	3.	Scott Dixon	Target Chip Ganassi	Honda Dallara	74	Running
24.	16.	Simona de Silvestro	HVM Racing	Honda Dallara	54	Did not finish - clutch
25.	13.	Graham Rahal	Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda Dallara	0	Did not finish - crash
26.	25.	Paul Tracy	Dragon Racing	Honda Dallara	0	Did not finish - crash

Power Rebounds With Edmonton Victory

Two weeks after a crash-related "Did Not Finish" appeared to severely dent his 2011 IZOD IndyCar Series championship hopes, Team Penske's Will Power responded with a convincing victory at the Edmonton City Centre airport circuit, scoring his fourth win of the season Sunday at the Edmonton Indy.

Continuing a six-season tradition of equality and reliability, all 26 Honda-powered drivers completed the race weekend on the challenging Edmonton airport circuit without a single failure of the Honda Indy V-8 engine. The teams logged a total of 8,026 trouble-free miles during the Edmonton race weekend.

Starting second and running in that position on Lap 19, Power moved to the point when pole qualifier and early-race leader Takuma Sato briefly locked his brakes heading into Turn 10, allowing Power to pull alongside and then pass into the hairpin Turn 13. Later in the race, contact with Ryan Hunter-Reay ended Sato's hopes for a victory as the resulting spin and stall dropped him a lap off the lead pace.

At the front of the field, Power stayed in charge for much of the remainder of the 80-lap contest as other contenders fell by the wayside, including Sato, Scott Dixon [delayed after contact with E.J. Viso] and Ryan Briscoe [forced to make a late-race pit stop for fuel]. For the final 25 laps, the race became a three-way contest involving Power; Helio Castroneves, having one of his best races this year; and championship leader Dario Franchitti, making a strong recovery after falling to 10th while avoiding the crash in front of him involving Viso and Scott Dixon.

But neither Castroneves nor Franchitti were able to mount a challenge to Power's lead, as the Australian led a 1-2 finish for Team Penske, closing his gap in the championship to 38 points with seven events remaining.

The three Canadian drivers in the field all had disappointing days. Paul Tracy's race ended on the opening lap after contact from a spinning Graham Rahal. James Hinchcliffe was delayed after mid-race contact with Danica Patrick and finished 15th. Alex Tagliani was penalized after first-lap contact with Rahal that led to the crash with Tracy; then ran as high as second on an alternate pit strategy; but finished 17th when that strategy came up short and he was forced to make a late-race pit stop for fuel.

The IZOD IndyCar Series now takes a one-week break before returning to the USA and the August 7 Honda Indy 200 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

IZOD IndyCar Series Championship (after 10 of 17 events):
1. Dario Franchitti	388 points (4 wins)	6. Ryan Briscoe	239
2. Will Power	350 (4 wins)	7. Marco Andretti	232 (1 win)
3. Scott Dixon	282	8. Graham Rahal	218
4. Tony Kanaan	253	9. Helio Castroneves	212
5. Oriol Servia	244	JR Hildebrand-R	212

Will Power (#12 Team Penske Honda) started 2nd, finished 1st, 4th IndyCar Series win of 2011, 13th career win and 2nd Edmonton victory: "It was so bloody hard there at the end, with my tires going off and both Helio [Castroneves] and Dario [Franchitti] pushing me along. I tried, but I just couldn't gap them. This means a lot to us. We really needed to bounce back [after not finishing in Toronto] and a win like this will really fire up the team. A 1-2 finish for Team Penske is just what we needed."

Helio Castroneves (#3 Team Penske Honda) started 9th, finished 2nd: "This is a great result. I wanted to win so bad, but after the season we've been having, a strong finish is like a victory for us. We had awesome pit stops and everything finally went smoothly for us. I think our braking problems are finally behind us. For the first time this year, the car was balanced under braking all race long."

Dario Franchitti (#10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) started 4th, finished 3rd, holds a 38-point lead in the drivers' championship: "I thought I did well to avoid the crash when [E.J.] Viso speared into my teammate [Scott Dixon], but lost some positions as a result. Then on the restart, I screwed up [believing] I wasn't allowed to pass the car in front of me until the start/finish line, and instead of making up places, I was 10th. But the car was quick in clean air and that allowed me to close up on Will [Power] and Helio [Castroneves]. Tenth to third is not a bad day."

Roger Griffiths (Technical Director, Honda Performance Development) on today's race: "It was not a good day for Canadian drivers, and that's unfortunate. But the Edmonton weather brought out a good crowd and made it pleasant to be here. Congratulations to Will [Power] and Team Penske for a 1-2 finish which tightens up the championship once again. It was another flawless weekend for the Honda Indy V-8 engine and we're looking forward to heading to Honda's home territory at Mid-Ohio in two weeks."

Honda Racing: Honda To Power A.J. Foyt Racing in 2012

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 12:29:00 -0700

American Honda and its Honda Performance Development (HPD) subsidiary will power A.J. Foyt Racing in the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series, HPD and the team announced today. Under terms of the agreement, HPD will provide its new, turbocharged 2.2-liter Honda Indy V-6 engines to all Foyt entries in the Indianapolis 500 and the season-long IZOD IndyCar Series.

"A.J. Foyt is a living legend in American racing, and it’s an honor to announce the continuation of our association in the IZOD IndyCar Series," said Erik Berkman, president of Honda Performance Development and vice president, corporate planning and logistics, for American Honda.

"A.J. shares many traits with Soichiro Honda, the founder of our company. Passionate, dedicated men, their names became synonymous with racing in their native lands, and each has served as a symbol of his country’s passion for motorsport around the world. Today, we consider A.J. to be a venerable member of the Honda ‘family,’ and we look forward to our continued association with both the man and his team."

Designed at HPD’s Santa Clarita, California, facility, the all-new Honda Indy V-6 engine is now under development, with initial track testing scheduled to begin in August. A.J. Foyt Racing is the second team to align with Honda in preparation for the return of OEM competition to the IZOD IndyCar Series in 2012. In May, Honda announced that Chip Ganassi Racing, winner of the last three IndyCar drivers’ championships, would be its anchor team beginning next year.

"I am really looking forward to working with Honda next year," commented A.J. Foyt, whose number 14 car will again be sponsored by ABC Supply in 2012. "I think they will provide us with the best engines in 2012 because they have the best resources … their facility in California is unbelievable. I was very impressed!

"The other thing is that I really enjoy working with the Honda management team. I think they have been very fair and honest with our team and you don’t see that too often in this day and age. When people treat us right, I don’t forget that."

"We are thrilled to be working with Honda Performance Development again next year," added Team Director Larry Foyt. "They are such a professional organization and we really like being part of the Honda family. They promote a culture of winning, and as we continue to grow as a team, we believe that they can help us move forward to reach that common goal.

"In all honesty, we’re proud to be one of the Honda teams as competition among the engine manufacturers returns next year. I strongly believe we can contribute to their efforts, and since they are partnering with us, I think they believe it, too."

The company scored its first Indianapolis 500 victory in 2004 with Buddy Rice; Manufacturers' Championships in 2004 and '05; and became engine supplier to the entire IZOD IndyCar Series in 2006.

Honda has supplied racing engines to the full 33-car Indianapolis 500 field every year since 2006, and for a record-six consecutive years, there has not been a single engine failure in the '500'. The 2010 Indianapolis 500, won by Dario Franchitti, marked Honda's 100th race win as a manufacturer and engine supplier in IZOD IndyCar Series competition.

In addition to its efforts in IndyCar racing, HPD spearheaded championship-winning efforts in the 2009-2010 American Le Mans Series, 2010 Le Mans Series and the 2010 24 Hours of Le Mans.

HPD continues to be involved in prototype sports-car racing in both Europe and North America. The company also has an active involvement in a wide range of motorsports, including karting; Formula F open-wheel racing; amateur and entry-level professional road racing; import drag racing; and off-road racing.

The oldest IndyCar Series team in continuous operation, A.J. Foyt Racing is headed by its 76-year-old namesake, with son Larry serving as team director. In 2010, the senior Foyt was honored when race fans voted to name the IZOD IndyCar Series Oval Track Championship after him. The A.J. Foyt Trophy is now awarded to the driver scoring the most points at oval-track races in a given IndyCar Series season.

Additional Honda-powered teams for 2012 will be announced in the near future.

A photo of HPD President Erik Berkman and team owner A.J. Foyt on the grid at Toronto can be found at:
http://www.sportssystems.com/hosting/display.cfm?key=101560

Honda Racing: Streets of Toronto Race Report

Sun, 10 Jul 2011 18:14:00 -0700

Circuit: Exhibition Place (1.755-mile temporary street circuit) Toronto, Ont.
2010 Winner: Will Power (Team Penske Honda) 86.240 mph average
Weather: Partly sunny, warm, humid, 82 degrees F

Race Results:

Fn.	St.	Driver	Team	Engine/Chassis	Laps	Average Speed/Notes
1.	3.	Dario Franchitti	Target Chip Ganassi	Honda Dallara	85	76.805 mph avg.; led 30 laps
2.	2.	Scott Dixon	Target Chip Ganassi	Honda Dallara	85	-0.7345 seconds
3.	8.	Ryan Hunter-Reay	Andretti Autosport	Honda Dallara	85	-6.0144 seconds
4.	20.	Marco Andretti	Andretti Autosport	Honda Dallara	85	-7.5671 seconds
5.	14.	Vitor Meira	A.J. Foyt Racing	Honda Dallara	85	-9.0117 seconds
6.	10.	Ryan Briscoe	Team Penske	Honda Dallara	85	-9.3114 seconds
7.	7.	Sebastien Bourdais	Dale Coyne Racing	Honda Dallara	85	-9.8735 seconds
8.	22.	JR Hildebrand-R	Panther Racing	Honda Dallara	85	-14.1750 seconds
9.	18.	E.J. Viso	KV Racing Technology	Honda Dallara	85	-14.7843 seconds
10.	17.	Simona de Silvestro	HVM Racing	Honda Dallara	85	-15.7603 seconds
11.	26.	Ana Beatriz-R	Dreyer & Reinbold Racing	Honda Dallara	85	-16.8992 seconds
12.	6.	Oriol Servia	Newman Haas Racing	Honda Dallara	85	-19.8736 seconds
13.	5.	Graham Rahal	Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda Dallara	85	-21.3123 seconds; led 23 laps
14.	13.	James Hinchcliffe-R	Newman Haas Racing	Honda Dallara	84	Running
15.	11.	Justin Wilson	Dreyer & Reinbold Racing	Honda Dallara	83	Running
16.	24.	Paul Tracy	Dragon Racing	Honda Dallara	82	Running
17.	12.	Helio Castroneves	Team Penske	Honda Dallara	81	Running
18.	23.	James Jakes-R	Dale Coyne Racing	Honda Dallara	81	Running
19.	21.	Danica Patrick	Andretti Autosport	Honda Dallara	79	Running
20.	19.	Takuma Sato	KV Racing Technology	Honda Dallara	79	Running
21.	25.	Charlie Kimball-R	Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda Dallara	77	Did not finish – crash
22.	4.	Mike Conway	Andretti Autosport	Honda Dallara	76	Did not finish – crash
23.	9.	Alex Tagliani	Sam Schmidt Motorsports	Honda Dallara	71	Did not finish – crash
24.	1.	Will Power	Team Penske	Honda Dallara	66	Did not finish - crash; led 32 laps
25.	15.	Sebastian Saavedra-R	Conquest Racing	Honda Dallara	43	Did not finish – contact
26.	16.	Tony Kanaan	KV Racing Technology	Honda Dallara	2	Did not finish – crash

R - IndyCar Series Rookie

Team Target Triumphs in Toronto

If you like your hockey "old school", then you loved today's Honda Indy Toronto. On a day when nearly every IZOD IndyCar Series competitor made contact with at least one other driver – some more than once – Dario Franchitti led a Target Chip Ganassi Racing 1-2 finish Sunday in a real brawl on the 1.755-mile temporary street circuit in downtown Toronto.

Franchitti survived mid-race contact with primary championship rival Will Power to lead teammate Scott Dixon to the checkers for his fourth win of 2011, increasing his championship points lead to 55 over Power. Franchitti and Power made contact while contesting fifth place on Lap 56. After striking Power's left rear wheel at the end of the long Lakeshore Drive straight, Franchitti continued, but Power spun and fell to the back of the lead-lap field. Some 20 laps later, similar contact with Alex Tagliani ended Power's race – his second consecutive "Did Not Finish" this season.

Following the restart after Power's crash, Franchitti moved past the Ganassi Racing entry of Graham Rahal to take the lead on Lap 71, while Dixon passed both Rahal and Ryan Hunter-Reay to claim second. With just five laps remaining, Hunter-Reay hit and spun Rahal, who fell back to an unrepresentative 13th place finish, while Hunter-Reay rounded out the podium in third, his best result of 2011.

In addition to Power, several drivers appeared headed to strong finishes before having their day's cut short or delayed by contact. Oriol Servia was running fifth in the closing laps, until contact from Marco Andretti sent him to the back of the field and also sent Justin Wilson spinning out of fourth place.

Canadian drivers Paul Tracy and James Hinchcliffe made contact while fighting for position and Tony Kanaan's race ended after just two laps following contact with Ryan Briscoe.

The IZOD IndyCar Series now takes a one-week break before resuming its annual two-race Canadian swing with the July 24 Edmonton Indy in Alberta

1. Dario Franchitti	353 points (4 wins)	6. Ryan Briscoe	219
2. Will Power	295 (3 wins)	7. Marco Andretti	216 (1 win)
3. Scott Dixon	270	8. Graham Rahal	208
4. Oriol Servia	232	9. JR Hildebrand-R	193
5. Tony Kanaan	221	10. Alex Tagliani	173

Dario Franchitti (#10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) started 3rd, finished 1st, his 4th win of 2011, 3rd win on the streets of Toronto and 30th career victory, moving him to 8th position on the all-time Indycar list: "Oh, it was a wild day. There was contact with Will [Power] and if he's mad, he has a right. I saw a gap and went for the inside, but then he closed the door a bit and we made contact. I'm sorry about that; it's not a good way to win a race and I'll take more than 50 per cent of the blame for it. But I did run side-by-side with other drivers today in the same corner without a problem. Today was a big, big win for the team, a 1-2 finish is rare and always huge, but especially here in Toronto. I've loved coming here since scoring my first pole here in 1997. But there's still a lot of racing left this season. Will is [angry] and he's going to be coming hard at us."

Scott Dixon (#9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) started 2nd, finished 2nd: "After getting caught out by the first yellow [after most of his competitors had already pitted], the team made the right calls the rest of the day and a 1-2 result is great for the whole team. I'm a little disappointed, because I think we had a car capable of winning the race today, but this is my best finish at Toronto and I think we've finally turned our season around after a pretty tough start."

Ryan Hunter-Reay (#28 Andretti Autosport Honda) started 8th, finished 3rd: "This was a hard-fought day, to be sure. [On the contact while passing Graham Rahal] I went for it and I'm sorry we made contact, but I didn't do anything deliberate. There was a lot of contact all day long. I'm happy to finish with a good result, and really happy to be on the podium."

Erik Berkman (President, Honda Performance Development) on today's race: "It was a race filled with incredible wheel-to-wheel action, but unfortunately, too much contact. Clearly, the race officials are going to have to take a look at what constitutes 'avoidable contact' on street circuits. Emotions are running high right now, and it sets the stage for an exciting Edmonton race in two weeks."

Honda Racing: 2012 Honda Civic Si Takes On New Role As IZOD IndyCar Series Safety Car

Wed, 06 Jul 2011 07:35:00 -0700

The all-new, ninth-generation 2012 Honda Civic Si Coupe will take on new duties as a Safety Car for the IZOD IndyCar Series, beginning on the weekend of the Honda Indy Toronto, July 8-10.

Already a hit with race fans through the Civic Racing Style Sweepstakes, the 201-horsepower Honda Civic Si Coupe was recently transformed by Honda Performance Development (HPD), Honda's racing subsidiary north of Los Angeles, into an official IZOD IndyCar Series Safety Car.

Modifications to the already high-performance stock Civic Si include Sparco seats and four-point racing harnesses; an HPD high-performance brake system, with four-piston calipers, competition rotors, racing pads, and stainless brake lines; a Honda Genuine Accessory aerodynamic body kit, consisting of front, side and rear under spoilers; and Firestone Firehawk 225/40 R18 tires mounted on Enkei alloy wheels.

An exclusive graphics theme completes the conversion from a showroom Civic Si Coupe to an IZOD IndyCar Series Safety Car. The Safety Car will be driven during IZOD IndyCar Series events by three-time Indianapolis 500 champion Johnny Rutherford.

"The high-performance new Honda Civic Si is the perfect match for the IndyCar Safety Car fleet," said John Mendel, American Honda executive vice president, auto sales. "With its larger and more powerful 2.4-liter engine and enhancements provided by HPD, it is ready to lead the IZOD IndyCar Series field at the Honda Indy Toronto and beyond."

Unveiled in April at the New York International Auto Show, the 2012 Honda Civic features more streamlined and expressive "mono-form" exterior styling, wrapped around a spacious cabin with more style and convenience. Available new technology features include an intelligent, Multi-Information Display (i-MID), USB audio interface, Bluetooth® HandsFree Link® and a satellite-linked Navigation System with voice recognition and FM traffic.

American Honda Motor Co., Inc., was founded in 1959 as the U.S. sales and marketing subsidiary of Honda Motor Co., Ltd. Honda currently produces automobiles, motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles, lawn mowers and engines at its nine major U.S. manufacturing operations, using domestic and globally sourced parts.

Honda Performance Development (HPD) is the Honda racing company within North America. Founded in 1993, and located in Santa Clarita, Calif., HPD is the technical operations center for high-performance Honda racing cars and engines. HPD is the single engine supplier to the IndyCar Series and competes in prototype sports-car racing under the HPD banner in the American Le Mans and European Le Mans Series. In addition to its grassroots motorsports support programs, HPD offers race engine products from karting to pinnacle.

Photo available at: http://www.sportssystems.com/hosting/display.cfm?key=101556

Honda Racing: Honda Performance Development B-Spec Fit, Desert Pilot Complete Inaugural Pikes Peak Runs

Mon, 27 Jun 2011 16:36:00 -0700

Both Honda Performance Development (HPD) entries at the 2011 Pikes Peak International Hillclimb made successful runs Sunday, as the racing division of American Honda Motor Co., Inc., made its first foray in the "Race to the Clouds" with both a one-off HPD Desert Pilot and a production-based B-Spec Rally Fit.

The HPD Desert Pilot features a power train co-developed by the engineers at HPD and the California Race & Rally team. Driven by veteran off-road racer Gavin Skilton, the Pilot completed the 12.42-mile run up the Pikes Peak course in 15 minutes, 37 seconds to finish eighth in the "Open" class.

This marked the racing debut of the Desert Pilot, a single-seat, tube-framed racer powered by a mid-engine, production-based Honda V-6; with replica Honda Pilot bodywork. Developed for off-road racing, the Desert Pilot was entered into the historic hillclimb as a shakedown in preparation for entry in Class 6 Trophy Truck events later this summer.

Entered in the Exhibition category, the HPD Rally Fit started life as a low-cost B-Spec road racer, including a roll cage and competition exhaust, suspension and brake components; with only the suspension raised and the installation of multi-purpose BFGoodrich tires to meet the mix of gravel and paved surfaces found on the hillclimb.

The HPD B-Spec Rally Fit was run at Pikes Peak by the Ohio-based Team Honda Research (THR) Rally team. Driven by Honda R&D Ohio engineer James Robinson, the Rally Fit completed its run up the mountain in 15:46.6.

For the remainder of 2011, Skilton and his California Race & Rally team will campaign the HPD Desert Pilot as a Class 6 (unlimited chassis, 6-cylinder engine) entry in a variety of off-road races, culminating with November’s Baja 1000. THR will run the B-Spec Rally Fit in rallycross events for the remainder of the season.

First run in 1916, the Pikes Peak International Hillclimb starts 9,390 feet above sea level and includes more than 150 turns, as it rises another 4,721 feet over both gravel and paved sections to the summit of the famous mountain. More than 150 competitors take part in multiple classes, including cars, trucks, motorcycles and ATVs.

Honda Performance Development (HPD) is the Honda racing company within North America. Founded in 1993, and located in Santa Clarita, Calif., HPD is the technical operations center for high-performance Honda racing cars and engines. In addition to its grassroots motorsports support programs, HPD offers race engine products from karting to pinnacle. HPD is the single engine supplier to the IndyCar Series and competes in prototype sports-car racing under the HPD banner in the American Le Mans and European Le Mans Series.

Honda Racing: Iowa Corn Indy 250 Race Report

Sun, 26 Jun 2011 13:21:00 -0700

Circuit: Iowa Speedway (0.89-mile oval) Newton, IA
2010 Winner: Tony Kanaan (Andretti Autosport Honda) 131.205 mph average
Weather: Overcast, cool, windy, 67 degrees F

Race Results:

Fn.	St.	Driver	Team	Engine/Chassis	Laps	Average Speed/Notes
1.	17.	Marco Andretti	Andretti Autosport	Honda Dallara	250	118.671 mph avg.; led 42 laps
2.	3.	Tony Kanaan	KV Racing Technology	Honda Dallara	250	-0.7932 seconds, led 25 laps
3.	23.	Scott Dixon	Target Chip Ganassi	Honda Dallara	250	-1.1067 seconds
4.	4.	JR Hildebrand-R	Panther Racing	Honda Dallara	250	-1.4856 seconds; led 4 laps
5.	6.	Dario Franchitti	Target Chip Ganassi	Honda Dallara	250	-1.8926 seconds; led 172 laps
6.	10.	Ryan Briscoe	Team Penske	Honda Dallara	250	-2.3628 seconds
7.	13.	Helio Castroneves	Team Penske	Honda Dallara	250	-2.6732 seconds
8.	8.	Ryan Hunter-Reay	Andretti Autosport	Honda Dallara	250	-4.1625 seconds
9.	7.	James Hinchcliffe-R	Newman Haas Racing	Honda Dallara	250	-5.6272 seconds
10.	3.	Danica Patrick	Andretti Autosport	Honda Dallara	250	-6.0327 seconds
11.	14.	Ed Carpenter	Sarah Fisher Racing	Honda Dallara	250	-7.6745 seconds
12.	12.	Justin Wilson	Dreyer & Reinbold Racing	Honda Dallara	250	-14.1527 seconds
13.	22.	Alex Lloyd	Dale Coyne Racing	Honda Dallara	250	-16.8865 seconds
14.	11.	Oriol Servia	Newman Haas Racing	Honda Dallara	249	Running
15.	20.	Graham Rahal	Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda Dallara	249	Running
16.	15.	Alex Tagliani	Sam Schmidt Motorsports	Honda Dallara	249	Running
17.	19.	E.J. Viso	KV Racing Technology	Honda Dallara	239	Running
18.	16.	Vitor Meira	A.J. Foyt Racing	Honda Dallara	227	Running
19.	1.	Takuma Sato	KV Racing Technology	Honda Dallara	182	Did not finish - crash; led 7 laps
20.	25.	Sebastian Saavedra-R	Conquest Racing	Honda Dallara	114	Did not finish – crash
21.	5.	Will Power	Team Penske	Honda Dallara	89	Did not finish – crash
22.	21.	Charlie Kimball-R	Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda Dallara	62	Did not finish – damage
23.	18.	Ana Beatriz-R	Dreyer & Reinbold Racing	Honda Dallara	44	Did not finish – crash
24.	9.	Mike Conway	Andretti Autosport	Honda Dallara	44	Did not finish – crash
25.	24.	James Jakes-R	Dale Coyne Racing	Honda Dallara	22	Did not finish – crash

R - IndyCar Series Rookie

Andretti Prevails After Fierce Iowa Battle

After a battle that at times seemed more akin to a street fight than a race in rural Iowa, Marco Andretti came out on top of a no-holds-barred duel with Tony Kanaan to win the Iowa Corn 250 Saturday night and end a 77-race IZOD IndyCar Series victory drought.

Andretti and Kanaan were just two of a six-car lead pack that emerged following the final round of pit stops on Lap 188 of the Iowa Speedway oval, but the two soon asserted themselves at the front, leaving the previously dominant Dario Franchitti and others in their wake.

The pair then put on a short-oval racing clinic, passing, re-passing, running side-by-side and using lapped cars as 'picks' over the final 50 laps on the .89-mile banked oval, the shortest track on the 2011 IZOD IndyCar circuit. Only with two laps to go did Andretti finally squeeze out a car-length advantage, which he held to the checkers to score his first IndyCar win since Infineon Raceway in his rookie season of 2006.

Continuing a six-season tradition of equality and reliability, all 25 Honda-powered drivers completed the race weekend on the tight, yet very fast, Iowa Speedway short oval without a single failure of the Honda Indy V-8 engine. The teams logged a total of 7,801 trouble-free miles during the Iowa race weekend.

Early in the 250-lap contest, Franchitti appeared headed to his second victory in as many weeks, leading a race-high 172 laps before his handling deteriorated just slightly after the final round of pit stops. Although he faded to fifth place in the closing laps, behind teammate Scott Dixon and rookie JR Hildebrand, Franchitti pulled 20 points clear of a tie for the drivers' championship lead after rival Will Power spun and made heavy contact with the Turn 2 wall on Lap 90.

Power, one of six drivers to crash in Turn 2 tonight, was treated for concussion-like symptoms. All other drivers involved in the various incidents during the race apparently escaped serious injury.

After oval-track races on three consecutive June weekends, the IZOD IndyCar Series now takes a one-week break before resuming with its annual two-race Canadian swing, starting at the July 10 Honda Indy Toronto.

IZOD IndyCar Series Championship (after 8 of 17 events):

1. Dario Franchitti	303 points (3 wins)	6. Ryan Briscoe	193
2. Will Power	283 (3 wins)	7. Graham Rahal	191
3. Scott Dixon	233	8. Marco Andretti	184 (1 win)
4. Oriol Servia	214	9. JR Hildebrand-R	169
5. Tony Kanaan	211	10. Alex Tagliani	161

Marco Andretti (#26 Andretti Autosport Honda) started 17th, finished 1st, 1st win of 2011 and 2nd career IndyCar victory: "I needed this [win]. Track position was the name of the game tonight and the guys did a great job in pits all night. At the end, fighting with [Tony] Kanaan, I drove like I had eyes in the back of my head. It was great racing with Tony, but there was no mercy between us at that point. Our cars aren't quite the fastest on the super speedways, but when it comes to handling [on short ovals and road courses] we're all right."

Tony Kanaan (#82 KV Racing Technology Honda) started 3rd, finished 2nd: "It was a fun race [but] crazy at the end. If it hadn't been for the win, [Marco Andretti] and I would've had a little 'talk'. But I would have done the same things in his position. He had a great race and deserved the victory. I'm proud of our team, all my guys did a great job tonight. If we keep this up, the wins will come to us."

Scott Dixon (#9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) started 23rd, finished 3rd: "This was a great night for us, to come from the back of the field and run up front feels like a win for us. It was a crazy night, especially early on, but that's what makes the races at Iowa so much fun. Hat's off to Marco [Andretti], they were racing tough up front, and he drove a helluva race."

Roger Griffiths (Technical Director, Honda Performance Development) on tonight's race: "We're very pleased for Andretti Autosport, and this is the best result of the season for KV Racing, which inches ever closer to it's first IZOD IndyCar Series victory. Once again, we had no problems with the Honda Indy V-8 engine over the course of the weekend. Tonight's race closes a run of very exciting oval races with the '500', the 'Texas Twins' and last week's race at Milwaukee. IndyCar has proven once again that the diverse nature of the tracks on its schedule brings a lot of excitement. We're sure that as we go across the border into Canada for the Honda Indy Toronto that the excitement will continue."

Honda Racing: Honda Performance Development Announces 2011 WKA Dunlop Tire Road-Racing Karting Contingency Program

Thu, 23 Jun 2011 09:17:00 -0700

Honda Performance Development (HPD) has released details of a new support program for competitors using the Honda CR125 engine package during the 2011 WKA Dunlop Tire Road Race series. HPD will be offering cash prizes to 1st- through 3rd-place finishers in approved classes and races

"We've been in active discussions with the WKA since the end of last year, and we are pleased that we can offer this program to their participants," said Marc Sours, HPD general manager. "As our program continues to grow, we hope to offer more products and services to the karting community."

To be eligible for support, all Honda competitors must be enrolled in the Honda Racing Line program and display the required "Honda Racing/HPD" and "H" decals on their race vehicles. Registration for the Honda Racing Line is available at http://racing.honda.com/hpd/race-for-honda/registration.aspx.

Administered by HPD and American Honda, these incentives will be distributed following the completion of the 2011 WKA Dunlop Tire Road Race championship.

Spec Honda classes eligible for contingency prizes will include:

Stock Honda 1
Stock Honda 2

HPD's payout structure will reward 1st- through 3rd-place finishers in the above-mentioned classes following the 2011 WKA Dunlop Tire Road Race championship, as follows:

1st: $500
2nd: $300
3rd: $100

Honda Performance Development (HPD) is the Honda racing company within North America. Founded in 1993, and located in Santa Clarita, Calif., HPD is the technical operations center for high-performance Honda racing cars and engines. In addition to its grassroots motorsports support programs, HPD is the single engine supplier to the IndyCar Series and competes in prototype sports-car racing under the HPD banner in the American Le Mans and European Le Mans Series.

For more information, please contact HPD at 661-702-7777 / grmsadmin@hra,com .

**A previous race will be counted if a racer regjsters for the Honda Racing Line prior to the next race.

Honda Racing: Honda Performance Development Announces 2011 SKUSA Karting Contingency Program

Thu, 23 Jun 2011 09:15:00 -0700

Honda Performance Development (HPD) has released details of a new support program for competitors using the Honda CR125 engine package during the 2011 SKUSA ProTour and SuperNats race seasons. HPD will be offering cash prizes to 1st- through 3rd-place finishers in approved classes and races

"We're pleased to expand our support to SKUSA racers through the Honda Racing Line," said Marc Sours, General Manager for HPD. "As our program continues to grow, we hope to offer more products and services to the karting community."

Administered by HPD and American Honda, incentives will be distributed following the completion of the these 2011 SKUSA ProTour championship events:

Honda Racing HPD SpringNats, Arizona (April 30, 2011) **
SKUSA SummerNats, Colorado (July 16, 2011)
SKUSA SuperNats, Nevada (November 19, 2011)

Spec Honda classes eligible for the contingency prizes will include:

HPD's payout structure will reward 1st- through 3rd-place finishes in the above-mentioned events and classes, as follows:

1st: $500
2nd : $300
3rd: $100

Additionally, HPD's payout structure will reward 1st- through 3rd-place finishes in the above-mentioned classes at the 2011 SKUSA SuperNats race:

1st: $350
2nd: $225
3rd: $100

Honda Performance Development (HPD) is the Honda racing company within North America. Founded in 1993, and located in Santa Clarita, Calif., HPD is the technical operations center for high-performance Honda racing cars and engines. In addition to its grassroots motorsports support programs, HPD is the single engine supplier to the IndyCar Series and competes in prototype sports-car racing under the HPD banner in the American Le Mans and European Le Mans Series.

For more information, please contact HPD at 661-702-7777 / grmsadmin@hra.com .

**A previous race will be counted if a racer regjsters for the Honda Racing Line prior to the next race.

Honda Racing: Honda Performance Development Will "Race to the Clouds" with HPD Desert Pilot, B-Spec Fit Entries at Pikes Peak

Wed, 22 Jun 2011 11:55:00 -0700

Honda Performance Development (HPD) has raced - and won - at some of the most renowned racing circuits across the globe, from the Indianapolis 500 to the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Now HPD adds one more historic venue to its competition resume: the Pikes Peak International Hillclimb.

HPD will field a pair of vastly divergent entries in the 89th running of the "Race to the Clouds": a rally version of the B-Spec Honda Fit introduced at last year's 25 Hours of Thunderhill; and an exotic, tube-frame, V-6-powered HPD "Desert Pilot".

HPD B-Spec Rally Fit

Designed for both stage rallying and Rallycross, in addition to Pikes Peak, the HPD B-Spec Rally Fit expands the concept of low-cost "B-Spec" competition from its road-racing origins.

The Fit utilizes all of the same competition components introduced with the debut of B-Spec racing last November by Team Honda Research-West (THR-W) at the 25 Hours of Thunderhill, including the roll cage, suspension, camber adjusters, brake lines, brake pads and exhaust system.

The transition from pavement to dirt is completed by raising the car on its suspension, and installing large, 205/50R15 BFGoodrich R1 tires.

The HPD B-Spec Rally Fit will be campaigned by the Ohio-based Team Honda Research (THR) Rally team, and driven by Honda R&D Ohio engineer James Robinson. Additional rallycross events will be run by THR in the B-Spec Rally Fit in 2011, following its Pikes Peak debut.

HPD Desert Pilot

Also making its competition debut at Pikes Peak, the HPD Desert Pilot is a significant departure from all previous Honda off-road race vehicles.

The HPD Desert Pilot will be driven by Gavin Skilton and his California Race and Rally team. The new program will replace the successful CR-R stock Honda Ridgeline off-road racing program, a two-time class winner of the grueling Baja 1000.

Based around a tubular space-frame chassis, the heart of the HPD Desert Pilot is its 3.7-liter Honda V-6 engine, a racing-modified development of the alloy V-6 found in a variety of Honda and Acura automobiles and trucks. The mid-engined powerplant is located just behind the central driver's seat, providing more than 400 horsepower to all four wheels.

Replica Honda Pilot bodywork, featuring widened wheel arches to cover the 35-inch BFGoodrich off-road tires; King Shocks; four-wheel independent suspension and Baja Design lights complete the package.

After Pikes Peak, Skilton and his California Rally and Race team will campaign the HPD Desert Pilot as a Class 6 (unlimited chassis, 6-cylinder engine) entry in a variety of off-road races, culminating with November's Baja 1000.

First run in 1916, the June 26 Pikes Peak International Hillclimb starts 9,390 feet above sea level, at Mile 7 of Pikes Peak Highway, on the Rocky Mountain located outside of Colorado Springs, Colo. The 12.42-mile long course includes more than 150 turns, as it rises another 4,721 feet over both gravel and paved sections to the summit of the famous mountain. More than 150 competitors take part in the Hillclimb in multiple classes, including cars, trucks, motorcycles and ATVs.

Honda Performance Development (HPD) is the Honda racing company within North America. Founded in 1993, and located in Santa Clarita, Calif., HPD is the technical operations center for high-performance Honda racing cars and engines. In addition to its grassroots motorsports support programs, it offers race engine products from karting to pinnacle, HPD is the single engine supplier to the IndyCar Series and competes in prototype sports-car racing under the HPD banner in the American Le Mans and European Le Mans Series.

###

Honda Racing: Milwaukee Mile Race Report

Sun, 19 Jun 2011 18:00:00 -0700

Circuit: The Milwaukee Mile (1-mile oval) West Allis, WI
2009 Winner: Scott Dixon (Target Chip Ganassi Honda) 138.428 mph average [no race in 2010]
Weather: Mostly cloudy, morning showers, mild, 76 degrees F

Race Results:

Fn.	St.	Driver	Team	Engine/Chassis	Laps	Average Speed/Notes
1.	1.	Dario Franchitti	Target Chip Ganassi	Honda Dallara	225	117.390 mph avg.; led 161 laps
2.	12.	Graham Rahal	Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda Dallara	225	-1.4271 seconds
3.	10.	Oriol Servia	Newman Haas Racing	Honda Dallara	225	-2.7703 seconds
4.	17.	Will Power	Team Penske	Honda Dallara	225	-3.8756 seconds
5.	15.	Danica Patrick	Andretti Autosport	Honda Dallara	225	-4.2289 seconds
6.	16.	James Hinchcliffe-R	Newman Haas Racing	Honda Dallara	225	-5.2021 seconds
7.	3.	Scott Dixon	Target Chip Ganassi	Honda Dallara	225	-5.7803 seconds
8.	5.	Takuma Sato	KV Racing Technology	Honda Dallara	225	-6.1011 seconds
9.	2.	Helio Castroneves	Team Penske	Honda Dallara	225	-6.3463 seconds; led 31 laps
10.	13.	Justin Wilson	Dreyer & Reinbold Racing	Honda Dallara	225	-6.8709 seconds
11.	8.	Ryan Briscoe	Team Penske	Honda Dallara	225	-8.2475 seconds
12.	20.	Mike Conway	Andretti Autosport	Honda Dallara	225	-8.9469 seconds
13.	9.	Marco Andretti	Andretti Autosport	Honda Dallara	225	-9.8659 seconds
14.	21.	Charlie Kimball-R	Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda Dallara	224	Running
15.	23.	James Jakes-R	Dale Coyne Racing	Honda Dallara	223	Running
16.	25.	Ed Carpenter	Sarah Fisher Racing	Honda Dallara	223	Running
17.	11.	Ana Beatriz-R	Dreyer & Reinbold Racing	Honda Dallara	222	Running
18.	19.	Alex Tagliani	Sam Schmidt Motorsports	Honda Dallara	196	Did not finish – handling
19.	4.	Tony Kanaan	KV Racing Technology	Honda Dallara	194	Did not finish - crash; led 33 laps
20.	6.	E.J. Viso	KV Racing Technology	Honda Dallara	163	Did not finish – crash
21.	18.	JR Hildebrand-R	Panther Racing	Honda Dallara	120	Did not finish – crash
22.	14.	Alex Lloyd	Dale Coyne Racing	Honda Dallara	79	Did not finish – crash
23.	24.	Sebastian Saavedra-R	Conquest Racing	Honda Dallara	78	Did not finish – crash
24.	22.	Vitor Meira	A.J. Foyt Racing	Honda Dallara	69	Did not finish – handling
25.	26.	Simona de Silvestro	HVM Racing	Honda Dallara	11	Did not finish – handling
26.	7.	Ryan Hunter-Reay	Andretti Autosport	Honda Dallara	0	Did not finish – crash

R - IndyCar Series Rookie

Dario Does "The Mile"

Dario Franchitti dominated the first half of Sunday's Milwaukee 225, then was quick to take advantage when problems stuck both Tony Kanaan and Helio Castroneves to score his third win in the 2011 IZOD IndyCar Series and move into a tie with Will Power for the drivers' championship points lead at The Milwaukee Mile.

Continuing a six-season tradition of equality and reliability, all 25 Honda-powered drivers completed the race weekend on the challenging, flat Milwaukee Mile without a single failure of the Honda Indy V-8 engine. The teams logged a total of 8,899 trouble-free miles during the Milwaukee race weekend.

In addition, the engine in Franchitti's Honda Dallara at Milwaukee was the same one he used in the Indianapolis 500 and the twin Texas races earlier this month. The engine had 1,475 miles on it at the conclusion of Sunday's race, and Franchitti was pulling away from the field at the checkers, once again emphazing Honda's tradition of providing both power and reliability for the full IZOD IndyCar Series field.

Starting from the pole, Franchitti quickly took command of today's 225-mile race, leading the first 68 laps, and at one point having a five-second advantage over Castroneves. But the race became much more competitive after the first round of pit stops, as both Kanaan and Castroneves took turns at the fro

Kanaan was the first to stumble, spinning and crashing without injury on Lap 194. Castroneves then took command, but a deflating left rear tire in the closing laps necessitated an unscheduled pit stop on Lap 199 and led to a ninth-place finish. Franchitti once again took over at the front and pulled away from fellow Chip Ganassi Racing driver Graham Rahal for his second career win at Milwaukee and 29th career IndyCar victory, tying Rick Mears for ninth on the all-time win list.

Coming home third, his best result this season, was Oriol Servia for the Chicago-based Newman Haas Racing, which considers Milwaukee to be its "home" track. Servia's best previous finishes this year were a pair of fifths, at Barber Motorsports Park and Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Will Power recovered from a poor qualifying run that saw him start 17th to finish fourth; while a fifth-place finish for Danica Patrick was her best result of 2011. James Hinchcliffe completed a strong performance for Newman Haas Racing with his sixth-place finish, the best rookie result. Clever mid-race strategy from KV Racing, running 75 laps between pit stops, helped Takuma Sato regain the lead lap after being penalized for a pit lane infraction to finish eighth.

Next week, the IZOD IndyCar Series will complete its run of Midwestern short-oval-track races with the June 25 Iowa Corn Growers 250 at Iowa Speedway.

IZOD IndyCar Series Championship (after 7 of 17 events):

1. Will Power	271 points (3 wins)	6. Tony Kanaan	171
Dario Franchitti	271 (3 wins)	7. Ryan Briscoe	165
3. Oriol Servia	198	8. Alex Tagliani	147
4. Scott Dixon	195	9. Takuma Sato	142
5. Graham Rahal	176	10. Danica Patrick	141

Dario Franchitti (#10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) started 1st, finished 1st, his third win of 2011 and 29th career victory: "I had to win today, because my dad is here and I forgot to get him a [Father's Day] present! I'm really happy. That was a tough race and it's always especially rewarding to win here. I'm always so happy to come to ‘The Mile'. Tony [Kanaan] was very strong today. He is so aggressive, but clean. We ran lap after lap just inches apart, until he had his problem. It's good to be tied [for the championship lead], but if we keep winning races, then the championship will take care of itself."

Graham Rahal (#38 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) started 12th, finished 2nd: "This finish means a lot for our team. It shows we can compete with these guys. I can tell you were tried to give Dario [Franchitti] a run for the victory, but I didn't have quite enough. But I promise you, if we keep up this level of performance, we'll win one of these [races], soon."

Oriol Servia (#2 Newman Haas Racing Honda) started 10th, finished 3rd: "Probably on Lap 20, I figured out that running low was better for my car. I was pulling away from the people behind me and catching those in front. It's funny, because it seemed in qualifying the faster line was the high line. Apart from restarts, running low was the key to doing well today."

Roger Griffiths (Technical Director, Honda Performance Development) on today's race: "Congratulations to Dario and Chip Ganassi Racing. A win at "The Mile" is always something special. The engine Dario won with today ran the Indianapolis 500, both Texas races, and today's race at Milwaukee – winning two of those four races. At the end of today's race, the engine had completed 1,475 racing miles, which is a real testament to the longevity and performance of the Honda Indy V-8, and not a bad history for a single engine! We feel for KV Racing, when their potential great finish turned into a day of disappointment; but congratulations to Graham Rahal for his best performance on an oval. This is why we love coming to Milwaukee, because it produces such great racing."

Honda Racing: Honda Performance Development Announces Quarter-Midget Contingency Program for 2011

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 07:40:00 -0700

Honda Performance Development (HPD) has released details of a new support program for Honda competitors during the 2011 USAC and QMA race seasons. HPD will be offering "HPD Bucks" to 1st- through 3rd-place finishers in approved classes and races.

"We are excited to be able to expand our support of quarter midget racers through the Honda Racing Line," said Marc Sours, HPD general manager. "Historically, Honda has supported the quarter-midget community via support to the racing series. We are now happy to complement that support by reaching out to the racers directly."

Administered by HPD and American Honda, incentives will be distributed following the completion of these USAC 25 events:

The Milwaukee Mile, Wisconsin (June 18, 2011)
Battle at the Brickyard, Indiana (July 9, 2011)
Dirt Nationals, Ohio (September 24, 2011)

Administered by HPD and American Honda, incentives will be distributed following the completion of these QMA Grand National events:

Western Grand National, Washington (July 2, 2011)
Eastern Grand National, Indiana (July 30, 2011)
Dirt Grand National, Illinois (August 12, 2011)

Quarter-Midget classes eligible for contingency prizes will include:

Jr. Honda
Sr. Honda
Heavy Honda
Light 160
Heavy 160

HPD's payout structure will reward 1st- through 3rd-place finishes in the above-mentioned events and classes, as follows:

1st: $150 HPD Bucks
2nd: $100 HPD Bucks
3rd: $50 HPD Bucks

Honda Performance Development (HPD) is the Honda racing company within North America. Founded in 1993, and located in Santa Clarita, Calif., HPD is the technical operations center for high-performance Honda racing cars and engines. In addition to its grassroots motorsports support programs, HPD is the single engine supplier to the IndyCar Series and competes in prototype sports-car racing under the HPD banner in the American Le Mans and European Le Mans Series.

For more information, please contact HPD at 661-702-7777 / grmsadmin@hra.com.

Honda Racing: 24 Hours of Le Mans Race Report

Sun, 12 Jun 2011 18:38:00 -0700

Circuit: Circuit de la Sarthe (8.47-mile road course), Le Mans, France
Weather: Overcast, cool, light showers during final hours, 63 degrees F at finish

LMP2 Class Results:

Fn.	St.	Drivers	Team	Engine/Chassis	Laps/Notes
1.	6.	Kimber-Smith/Lombard/Oijeh	Greaves Motorsports	Nissan Zytek Z11SN
2.	1.	Ayari/Mailleux/Ordonez	Signatech	Nissan Oreca 03	-7 laps
3.	11.	Barbosa/Bouchut/Tucker	Level 5 Motorsports	HPD Lola B11/80	-8 laps
4.	8.	Collins/Erdos/Newton	RML	HPD ARX-01d	-12 laps
5.	5.	Charouz/De Crem/Nakano	Oak Racing	Judd BMW Pescarolo 01	-13 laps
6.	7.	Frey/Meichtry/Rostan	Race Performance	Judd BMW Oreca 03	-22 laps
7.	10.	Barlesi/De Rocha/Lafarque	Oak Racing	Judd BMW Pescarolo 01	-38 laps
8.	9.	Fournoux/Haezbrouck/Rosier	Extreme Limite AM Paris	Judd BMW Norma M200P	-79 laps
9.	3.	Hallyday/Kraihamer/Premat	Team Oreca Matmut	Nissan Oreca 03	Retired
10.	2.	Kane/Leventis/Watts	Strakka Racing	HPD ARX-01d	Retired
11.	4.	Perez-Companc/Kaffer/Russo	Pecom/AF Course	Judd BMW Lola B11/40	Retired

Level 5 Finishes Third for HPD at Le Mans

In it's first attempt at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, American-based Level 5 Motorsports completed a trouble-free run to third in the LMP2 category, leading the Honda Performance Development effort at the 2011 edition of the endurance racing classic.

Level 5 drivers Joao Barbosa, Christophe Bouchut and Scott Tucker steadily moved through the field in an incident-filled event, with their HPD HR28TT V-6 engine providing faultless performance throughout the 24-hour run. Level 5 took the checkers Sunday afternoon 10th overall, just one lap behind the second-place LMP2 of the veteran Signatech team.

RML completed a strong comeback effort with their HPD ARX-01d prototype after a turbocharger actuator lever failed early in the contest. Initial repairs cost the team some 17 minutes in the pits, and additional time was lost when a more permanent repair was made later in the race. But the RML trio of Ben Collins, Tommy Erdos and Mike Newton persevered to a fourth-place finish in LMP2.

Following a crash in Wednesday's initial qualifying session, resulting in a 41-hour repair performance from the crew, Strakka Racing started second in LMP2, briefly led the category, and was in the thick of the fight for class honors early in contest with drivers Jonny Kane, Nick Leventis and Danny Watts. But as the race approached its mid-point, a brief run over a section of exit curbing by Watts resulted in a broken oil line and retirement for the Strakka HPD ARX-01d.

Steve Eriksen (Vice President, Honda Performance Development) on this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans: "A big thank you for the tremendous effort shown by all three of our teams as well as our HPD associates in this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans. Congratulations to Level 5 Motorsports for it's third place finish in LMP2, an excellent performance in it's first Le Mans run. We were very pleased to have our new HR28TT V-6 turbo engine finish so well in its Le Mans debut, against competition from highly developed ex-Super GT Series V-8 engines. Unfortunately, damage to the Strakka ARX-01d, and a reliability issue with the turbocharger hardware on the RML car, impacted the results for both teams. But it was good to see RML's strong recovery effort rewarded with a well-deserved fourth in LMP2."

Honda Racing: Firestone Twin 275s Race 2 Report

Sat, 11 Jun 2011 10:46:00 -0700

Circuit: Texas Motor Speedway (1.5-mile oval) Fort Worth, TX
2010 Winner: Ryan Briscoe (Team Penske Honda) 159.508 mph average
Weather: Clear, warm, 84 degrees F

Race 2 Results:

Fn.	St.	Driver	Team	Engine/Chassis	Laps	Average Speed/Notes
1.	3.	Will Power	Team Penske	Honda Dallara	114	206.639 mph avg.; led 68 laps
2.	18.	Scott Dixon	Target Chip Ganassi	Honda Dallara	114	-0.9466 seconds; led 1 lap
3.	12.	Ryan Briscoe	Team Penske	Honda Dallara	114	-4.6524 seconds; led 3 laps
4.	6	Helio Castroneves	Team Penske	Honda Dallara	114	-9.5738 seconds; led 1 lap
5.	1.	Tony Kanaan	KV Racing Technology	Honda Dallara	114	-14.3723 seconds; led 39 laps
6.	27.	Marco Andretti	Andretti Autosport	Honda Dallara	114	-16.9488 seconds
7.	28.	Dario Franchitti	Target Chip Ganassi	Honda Dallara	114	-18.4374 seconds
8.	20.	Danica Patrick	Andretti Autosport	Honda Dallara	114	-18.5558 seconds
9.	5.	Ryan Hunter-Reay	Andretti Autosport	Honda Dallara	114	-21.7976 seconds
10.	29.	E.J. Viso	KV Racing Technology	Honda Dallara	114	-24.0923 seconds; led 2 laps
11.	7.	Vitor Meira	A.J. Foyt Racing	Honda Dallara	114	-24.6397 seconds
12.	25.	Takuma Soto	KV Racing Technology	Honda Dallara	113	Running
13.	14.	Paul Tracy	Dreyer & Reinbold Racing	Honda Dallara	113	Running
14.	16.	Alex Tagliani	Sam Schmidt Motorsports	Honda Dallara	113	Running
15.	17.	Oriol Servia	Newman Haas Racing	Honda Dallara	113	Running
16.	10.	Ed Carpenter	Sarah Fisher Racing	Honda Dallara	113	Running
17.	26.	Mike Conway	Andretti Autosport	Honda Dallara	113	Running
18.	21.	JR Hildebrand-R	Panther Racing	Honda Dallara	113	Running
19.	9.	James Hinchcliffe-R	Newman Haas Racing	Honda Dallara	113	Running
20.	13.	Jay Howard	Rahal Letterman Lanigan	Honda Dallara	113	Running
21.	30.	Justin Wilson	Dreyer & Reinbold Racing	Honda Dallara	113	Running
22.	15.	Ana Beatriz-R	Dreyer & Reinbold Racing	Honda Dallara	113	Running
23.	8.	Charlie Kimball-R	Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda Dallara	112	Running
24.	19.	Alex Lloyd	Dale Coyne Racing	Honda Dallara	112	Running
25.	24.	Davey Hamilton	Dreyer & Reinbold Racing	Honda Dallara	112	Running
26.	2.	Wade Cunningham-R	Sam Schmidt Motorsports	Honda Dallara	112	Running
27.	22.	Simona de Silvestro	HVM Racing	Honda Dallara	111	Running
28.	23.	James Jakes-R	Dale Coyne Racing	Honda Dallara	111	Running
29.	11.	Sebastian Saavedra-R	Conquest Racing	Honda Dallara	111	Running
30.	4.	Graham Rahal	Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda Dallara	104	Did not finish - fuel

R - IndyCar Series Rookie

Power Wins Big in Texas

Will Power was the big winner Saturday night at Texas Motor Speedway, taking the second of two races held at the high-banked, 1.5-mile oval. Power's first IZOD IndyCar Series oval-track victory, combined with his third-place finish in the opening 114-lap race, increased his championship points lead to 21 over rival Dario Franchitti.

Franchitti dominated the first race tonight, but could only fight his way to seventh in the night cap after the qualifying lottery for the second race grid positions left him starting 28th in the 30-car field.

Power, who pulled the third starting position in the Race 2 qualifying draw, took the lead from pole sitter Tony Kanaan on Lap 40, after an intense multi-lap battle between the pair. For the remainder of the night, Power relinquished the lead only during pit stops, but still had to hold off a charging Scott Dixon over the final 10 laps.

Continuing a five-year tradition of equality and reliability, all 30 Honda-powered drivers completed the race weekend on the Texas high banks without a single failure of the Honda Indy V-8 engine. The teams logged a total of 13,969.46 trouble-free miles during the Texas race weekend.

Along with Power's 3-1 finishes tonight, Dixon's pair of second-place results moved him to third in the championship standings. Marco Andretti also starred in the second race, consistently moving up through the field just ahead of Franchitti, and finishing sixth after starting 27th as a result of the draw.

Tonight's second race was the first IZOD IndyCar Series event to run caution-free since Homestead, Florida in 2009, and Power's race average of 206.639 miles per hour was the second-fastest in series history.

The IZOD IndyCar Series continues its run of oval track races next week with the June 19 Milwaukee 225 at the historic Milwaukee Mile in Wisconsin.

IZOD IndyCar Series Championship (after 6 of 17 events):

1. Will Power	239 points (3 wins)	6. Ryan Briscoe	146
2. Dario Franchitti	218 (2 wins)	7. Graham Rahal	136
3. Scott Dixon	169	8. Alex Tagliani	135
4. Oriol Servia	163	9. JR Hildebrand-R	125
5. Tony Kanaan	159	10. Takuma Sato	118

Will Power (#12 Team Penske Honda) started 3rd, finished 1st, 1st oval-track race victory, 13th career win: "This [win] means so much for me and the boys. We've been trying for an oval win for so long - and knew we could do it - things just haven't always gone our way. It was a good battle in the early laps with Tony [Kanaan], a good fight. But now we've finally won on an oval, and that's what we need to win this championship."

Scott Dixon (#9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) started 18th, finished 2nd: "I think we both [he and teammate Dario Franchitti] got the short end of the stick tonight. The [Race 2 starting position] draw left us well down the field and Will [Power] starting on the second row. Maybe, if we continue to set the [Texas] field this way, we should get extra [championship] points for each car passed. That might even things up a bit!"

Ryan Briscoe (#6 Team Penske Honda) started 12th, finished 3rd: "I had a bit of a scary moment early in the race. I was going down the inside of a slower car in the tri-oval and he started to come down on me. I had to go down onto the grass to avoid an accident. It's a great result for Will [Power], getting his first oval win, and a great night for Team Penske. It was a long night. I was 'done' at the end of the first race and really had to regroup for the second one."

Erik Berkman (President, Honda Performance Development) on tonight's races: "The two-race format was an interesting concept, and the fans certainly enjoyed the qualifying draw for the Race 2 grid. The closing laps of both races were typical, Texas events: hard-fought and side-by-side. Dario certainly had control of the first race, and it was great to see Will win his first oval race. The championship is already shaping up to be a repeat of last year's duel between Franchitti and Power."

Honda Racing: Firestone Twin 275s Race 1 Report

Sat, 11 Jun 2011 10:45:00 -0700

Circuit: Texas Motor Speedway (1.5-mile oval) Fort Worth, TX
2010 Winner: Ryan Briscoe (Team Penske Honda) 159.508 mph average
Weather: Clear, warm, 86 degrees F

Race 1 Results:

Fn.	St.	Driver	Team	Engine/Chassis	Laps	Average Speed/Notes
1.	2.	Dario Franchitti	Target Chip Ganassi	Honda Dallara	114
2.	7.	Scott Dixon	Target Chip Ganassi	Honda Dallara	114	-0.0527 seconds
3.	3.	Will Power	Team Penske	Honda Dallara	114	-0.2064 seconds
4.	1.	Alex Tagliani	Sam Schmidt Motorsports	Honda Dallara	114	-0.4109 seconds
5.	4.	Takuma Sato	KV Racing Technology	Honda Dallara	114	-1.4174 seconds
6.	9.	Ryan Briscoe	Team Penske	Honda Dallara	114	-1.4337 seconds
7.	19.	E.J. Viso	KV Racing Technology	Honda Dallara	114	-2.1127 seconds
8.	12.	Vitor Meira	A.J. Foyt Racing	Honda Dallara	114	-2.5355 seconds
9.	20.	Graham Rahal	Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda Dallara	114	-2.8146 seconds
10.	13.	Helio Castroneves	Team Penske	Honda Dallara	114	-4.3388 seconds
11.	6.	Tony Kanaan	KV Racing Technology	Honda Dallara	114	-4.7842 seconds
12.	21.	Paul Tracy	Dreyer & Reinbold Racing	Honda Dallara	114	-7.0124 seconds
13.	23.	Marco Andretti	Andretti Autosport	Honda Dallara	113	Running
14.	25.	Alex Lloyd	Dale Coyne Racing	Honda Dallara	113	Running
15.	28.	Jay Howard	Rahal Letterman Lanigan	Honda Dallara	113	Running
16.	10.	Danica Patrick	Andretti Autosport	Honda Dallara	113	Running
17.	27.	Justin Wilson	Dreyer & Reinbold Racing	Honda Dallara	113	Running
18.	5.	Ed Carpenter	Sarah Fisher Racing	Honda Dallara	113	Running
19.	16.	Ryan Hunter-Reay	Andretti Autosport	Honda Dallara	113	Running
20.	15.	James Hinchcliffe-R	Newman Haas Racing	Honda Dallara	113	Running
21.	14.	Oriol Servia	Newman Haas Racing	Honda Dallara	112	Running
22.	24.	Ana Beatriz-R	Dreyer & Reinbold Racing	Honda Dallara	112	Running
23.	11.	JR Hildebrand-R	Panther Racing	Honda Dallara	112	Running
24.	22.	Mike Conway	Andretti Autosport	Honda Dallara	112	Running
25.	30.	James Jakes-R	Dale Coyne Racing	Honda Dallara	112	Running
26.	29.	Simona de Silvestro	HVM Racing	Honda Dallara	111	Running
27.	18.	Davey Hamilton	Dreyer & Reinbold Racing	Honda Dallara	109	Running
28.	26.	Sebastian Saavedra-R	Conquest Racing	Honda Dallara	97	Running
29.	8.	Wade Cunningham-R	Sam Schmidt Motorsports	Honda Dallara	92	Did not finish - crash
30.	17.	Charlie Kimball-R	Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda Dallara	92	Did not finish - crash

Dario Dominates Race 1 in Texas

Dario Franchitti snatched the lead from pole qualifier Alex Tagliani on the opening lap and went on to dominate the first of two 114-lap races making up Saturday night's Firestone Twin 275s at Texas Motor Speedway. Although never far out front - his victory margin over teammate Scott Dixon was just 0.0527 seconds - Franchitti led nearly every lap en route to his 28th career victory.

The grid for tonight's second 114-lap race was set by blind draw at the conclusion of the opening race. Franchitti will start 28th, while championship rival Will Power drew the third starting position. Tony Kanaan will start from the pole. Live television coverage of the unique, two-race event continues on VERSUS.

Dario Franchitti (#10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) started 2nd, finished 1st, 28th IndyCar victory: "The car was great tonight, the biggest problem I had was with traffic, especially when the car was sliding around on old tires. That was tough. Otherwise, it was a great night and a strong 1-2 finish for the [Ganassi] team. Now, let's see what we draw [for a Race 2 starting position]. That's going to be real important.

Honda Racing: Indianapolis 500 Race Report

Sun, 29 May 2011 19:15:00 -0700

Circuit:Indianapolis Motor Speedway (2.5-mile oval) Speedway, IN
2010 Winner:Dario Franchitti (Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) 161.623 mph average
Weather:Partly cloudy, warm, humid, 86 degrees F

Race Results:

Fn.	St.	Driver	Team	Engine/Chassis	Laps	Average Speed/ Notes
1.	6.	Dan Wheldon-W	Bryan Herta Autosport	Honda Dallara	200	170.265 mph avg.; led 1 lap
2.	12.	JR Hildebrand-R	Panther Racing	Honda Dallara	200	-2.1086 seconds; led 7 laps
3.	29.	Graham Rahal	Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda Dallara	200	5.5949 seconds; led 6 laps
4.	22.	Tony Kanaan	KV Racing Technology	Honda Dallara	200	-7.4870 seconds
5.	2.	Scott Dixon-W	Target Chip Ganassi	Honda Dallara	200	-9.5434 seconds; led 73 laps
6.	3.	Oriol Servia	Newman Haas Racing	Honda Dallara	200	-9.5435 seconds; led 18 laps
7.	14.	Bertrand Baguette	Rahal Letterman Lanigan	Honda Dallara	200	-23.9631 seconds; led 11 laps
8.	21.	Tomas Scheckter	KV Racing Technology	Honda Dallara	200	-24.3299 seconds
9.	27.	Marco Andretti	Andretti Autosport	Honda Dallara	200	-25.4711 seconds
10.	25.	Danica Patrick	Andretti Autosport	Honda Dallara	200	-26.4483 seconds; led 10 laps
11.	8.	Ed Carpenter	Sarah Fisher Racing	Honda Dallara	200	-27.0375 seconds; led 3 laps
12.	9.	Dario Franchitti-W	Target Chip Ganassi	Honda Dallara	200	-56.4167 seconds, led 51 laps
13.	28.	Charlie Kimball-R	Chip Ganassi Racing	Honda Dallara	199	Running
14.	5.	Will Power	Team Penske	Honda Dallara	199	Running
15.	11.	Vitor Meira	A.J. Foyt Racing	Honda Dallara	199	Running
16.	19.	Justin Wilson	Dreyer & Reinbold Racing	Honda Dallara	199	Running
17.	16.	Helio Castroneves-W	Team Penske	Honda Dallara	199	Running
18.	7.	Buddy Rice-W	Panther Racing	Honda Dallara	198	Running
19.	30.	Alex Lloyd	Dale Coyne Racing	Honda Dallara	198	Running
20.	31.	Pippa Mann-R	Conquest Racing	Honda Dallara	198	Running
21.	32.	Ana Beatriz	Dreyer & Reinbold Racing	Honda Dallara	197	Running
22.	17.	John Andretti	Andretti Autosport	Honda Dallara	197	Running
23.	33.	Ryan Hunter-Reay	A.J. Foyt Racing	Honda Dallara	197	Running
24.	15.	Davey Hamilton	Dreyer & Reinbold Racing	Honda Dallara	193	Running
25.	24.	Paul Tracy	Dreyer & Reinbold Racing	Honda Dallara	175	Running
26.	4.	Townsend Bell	Sam Schmidt Motorsports	Honda Dallara	157	Did not finish - crash
27.	26.	Ryan Briscoe	Team Penske	Honda Dallara	157	Did not finish – crash
28.	1.	Alex Tagliani	Sam Schmidt Motorsports	Honda Dallara	147	Did not finish - crash, led 20 laps
29.	13.	James Hinchcliffe-R	Newman Haas Racing	Honda Dallara	99	Did not finish – crash
30.	20.	Jay Howard-R	Rahal Letterman Lanigan	Honda Dallara	60	Did not finish – crash
31.	23.	Simona de Silvestro	HVM Racing	Honda Dallara	44	Did not finish – handling
32.	18.	E.J. Viso	KV Racing Technology	Honda Dallara	17	Did not finish – crash
33.	10.	Takuma Sato	KV Racing Technology	Honda Dallara	20	Did not finish – crash

W – Previous 500 Winner R – Indianapolis 500 Rookie

Wheldon Wins Amazing 100th Anniversary Indy 500

An incredible finish, one that any Hollywood screenwriter would reject as "impossible", saw Dan Wheldon passing a crashing JR Hildebrand on the last turn of the last lap to win his second Indianapolis 500, at Sunday's 100th anniversary running of the Memorial Weekend classic at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

For the sixth consecutive year, Honda powered the entire 33-car Indianapolis 500 starting field, and for a record-extending sixth consecutive time – and the only six times in Indy 500 history – there was not a single Honda engine failure in today's race. Over the two weeks of practice, qualifying and racing, drivers logged a total of 40, 655 miles without the loss of a single Honda Indy V-8 engine.

In the closing laps, it was Panther Racing and promising rookie JR Hildebrand who looked poised to pull off an upset victory, as pre-race favorites Target Chip Ganassi Racing split fuel strategy with drivers Dario Franchitti and Scott Dixon; while Team Penske's three drivers surprisingly never featured in today's 200-lap contest.

But, on the final lap and with victory in sight, Hildebrand came upon the slower car of fellow rookie Charlie Kimball, who was just getting up to speed after making a late-race pit stop for fuel. Hildebrand attempted to pass Kimball on the outside in Turn 4 but edged out of the racing "groove" just slightly, enough to send him into the outside wall.

Wheldon, who had been closing in second, swept past Hildebrand's crippled racer in the final dash from Turn 4 to the checkers to claim the victory. Hildebrand brought his damaged Honda Dallara across the line in second, followed by Graham Rahal, who had his own memorable race, coming from 29th on the starting grid.

Another hard charger, Tony Kanaan, passed dozens of cars – some twice – and finished fourth after starting 22nd, moving up to mid-field during the first 60 miles, then falling back down after being blocked in his first pit stop and having to work his way through the field once more.

After leading a race-high 73 laps, Dixon held off Oriol Servia by just one ten-thousandth of a second for fifth. But Servia did become the first Spaniard in "500" history to lead the race, heading the field mid-race for 18 laps.

The IZOD IndyCar Series now takes one week off before continuing a run of oval track races, resuming June 11 with a "double-header" race weekend at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth.

Dan Wheldon (#98 Bryan Herta Autosport Honda) started 6th, finished 1st, his second Indianapolis 500 victory (he also won in 2005) in his first IZOD IndyCar Series race of 2011: "On the radio with 20 laps to go, they said 'this is the deal, some guys are going to try and make it on fuel. You're going to have to go and get the maximum out of your car all the way to the end'. So, I was going to drive that thing like I stole it every lap to the finish and see where we ended up, whether it was winning, or second or whatever. I knew on the last lap that anything could happen, and we were fortunate to be on the winning end today. I have to thank Honda, enormously. Honda has always stood behind me 110 per cent and I can honestly say they are the major reason why I'm here today.

"It's tough to beat these big teams. This is a 'Cinderella' story, but it shouldn't take anything away from what Bryan and Steve have put together here, with the assistance of Sam Schmidt, Alan MacDonald and everyone at Sam Schmidt Motorsports. We can honestly be proud of everything we've accomplished today. I love Indianapolis, I love this city, and I love everything about this place. I don't know what more I can say. I'm numb."

JR Hildebrand (#4 Panther Racing Honda) started 12th, finished 2nd, highest-finishing rookie, led six of the final seven laps until making contact with the Turn 4 wall on the final lap, the fourth-consecutive 2nd-place Indy 500 finish for Panther Racing: "On the last lap, there were cars coming out of the pits and not up to speed yet. I starting catching them as we entered [turns] 3 and 4 and I ended up catching the #83 [Charlie Kimball] going into Turn 4, an inopportune area. I knew the #98 [Dan Wheldon] and others were coming on strong, so rather than slowing down [and following Kimball through Turn 4] I decided to use a move that had worked earlier in the race, and pass him on the high side. But I got up in the marbles and that was it. But even after hitting the wall, I was at 'flat chat' trying to drag the [car] to the finish line.

"This [finish] is not really about me, at this point. My disappointment is for the team and for the National Guard as a sponsor. We knew we had a fast race car and if the race came to us we had a good shot at a top-three finish. As it turned out, we were in a position to win the race. We should have won the race. It's not so much that I'm disappointed not to [win], but I feel bad for my team and sponsor. It's a helpless feeling."

Graham Rahal (#38 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) started 29th, finished 3rd: "Well, on the one hand I feel great about [finishing third]. On the other hand, if the race had gone two laps longer, I'd probably be drinking milk right now. On long runs, I think we had the best car out there today. Someone told me we passed 67 cars today – and didn't win. At the end, we were probably running a little too much downforce on the car. I don't know what happened to J.R. [Hildebrand], but he must have gotten really high. I've made the same mistake here twice myself."

Erik Berkman (President, Honda Performance Development) on today's race: "This was a finish for the record books, and in a way, a fitting end to the 100th anniversary Indianapolis 500. I'm very happy for Dan Wheldon, Bryan Herta and their outstanding achievement today against many larger, more established race teams. But I think Panther Racing and JR Hildebrand also demonstrated, particularly at Indianapolis, they are a formidable organization and would also have been deserving winners. From start to finish, this was a memorable event this year including exciting qualifying for the pole, an intense fight just to make the race on Bump Day, and today's race. The weather and large crowd added to the atmosphere here today. Congratulations to all our associates at Honda Performance Development and our technical partner, Ilmor."

Honda Racing: Indianapolis 500 Field Again Runs on Honda Power

Fri, 27 May 2011 13:42:00 -0700

For the sixth consecutive year, Honda will power the full 33-car starting field in Sunday's Indianapolis 500, the 100th anniversary running of the Memorial Day classic.

Honda has supplied racing engines to the full 33-car Indianapolis 500 field every year since 2006, and for a record five consecutive years – and the only five times in Indianapolis 500 history – there has not been a single engine failure in the '500'.

The company scored its first Indianapolis 500 victory in 2004 with Buddy Rice; earned Manufacturers' Championships in 2004 and '05; and became engine supplier to the entire IZOD IndyCar Series in 2006. Other "500" champions using Honda Indy V-8 power include Dan Wheldon (2005); Sam Hornish Jr., (2006); Dario Franchitti (2007, 2010); Scott Dixon (2008) and Helio Castroneves (2009).

Honda is developing an all-new turbocharged V-6 engine for use in the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series, when manufacturer competition returns to IndyCar racing. Designed at Honda Performance Development's Santa Clarita, California, facility, the all-new, 2.2-liter engine is now under development, with initial track testing scheduled to begin in August.

HPD is the Honda racing company within North America. Founded in 1993, and located in Santa Clarita, Calif., HPD is the technical operations center for high-performance Honda racing cars and engines.

Honda Racing: Honda To Power Chip Ganassi Racing in 2012

Fri, 27 May 2011 08:10:00 -0700

American Honda and its Honda Performance Development (HPD) subsidiary will power all IZOD IndyCar Series entries fielded by Chip Ganassi Racing as manufacturer competition returns to the series in 2012, officials with both HPD and the team announced today.

Under terms of the multiyear agreement, the Ganassi organization will be Honda's "anchor" team, as set forth in the regulations for the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series, and HPD will provide its new, turbocharged 2.2-liter V-6 engines to the Ganassi open-wheel operation.

"We're thrilled to be partnering with a team the caliber of Chip Ganassi Racing as an exciting new era of IndyCar competition dawns in 2012," said Erik Berkman, president of Honda Performance Development and vice president, product planning, for American Honda.

"As many of you will recall, the Ganassi organization was one of our partners when Honda won its first Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) Manufacturers' Championship in 1996; and a Ganassi driver, Jimmy Vasser, won our first CART drivers' title. Since then, multiple race victories and series championships have followed in both CART and IndyCar Series competition. This is a trend we plan to continue in 2012!"

Designed at HPD's Santa Clarita, California, facility, the all-new Indy V-6 engine is now under development, with initial track testing scheduled to start in August. As Honda's anchor team in the IZOD IndyCar Series, Chip Ganassi Racing will assume primary responsibility for track testing of the newly developed power plant.

"We are thrilled to be able to announce this deal," said Chip Ganassi, Owner of Chip Ganassi Racing Teams. "We have had a lot of success over the years with Honda as a partner and we felt strongly that keeping that continuity was important. We look for continued success with such a integral partner."

The company scored its first Indianapolis 500 victory in 2004 with Buddy Rice; Manufacturers' Championships in 2004 and '05; and became engine supplier to the entire IZOD IndyCar Series in 2006.

Honda has supplied racing engines to the full 33-car Indianapolis 500 field every year since 2006, and for a record five consecutive years, there has not been a single engine failure in the '500'.

Last year's Indianapolis 500, won by Target Chip Ganassi Racing's Dario Franchitti, marked Honda's 100th race win as a manufacturer and engine supplier in IZOD IndyCar Series competition. The 2011 Centennial Indianapolis 500 will mark the sixth consecutive year that the full 33-car starting field has utilized Honda Indy V-8 engines.

In all, Honda and Target Chip Ganassi Racing have collaborated to win seven open-wheel driving championships, by Vasser (1996, CART), Alex Zanardi (1997 and '98, CART), Juan Montoya (1999, CART), Scott Dixon (2008, INDYCAR) and Franchitti (2009 and '10, INDYCAR). The Honda/Ganassi partnership has also resulted in 63 race victories since 1996 – 34 in INDYCAR competition and 29 in CART.

In addition to its efforts in IndyCar racing, HPD spearheaded championship-winning efforts in the 2009-2010 American Le Mans Series, 2010 Le Mans Series and the 2010 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Chip Ganassi created his own one-car IndyCar team in 1990 and established a partnership with sponsor, Target. Today, Chip Ganassi Racing Teams includes four entries in the IZOD IndyCar Series, two in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and one Daytona Prototype in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Cars Series. Overall his teams have 12 championships and nearly 140 victories, including three Indianapolis 500s, a Daytona 500, a Brickyard 400 and four Rolex 24 At Daytonas. Ganassi boasts state-of-the-art race shop facilities in Indianapolis and Brownsburg, Ind. and Concord, N.C., with a corporate office in Pittsburgh, Penn.

Honda Racing: blink-182 and My Chemical Romance to Co-Headline 2011 Honda Civic Tour

Mon, 23 May 2011 17:00:00 -0700

Celebrating 10 years of bringing the hottest acts in music across the country, American Honda Motor Co., Inc. is proud to present the 2011 Honda Civic Tour featuring blink-182 and My Chemical Romance. The annual summer concert series is marking its deca-versary by bringing back blink-182, the inaugural artist from the first Honda Civic Tour in 2001, along with My Chemical Romance for a 40-plus date nationwide trek beginning on Friday, August 5. Support acts for the anniversary tour include Manchester Orchestra, Rancid and Matt & Kim.

The Honda Civic Tour will offer tickets priced for maximum affordability for all fans, providing an awesome musical experience at an incredible value. Members of the blink-182 and My Chemical Romance fan clubs will have access to exclusive pre-sale tickets on Monday, June 6. Tickets go on sale to the general public beginning Friday, June 10 at Ticketmaster.com and LiveNation.com . Become a fan today and "like" the Honda Civic Tour Facebook profile to gain access to presale tickets on Wednesday, June 8 as well as tour updates, at www.Facebook.com/HondaCivicTour .

Since 2001, the Honda Civic Tour has provided over two million fans with an exclusive, interactive concert experience featuring up-close and personal access to their favorite bands, including Paramore, The Black Eyed Peas, Fall Out Boy, Everclear, Incubus, Good Charlotte, New Found Glory, Dashboard Confessional, Maroon 5 and Panic at the Disco. This summer's tour is expected to play to another 500,000 fans in total.

"With the tenth anniversary of the Civic tour and the launch of the all-new ninth generation Civic, the timing couldn't have been better to bring back one of the biggest bands from tours past," said Tom Peyton, Honda brand manager for American Honda Motor Co., Inc. "This year's lineup of blink-182 and My Chemical Romance is fun, exciting, hard-rocking and energetic - everything the Civic Tour has stood for over the past 10 years."

"It's great to be going back out on the Honda Civic Tour," said Mark Hoppus of blink-182. "We had a blast kicking off the tour ten years ago, and this summer we'll be taking it to the next level with our friends My Chemical Romance."
"We are looking forward to heading out on the road this summer with blink-182," said Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance. "The line-up for the Honda Civic Tour over the last decade has featured some great bands, and we're excited to be a part of it."

Continuing a Honda Civic Tour tradition, Honda will present fans with an opportunity to check out one-of-a-kind vehicles that have been customized and autographed by the headlining bands. blink-182's 2012 Honda Civic Si Coupe and My Chemical Romance's Honda CBR250R motorcycle will be on display at each tour stop.

2011 Honda Civic Tour

FRI	August 5	Holmdel, NJ	PNC Bank Arts Center *
SAT	August 6	Wantagh, NY	Nikon Theatre at Jones Beach *
SUN	August 7	Wantagh, NY	Nikon Theatre at Jones Beach ~
TUE	August 9	Boston, MA	Comcast Center *
THU	August 11	Buffalo, NY	Darien Lake Performing Arts Center *
FRI	August 12	Washington, DC	Jiffy Lube Live *
SAT	August 13	Hershey, PA	Hershey Park Pavilion *
SUN	August 14	Hartford, CT	The Comcast Theatre *
FRI	August 19	St. Louis, MO	Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre *
SAT	August 20	Chicago, IL	First Midwest Bank Pavilion *
SUN	August 21	Cincinnati, OH	Riverbend Music Center *
TUE	August 23	Milwaukee, WI	Marcus Amphitheater *
THU	September 1	Seattle, WA	White River Amphitheater +
SAT	September 3	Salt Lake City, UT	USANA Amphitheater +
SUN	September 4	Denver, CO	Comfort Dental Amphitheater +
WED	September 7	Minneapolis, MN	Xcel Center ^
THU	September 8	Des Moines, IA	Wells Fargo Arena ~
FRI	September 9	Kansas City, MO	Sandstone Amphitheater ^
SAT	September 10	Indianapolis, IN	Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre ^
SUN	September 11	Detroit, MI	DTE Energy Music Centre ^
TUE	September 13	Cleveland, OH	Blossom Music Center ^
THU	September 15	Pittsburgh, PA	First Niagara Pavilion ^
FRI	September 16	Saratoga, NY	SPAC ^
SAT	September 17	Philadelphia, PA	Susquehanna Bank Center ^
SUN	September 18	Virginia Beach, VA	Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre ^
TUE	September 20	Charlotte, NC	Charlotte Verizon Wireless Amphitheater ^
WED	September 21	Atlanta, GA	Lakewood Amphitheater ^
FRI	September 23	Miami, FL	Cruzan Amphitheater ^
SAT	September 24	Tampa, FL	1-800-ASK-GARY Amphitheatre ^
MON	September 26	Houston, TX	Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion ^
TUE	September 27	Dallas, TX	Gexa Energy Pavilion ^
THU	September 29	Albuquerque, NM	Journal Pavilion ^
FRI	September 30	Phoenix, AZ	Tempe Beach Park Amphitheatre ^x
SAT	October 1	Anaheim, CA	Honda Center ^
SUN	October 2	Sacramento, CA	Sleep Train Amphitheatre ^
TUE	October 4	Concord, CA	Sleep Train Pavilion at Concord ^
WED	October 5	San Francisco, CA	Shoreline Amphitheatre ^
FRI	October 7	Las Vegas, NV	Red Rock Resort, Spa & Casino ^
SAT	October 8	Los Angeles, CA	Hollywood Bowl ^
SAT	October 15	San Diego, CA	Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre ^

(All dates subject to change - visit www.HondaCivicTour.com for updated information).

* with Manchester Orchestra
+ with Rancid
^ with Matt & Kim
~ support TBA
x no My Chemical Romance

Honda, blink-182 and My Chemical Romance have each engaged in programs in support of the victims of Japan's Great East Japan Earthquake and massive Tsunami. Blink-182 recently introduced a limited-edition T-shirt at http://shop.bompa.com/blink182 with 100% of profits benefiting relief efforts. My Chemical Romance created http://singitforjapan.com/index, a song available at all digital retailers, with band and label proceeds going to the American Red Cross.

Produced by Marketing Factory, the Honda Civic Tour brings innovation and environmental consciousness to the masses by combining the hottest in automotive technology with the hottest in music. The 2011 Honda Civic Tour is teaming up with non-profit sustainability partner Reverb to ensure a tour that supports the concert series' dedicated environmental action plan. On-site concert innovations will also aim to encourage fans that it's "easy to be green" by promoting simple, environmentally-friendly initiatives, games and education. blink-182, My Chemical Romance, Honda and Reverb will be raising awareness around the issues of single use plastics and water quality with non-profit partner Surfrider Foundation, all while engaging fans with fun, interactive exhibits.

About the Honda Civic
Redesigned for the 2012 model year, the Civic lineup features six distinct models: the conventional gasoline-powered Civic Sedan and Civic Coupe, two high-performance Civic Si models, a gasoline-electric Civic Hybrid, a Civic Natural Gas and an all-new Civic HF high fuel economy model. For 2012, all existing Civic models achieve higher EPA fuel-economy ratings¹ compared to the 2011 models, up by as much as 8 percent on the highway in Civic Sedans and Coupes equipped with automatic transmissions. The Civic Hybrid achieves an EPA-estimated fuel economy rating² of 44 mpg city, 44 mpg highway and 44 mpg city/highway combined, making it the most fuel-efficient compact sedan currently available in the U.S. Additionally, the all-new Civic HF model debuts as a value-oriented, high fuel-economy sedan with an EPA-estimated highway fuel economy rating² of 41 mpg, the highest highway rating for a conventional, gasoline-powered vehicle with an automatic transmission. The Civic went on-sale at Honda dealerships nationwide on April 20 with a suggested retail price² (MSRP) starting at $15,605.

1 Based on 2012 EPA mileage estimates. Use for comparison purposes only. Do not compare to models before 2008. Your actual mileage will vary depending on how you drive and maintain your vehicle.

2 MSRP excluding tax, license, registration, $750.00 destination charge and options. Dealer prices may vary.

About Honda CBR250R
The all-new 2011 CBR250R brings a fresh take on the fun side of motorcycling. Beginners and experienced hands alike will key in on the extreme versatility of this sporty, fun-to-ride and affordable new offering from Honda. This dependable and lightweight machine delivers nimble handling, a broad spread of easily accessible power, a 200-plus-mile cruising range and low operating costs all in one. Whether the day calls for a commute to work, quick trips around town or all-day explorations in the countryside, the CBR250R offers as much fun per mile as anything around, all at a price that just about anyone can afford.

About blink-182
With thirty-million-plus records sold worldwide, blink-182 is back in 2011 and ready to continue the musical journey that has thrilled legions of fans for nearly two decades. The band launched the inaugural Honda Civic Tour in 2001, during which they were riding on the success of their #1 album Take Off Your Pants and Jacket. Currently putting the finishing touches on their first new recording together since 2003, the group is actively pushing their musical boundaries, all while keeping a firm hold of the multi-platinum blink-182 sound that took them to the top in the first place. In addition to the Honda Civic Tour dates, blink-182 will play festivals and tour Canada:

TUE	August 16	Montreal, QC	Bell Centre #
WED	August 17	Toronto, ON	Molson Canadian Amphitheatre #
THU	August 25	Winnipeg, MB	MTS Centre @
FRI	August 26	Saskatoon, SK	Credit Union Centre @
SAT	August 27	Edmonton, AB	Rexall Place @
SUN	August 28	Calgary, AB	Saddledome @
TUE	August 30	Victoria, BC	Save-On Foods Memorial Centre @
WED	August 31	Vancouver, BC	Roger Arena %

# with My Chemical Romance, Manchester Orchestra
@ with Rancid, Against Me!
% with My Chemical Romance, Rancid, Against Me!

About My Chemical Romance
My Chemical Romance released their fourth studio album, Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys, on November 22nd, 2010. The album was #1 on Billboard's Rock Albums and Alternative Albums charts, while reaching #8 on the Billboard 200, in addition to being named one of Rolling Stone's "30 Best Albums of 2010." NME praised it as "the best rock record of the year," while Alternative Press stated that "MCR have fully followed their own larger-than-life creative vision." Danger Days was the follow-up to 2006's The Black Parade, which shot to #2 on Billboard's Top 200 album chart, sold more than 240,000 copies in its first week of release, and spawned four Modern Rock smash singles.

About Reverb and Surfrider Foundation
Reverb is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 2004 by environmentalist Lauren Sullivan and her musician husband, Adam Gardner of Guster. Reverb provides turnkey greening programs for artists' tours, while conducting grassroots outreach and education with music fans everywhere.

The Surfrider Foundation is a non-profit grassroots organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of our world's oceans, waves and beaches. Founded in 1984 by a handful of visionary surfers in Malibu, California, the Surfrider Foundation now maintains over 50,000 members and 90 chapters worldwide.

For assets, photos and more info on the Honda Civic Tour, visit the HCT online media kit dashboard at www.marketingfactory.com/hondacivictour.

For high-resolution photos, broadcast quality video and media information of the entire 2012 Civic lineup, please visit www.hondanews.com.

Honda Racing: Honda Performance Development Team Wins Louis Schwitzer Award at Indianapolis

Fri, 20 May 2011 09:15:00 -0700

Speedway as winners of the prestigious 45th Annual Louis Schwitzer Award for motorsports engineering innovation and excellence.

Designed to reduce the potential for pit fires and injuries resulting from drivers leaving their pit boxes with refueling equipment still attached – a cause of such fires in the past – the Refueling Safety Interlock System was created by a team at HPD led by Roger Griffiths, Jim Goodloe, Marcelo Martinelli and Robert Bell.

HPD engineers also won the Schwitzer award in 2004 for their efforts in developing the very successful Honda HI4R-A IndyCar Series engine, which went on to power the Indianapolis 500 winner Buddy Rice and series champion Tony Kanaan.

The Honda Refueling Safety Interlock System includes a fuel-probe sensor and corresponding electronics in the Engine Control Unit (ECU) and Gearbox Control Unit (GCU). The system prevents first gear from being engaged by the "paddle shift" system while the refueling hose is still attached to the car in the pit lane.

"Every year, as a result of human error or mechanical malfunction, there are instances of drivers leaving their pit boxes with the refueling hose is still attached to the car," said Griffiths, technical director at HPD. "All of these incidents create the potential for a fire in the pits and injuries to the driver, crew members, or others in the pit-lane area. The HPD system has been in development since 2009 for use in both the IZOD IndyCar Series and endurance sports-car racing. It was introduced by INDYCAR as a mandatory safety improvement at the start of this season."

At the heart of the system is a new fuel-probe electronic sensor, installed in the refueling "buckeye" – or inlet valve – on an IndyCar chassis. When the sensor detects a the presence of the the pit-lane refueling nozzle in the buckeye, software in the Engine Control Unit signals the Gearbox Control Unit to place, or hold, the transmission in neutral, and prevents the driver from driving off before the refueling hose is detached from the car.

The software specified by HPD for the Honda Refueling Safety Interlock System also provides several strategies for overriding the system should a sensor failure occur during a race. However, the teams cannot override the system to gain any perceived competitive advantage without detection by HPD and IndyCar officials.

HPD discovered through rigorous bench and vehicle testing that several modifications to the off-the-shelf sensor were required to assure its survival in the harsh operating environment of an IndyCar. HPD replaces all of the sensor’s wire leads and resolders all joints. They also add heat-resistant shrink-wrap to the soldered joints and thermal insulation and a motorsports connector to the leads, along with a fuse to eliminate electrical shorts. To date, the reworked sensors have achieved 2,500 competition miles without failure.

In addition to providing every team in the IZOD IndyCar Series with this important safety device, HPD has offered to provide its design, free of charge, to other racing series that request the device. The only prerequisite is that the gearbox must be equipped with an electronic paddle-shift mechanism to interface with the system.

The Louis Schwitzer Award, presented by engineers to engineers, recognizes individuals with the courage and conviction to explore and develop new concepts in motorsports technology for use in the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race. The award has been presented annually since 1967 by the Indiana Section of SAE International in honor of early racing pioneer and past Indiana Section Chairman Louis Schwitzer. Award sponsor BorgWarner provides a $10,000 cash prize to the winner. In addition, the winner’s name is added to the permanent trophy on display in the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum.

Honda has been a fixture in North American open-wheel racing since 1994, and has played an active role in the growth of the IZOD IndyCar Series – as both a Manufacturers' Championship competitor and single engine supplier – since joining the series in 2003.

The company scored its first Indianapolis 500 victory in 2004 with Rice; Manufacturers' Championships in 2004 & '05; and became engine supplier to the entire IZOD IndyCar Series in 2006. Honda has supplied racing engines to the entire 33-car Indianapolis 500 starting field every year since 2006, and for a record five consecutive years, there has not been a single engine failure in the '500'. The 2010 Indianapolis 500 marked Honda's 100th race win as a manufacturer and engine supplier in IZOD IndyCar Series competition.

Honda Performance Development (HPD) is the Honda racing company within North America. Founded in 1993, and located in Santa Clarita, Calif., HPD is the technical operations center for high-performance Honda racing cars and engines. HPD is the single engine supplier to the IZOD IndyCar Series and spearheaded championship-winning efforts in the 2009-2010 American Le Mans Series, 2010 Le Mans Series and the 2010 24 Hours of Le Mans.