Hondanews Online Newsroom

Honda Racing: Honda Announces Major USAC Partnership Program

Thu, 23 May 2013 11:06:00 -0700

American Honda Motor Co., Inc., today announced a comprehensive motorsports partnership program with the United States Auto Club (USAC), including title sponsorship of several USAC racing series and a new role as Official Engine Supplier to the Ignite Midget Series. Implementation of these programs will begin this year, and will be fully in effect for the 2014 race season.

Under terms of the multi-year agreement, Honda will become title sponsor for USAC's National Midget, Ignite Midget (to be renamed Honda Midget) and .25 Midget racing series. Honda K24 "crate" engines, sold and distributed by USAC, will become the new spec engine for the Honda Midget Series.

Honda K- and F-series engines, also supplied by HPD, are currently being utilized by individual teams in the USAC National Midget Series, and Honda GX-series engines remain a popular choice for .25 Midget competition.

Honda will become the official vehicle of USAC, as well as the Official Side-by-Side and All Terrain Vehicle (ATV) supplier; Official Generator and Official Pit Bike for the sanctioning body. In addition, Honda will become the presenting sponsor of all USAC National race broadcasts, via live streaming through USAC.TV, Ustream and USACRacing.com.

"Historically, USAC has occupied a leadership role in oval-track racing and grass roots motorsports nationwide," said Mike Accavitti, Senior Vice President, Automobile Operations, for American Honda. "We're pleased to be able to greatly expand our role in USAC competition, while taking the next significant step in advancing HPD's grassroots motorsports initiative. We look forward to a long and successful association."

Honda will supply USAC with Honda Civic Si pace cars for the National Midget and Honda Midget series. Honda Side-by-Sides and ATVs also will be utilized by series officials. Signage rights for the sponsored series, including Victory Circle, will be provided to Honda for the length of the agreement; and the iconic Honda "Circle H" logo will be placed on all Quarter Midget and Honda Midget entries.

"USAC is extremely pleased to announce the new partnership with Honda today," says USAC CEO/President Kevin Miller. "Honda's new level of participation throughout USAC's racing programs brings new energy with its national marketing footprint. USAC and Honda have partnered today to create an expanded level of excitement in the Midget racing community and we look forward to a mutually rewarding motorsports experience for all involved."

Honda To Sponsor USAC Racing – 2

Honda has been a fixture in North American open-wheel racing since 1994, and has played an active role in Indy car competition – as both a Manufacturers' Championship competitor and single engine supplier – since 1994.

In competition with other auto companies, Honda has won six championships, more than any other manufacturer. In years of multi-manufacturer competition, Honda-powered drivers have won eight titles, again more than any other. Honda has a total of 197 race victories in open-wheel racing, 65 in Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) competition and 132 in IndyCar.

As engine supplier to the entire IZOD IndyCar Series from 2006-2011, Honda supplied racing engines to the full, 33-car Indianapolis 500 field, and for a record-six consecutive years, the '500' ran without a single engine failure.

Honda scored its first Indianapolis 500 victory in 2004 with Buddy Rice; and the 2012 race, won by Dario Franchitti, was Honda's ninth consecutive "500" triumph – both against competition from other manufacturers and as sole engine supplier.

Founded in 1993, HPD is the technical operations center for high-performance Honda racing cars and engines, and competes at race circuits around the world from its headquarters in Santa Clarita, California. The company is marking it's 20th anniversary as American Honda's racing arm in 2013.

In addition to its efforts in Indy car racing, HPD spearheaded championship-winning efforts in the 2009-2012 American Le Mans Series, and in the LMP2 category at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in both 2010 and 2012. HPD offers a variety of race engines for track applications from prototype sports cars to karting; and showcases "fun-to-drive" products for professional, amateur and entry-level racers.

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Honda Racing: Honda Performance Development Opens Tech Center in Brownsburg

Wed, 22 May 2013 15:14:00 -0700

Featuring a state-of-the-art driving simulator rarely seen outside of Formula One, Honda Performance Development officially opened its Indiana Tech Center Wednesday, in the Indianapolis suburb of Brownsburg, Ind.

Driver-in-the-Loop [DIL] simulator technology has been employed successfully by HPD's sports-car racing program since 2007 at a facility in England. HPD's new Tech Center brings that capability to the mid-west, a location central to the American racing community.

A DIL Simulator can save racing teams both time and money, as extensive test programs can be run through the simulator, with the team's driver at the wheel and engineers monitoring "lap times", prior to going to the expense and time-consuming process of actual on-track testing.

"Because [setup] changes can be done so quickly, the DIL Simulator allows you to run through many more [chassis geometry and track condition] changes than you could perform with an actual race car," said Gil de Ferran, Indianapolis 500 winner, Indy car champion and now a consultant to HPD. "It also allows you to perform experiments that would be completely impractical – or highly expensive – on an actual race car."

Design and construction of this latest-generation DIL Simulator began in the summer of 2012, and a site in the Indianapolis suburb of Brownsburg was selected for its central location and proximity to racing teams and drivers.

After construction and initial testing, the DIL Simulator was installed at the new HPD Tech Center in Brownsburg and began operations earlier this month. In the future, in addition to Honda-powered IndyCar and sports-car racing teams, the Simulator and HPD Tech Center facilities will be available for use by teams taking part in other series. HPD offers in-house engineering support for drivers and teams utilizing the DIL Simulator. Customized simulations can be established to meet the specific needs of the teams.

"Similar to the decision to design, develop and build the new Acura NSX in Ohio, the HPD Tech Center is another example of Honda bringing R&D activities to the heart of the North American motorsports community, said Steve Eriksen, HPD vice president and chief operating officer. "This is a development tool that will bring benefits to all of our motorsports activities, through a focus on total vehicle performance encompassing both engine and chassis."

The HPD DIL Simulator provides a cost-effective means of testing chassis setup changes, aerodynamics, engine mapping and future development paths, prior to turning a wheel on the race track. It also allows teams to replicate and experience many on-track situations, including changing track temperatures, surface grip, air temperature and wind direction/strength.

The Simulator provides an opportunity for drivers and engineers to strengthen their working relationships and understanding of one another, without the expense and time required by on-track testing. In addition, drivers can learn circuits and configurations prior to arriving at a new track. It can also be used as a coaching tool, and aid in driver development programs.

Honda Performance Development (HPD) is the Honda racing company within North America. Located in Santa Clarita, Calif., HPD is the technical operations center for high-performance Honda racing cars and engines. The company is marking it's 20th anniversary in 2013.

As one of three engine suppliers to the IZOD IndyCar Series, Honda won the 2012 Indianapolis 500 with driver Dario Franchitti; and has scored 197 race victories in both CART and IZOD IndyCar Series competition since 1994.

HPD takes part in both the American Le Mans Series – where the company swept all manufacturer, engine, team and driver awards in the 2012 ALMS LMP1 and LMP2 categories – and the FIA World Endurance Championship, winning the inaugural LMP2 championship during a year where it again took an LMP2 class win at the 2012 24 Hours of Le Mans, the company's second class win at Le Mans in just three consecutive attempts.

HPD offers a variety of race engines for track applications from prototype sports cars to karting; and showcases "fun-to-drive" products for professional, amateur and entry-level racers.

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Honda Racing: Honda Chases 10th Consecutive Indy Triumph

Tue, 21 May 2013 11:29:00 -0700

An accomplished 16-driver lineup, including two previous race winners and 11 graduates of open-wheel training-ground series, make up the Honda-powered effort for the 2013 Indianapolis 500, as the company seeks its 10th consecutive "500" victory – and fourth-in-a-row with engine-manufacturer competition.

In 2012, Target Chip Ganassi Racing's Dario Franchitti scored his third Indy triumph in a thrilling battle to the finish with fellow Honda drivers Takuma Sato and Scott Dixon, Sato hitting the Turn One wall in a last-lap passing attempt for the victory and Franchitti leading Dixon to the checkers in a 1-2 result for Honda.

Last year marked the return of manufacturer competition to the IZOD IndyCar Series and Indianapolis, after six years of Honda supplying engines to the full Indy car field – also the only six times in "500" history with no in-race engine failures.

Prior to Franchitti's victory, manufacturer competition last took place at the fabled "Brickyard" in 2005 – a race won by the late Dan Wheldon, the first of his two Indianapolis 500 triumphs with Honda power. Previously, Buddy Rice had scored Honda's first Indy 500 victory in 2004.

"Last year's win by Dario and 1-2 finish for Honda was a milestone event for Honda Performance Development," said Art St. Cyr, president of HPD. "While we take a great deal of pride in the unprecedented record of performance and reliability achieved by HPD during our six-year run as sole supplier, the challenges provided by manufacturer competition validate Honda's reason for racing. Once again, Chevrolet has presented a stern challenge for our engineers and partner teams, but that simply encourages us to redouble our efforts. We're looking forward to another exciting race on Sunday."

Seven teams will utilize the Honda HI13RT Indy V6 engine, which is designed, manufactured, developed and maintained by HPD, the racing arm of American Honda Motor Co., Inc.

The Chip Ganassi Racing organization serves as Honda's anchor team, and is led by three-time '500' winner and four-time series champion Franchitti, All of Franchitti's 31 career IndyCar wins have come with Honda power, making him the manufacturer's most successful driver in North American open-wheel racing. He is partnered by two-time series champion Dixon, who also includes an Indianapolis 500 (in 2008) victory among his 29 race wins.

The four-car Ganassi lineup is rounded out by veterans Ryan Briscoe and Charlie Kimball. Briscoe, the Indy pole qualifier in 2012, rejoins his former team for this year's "500", in addition to his full-season role with the HPD-equipped Level 5 Motorsports team in the American Le Mans Series. Kimball is making his third Indianapolis start for Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing after a strong eighth-place finish in 2012.

Current IZOD IndyCar Series Championship points leader and Long Beach race winner Takuma Sato will be making his fourth Indy start, but his first driving for the legendary A.J. Foyt's Texas-based team. He is joined at A.J. Foyt Racing by second-generation racer Conor Daly, making his first start at Indianapolis.

Veteran Justin Wilson made his Indianapolis debut in 2003, but not on the famous 2.5-mile oval. Instead, Wilson's first race at Indy was on the circuit's road course, in the U.S. Grand Prix, driving for the Jaguar Formula One team. Now an established IndyCar veteran with seven career wins, most recently at Texas Motor Speedway in 2012, Wilson returns to the Brickyard with Dale Coyne Racing. He is teamed in 2013 by a pair of Indy Lights graduates, Ana Beatriz and Pippa Mann.

Alex Tagliani will be seeking to follow up his 2011 pole run at Indianapolis with his first trip to victory lane at the speedway. He is once again driving for Team Barracuda-Bryan Herta Autosport. Another strong single-car entry is fielded by Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing, with one of 2012's outstanding rookies, Josef Newgarden, making his second start at the "500".

Simon Pagenaud, the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series Rookie of the Year, returns with Schmidt Hamilton Motorsports for his second Indianapolis start, and is partnered with one of 2013's outstanding rookies, Tristan Vautier, and Katherine Legge, also making her second "500"appearance.

The Honda effort at Indianapolis is rounded out by Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, fielding Honda-powered Dallaras for Graham Rahal, a third generation racer and son of team co-owner Bobby Rahal, and veteran British racer James Jakes.

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 supplied racing engines to the full, 33-car Indianapolis 500 field every year from 2006-2011, and for a record-six consecutive years, the '500' ran without 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, 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 and 2012 American Le Mans Series; 2010 Le Mans Series; and triumphed in the LMP2 category at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in both 2010 and 2012. HPD offers a line of race engines for track applications from prototype sports cars to karting; and showcases "fun-to-drive" products for professional, amateur and entry-level efforts.

Honda-Powered Indianapolis 500 Winners
Year	Driver	Team	Car
2004	Buddy Rice	Rahal Letterman Racing	#15 Honda G-Force
2005	Dan Wheldon	Andretti Green Racing	#26 Honda Dallara
2006	Sam Hornish Jr.*	Team Penske	# 6 Honda Dallara
2007	Dario Franchitti*	Dario Franchitti	#27 Honda Dallara
2008	Scott Dixon*	Target Chip Ganassi Racing	# 9 Honda Dallara
2009	Helio Castroneves*	Team Penske	# 3 Honda Dallara
2010	Dario Franchitti*	Target Chip Ganassi Racing	#10 Honda Dallara
2011	Dan Wheldon*	Bryan Herta Autosport	#98 Honda Dallara
2012	Dario Franchitti	Target Chip Ganassi Racing	#10 Honda Dallara
* Honda sole engine supplier era

2013 Honda Indianapolis 500 Lineup
Team	Car	Driver	Ladder Experience
Chip Ganassi Racing	# 9 Honda Dallara #10 Honda Dallara # 8 Honda Dallara #83 Honda Dallara	Scott Dixon (W) Dario Franchitti (W) Ryan Briscoe Charlie Kimball	Formula F, Indy Lights Formula F, Indy Lights

Dale Coyne Racing	#18 Honda Dallara #19 Honda Dallara #63 Honda Dallara	Justin Wilson Ana Beatriz Pippa Mann	Indy Lights Indy Lights

A.J. Foyt Racing	#14 Honda Dallara #41 Honda Dallara	Takuma Sato Conor Daly (R)	Indy Lights

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing	#15 Honda Dallara #16 Honda Dallara	Graham Rahal James Jakes	Formula Atlantic

Sarah Fisher Hartman	#21 Honda Dallara	Josef Newgarden	Formula F, Indy Lights

Schmidt Hamilton Peterson Motorsports	#77 Honda Dallara #55 Honda Dallara #81 Honda Dallara	Simon Pagenaud Tristan Vautier (R) Katherine Legge	Formula Atlantic Indy Lights Formula Atlantic

Barracuda Racing/BHA	#98 Honda Dallara	Alex Tagliani	Formula Atlantic
(W) – Previous Indianapolis 500 Winner		(R) – Indianapolis 500 Rookie

Honda Racing: American Le Mans Monterey Race Report

Sun, 12 May 2013 19:24:00 -0700

Circuit: Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca (2.24-mile road course) Monterey, CA
2012 Winner: Klaus Graf/Lucas Luhr (Muscle Milk Pickett Racing HPD ARX-03a Honda)
Weather: Mostly sunny, mild, 78 degrees F

Top 10 Race Results:

Ps.	Class	Drivers	Team	Chassis/Engine	Laps/Notes
1.	1. LMP1	Klaus Graf/Lucas Luhr	Muscle Milk Pickett	HPD ARX-03c Honda	150 laps
2.	2. LMP1	Nick Heidfeld/Neel Jani	Rebellion Racing	Lola B12/60 Toyota	+6.352 seconds
3.	1. LMP2	Marino Franchitti/Scott Tucker	Level 5 Motorsports	HPD ARX-03b Honda	146 laps
4.	2. LMP2	Ryan Briscoe/Scott Tucker	Level 5 Motorsports	HPD ARX-03b Honda	+5.578 seconds
5.	1. LMPC	Luis Diaz/Mike Guasch	PR1 Mathiasen	Oreca FLM09 Chevrolet	145 laps
6.	2. LMPC	Jonathan Bennett/Colin Braun	CORE Autosport	Oreca FLM09 Chevrolet	+4.106 seconds
7.	3. LMPC	Tristan Nunez/Charlie Shears	Performance Tech	Oreca FLM09 Chevrolet	144 laps
8.	4. LMPC	Chris Cumming/Kyle Marcelli	BAR1 Motorsports	Oreca FLM09 Chevrolet	+1.054 seconds
9.	1. GT	Antonio Garcia/Jan Magnussen	Corvette Racing	Chevrolet Corvette ZR1	142 laps
10.	2. GT	Wolf Henzler/Bryan Sellers	Team Falken Tire	Porsche 911 GT3 RSR	+0.982 seconds

Other Honda-powered Results:

16.	3. LMP2	Guy Cosmo/Scott Sharp	Extreme Speed	HPD ARX-03b Honda	142 laps-running
34.	4. LMP2	Ed Brown/Johannes van Overbeek	Extreme Speed	HPD ARX-03b Honda	64 laps-did not finish

Muscle Milk Prevails in Hard-Fought Laguna Contest; Level 5 Dominates LMP2 As HPD Sweeps Again

In a four-hour event that included multiple lead changes and unintentional contact late in the race that helped decide the contest, the Muscle Milk Pickett Racing duo of Lucas Luhr and Klaus Graf prevailed to win an exciting American Le Mans Series Monterey at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on Saturday, taking their HPD ARX-03c Honda to the overall and LMP1 victory over the Toyota-powered Lola of Rebellion Racing and drivers Nick Heidfeld and Neel Jani.

In addition, Level 5 Motorsports made it a clean prototype sweep for Honda Performance Development-equipped teams in California, claiming a 1-2 finish in LMP2 for drivers Marino Franchitti, Scott Tucker and Ryan Briscoe in their pair of HPD ARX-03b Hondas. This weekend's victories at Laguna Seca followed wins in April at the Grand Prix of Long Beach for Muscle Milk Pickett and HPD-equipped Extreme Speed Motorsports in the LMP2 category, the second consecutive season that HPD has swept both California rounds of the American Le Mans Series.

Starting third, Graf quickly passed the Mazda-powered Lola of Chris Dyson to move into second behind Rebellion's Heidfeld, setting up a race-long duel around the hilly, 2.4-mile Laguna circuit. The pair swapped the lead both on track and in pit lane, including a pair of thrilling passes by the Muscle Milk HPD entering the famous Laguna Seca "corkscrew". The deciding moment came with just over 37 minutes remaining in the contest, when leader Luhr and Rebellion's Jani, who was just behind, split their way around a slower GTC class Porsche. Luhr passed on the left, and Jani on the right, then the pair made heavy side-to-side contact as they prepared to enter the right-hand Turn 3.

At first, it appeared the Luhr's HPD had received the brunt of the collision, as he continued in second place with visible damage to the right front fender. But soon it became apparent that Jani had damaged his left front tire, and he was forced to pit for a replacement before continuing to a second-place finish. Now back in the lead, Luhr took the checkers for Muscle Milk Pickett Racing's second victory of 2013, an early lead in the LMP1 championship, and his own American Le Mans Series-record 43rd race win.

In LMP2, Level 5 romped to a 1-2 finish in their HPD ARX-03bs after early race problems hobbled the similar cars from Extreme Speed Motorsports. Level 5 owner/driver Tucker started in the team's #551 HPD, then handed it off to Franchitti, who went on to the win. Briscoe started the team's #552 HPD, which also enjoyed a trouble-free run to second with Tucker driving the final stint.

A pair of punctures blunted the LMP2 challenge of Extreme Speed's #01 HPD and starting driver Guy Cosmo, although the team and co-driver Scott Sharp persevered to finish third in class. Teammates Ed Brown and Johannes van Overbeek battled electrical issues that ended their race after 64 laps.

After a two-race swing through California, the American Le Mans Series has a one-month layoff as several leading teams – including Level 5 – take part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June. The series resumes June 6 with the American Le Mans Northeast Grand Prix at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville, Connecticut.

At Le Mans, HPD will field single-car efforts from World Endurance Championship regulars Strakka Racing in the LMP1 privateer category, and Level 5 in LMP2. The 2013 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans takes place on June 22-23.

Lucas Luhr (#6 Muscle Milk Pickett Racing HPD ARX-03c) 1st in LMP2 with co-driver Klaus Graf: "In sports car racing, it's not always about who has the quickest car in perfect conditions, but it's who has the quickest car under all circumstances – like in traffic. I took a big risk when I had to get by [Rebellion Racing driver Neel Jani], but for me it was clear that was our only chance and I took it. Later on, we had a coming together, but [it was not intentional], it was just an unlucky race situation. I have to pay a big compliment to our team. It's so comforting to come into the pits and you know not to worry, that the guys will get it done, that the right decisions have been made. As a driver, inside the car you don't always get the [full] picture and you get fired up. But our engineer Brandon [Fry] is the calmest. He was on the radio and said ‘Don't worry. We got it buddy'. A big thanks to them; it's an awesome win."

Marino Franchitti (#551 Level 5 Motorsports HPD ARX-03b) 1st in LMP2 with co-driver Scott Tucker: "It was a perfect weekend and a great way for Level 5 to bounce back after a tough weekend at Long Beach. Especially going into Le Mans, this is what we needed. The guys have been working day and night preparing for this race. Scott [Tucker], myself and Ryan [Briscoe] have worked really hard with the engineers on the setup of the car and I think it showed today."

Roger Griffiths (Technical Director, Honda Performance Development) on Saturday's double victory at Laguna Seca: "Congratulations to both Muscle Milk Pickett Racing for their exciting overall win at Laguna Seca and to Level 5 for their 1-2 finish in LMP2. LMP1 is proving to be very competitive this year, but we welcome the challenge at HPD and Muscle Milk/Pickett Racing is doing an incredible job. In LMP2, Level 5 had a nearly flawless weekend, although Long Beach winners Extreme Speed encountered issues with tire punctures on one car, while the other suffered a recurring issue in the wiring that the team and HPD will investigate. Level 5 has again demonstrated why it is one of the top teams in LMP2 worldwide, and the team should be well-prepared for next month's 24 Hours of Le Mans, as HPD seeks its third class victory in our fourth appearance at this great event."

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Honda Racing: 2013 Sao Paulo Indy300 Race