- Drivers Mike LaMarra and Mat Pombo to join SRO TC Americas this weekend
- HPD-built Honda Civic Type R part of HPD Touring Car ladder
- L.A. Honda World also purchasing HPD Civic Si Race Car for future TCA class racing
The multirace-winning L.A. Honda World Team is adding to its performance portfolio by fielding two HPD Civic Type R TC race cars at this weekend’s SRO TC Americas event at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. The Type R TC-class race cars, designed, built, and sold by Honda Performance Development (HPD), will be driven by L.A. Honda World drivers Mike LaMarra (#37) and Mat Pombo (#73) and will compete in the final five races of the 2020 TC Americas season.
Pombo and LaMarra have significant experience with Civic Type R power, having competed and won in the Civic Type R TCR in endurance racing competition. Rather than pairing in a single car, the duo will each pilot their own Civic Type R TC race car on the Austin and Indianapolis circuits, supported by the L.A. Honda World/LAP Motorsports crew and expect to compete for wins right away.
“We’re really excited to add these Type R TC race cars to our racing lineup,” said Mario Biundo, President, L.A. Honda World. “As the first purchaser of the Type R TCR last year, we committed to Honda and HPD to help showcase the performance potential of the production-based Civic line. Plus, with our purchase of the Civic Si race car, we’re creating a complete driver development opportunity from TCA to TC and beyond!"
The HPD Civic race car line, with their affordable, reliable, and consistent Honda power, give racers the best path to further their talents, while receiving unparalleled trackside engineering support. All three vehicles are based on their showroom-stock counterparts, they also feature distinct modifications to allow them to compete successfully in a wide variety of touring car race series in the U.S. and around the world, fitting a variety of different budgets.
“The L.A. Honda World team has shown that they have the ability to win races and compete for championships,” said John Whiteman, Manager, HPD Commercial Motorsports. “They have been a huge asset in showing how good the Civic platform translates to on track success, and we are thrilled to have them showcase our commitment to develop the next gen of North American racing talent.”
The racing at COTA kicks off at 1:05pm CT on Friday, September 18th with TC Americas Race 1. The racing can be viewed live at: https://www.tcamerica.us/live.
About Honda Performance Development
Honda Performance Development, Inc., (HPD) has a rich heritage creating, manufacturing, and supporting Honda Racing and Acura Motorsports customers since 1993. From pinnacle racing in INDYCAR and IMSA Sports Cars to commercial racing programs, HPD powers the dreams of professional and amateur racers from age 4 to 40+. HPD is a wholly owned subsidiary of American Honda Motor Co., Inc. and leads all of Honda and Acura’s high-performance racing programs in North America. HPD specializes in the design and development of race engines, turn-key race cars, chassis and performance parts, as well as technical and race support, from karting and Quarter Midgets to the highest levels of pro racing.
For more information about HPD and the company's racing product lines, please visit: http://hpd.honda.com.
About L.A. Honda World
As a leading Honda dealer near Los Angeles, Honda World Downey (L. A. Honda World) also has a wide variety of pre-owned cars, trucks, and SUVs for you to choose from. L.A. Honda World believes that performance, precision and exceptional service are the qualities it takes to run a successful car dealership as well as successful race team. For that reason, we’ve chosen to do both. We are the first factory-authorized Honda dealership to participate in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge. We are running three Honda Civic Type R TCR race cars in the TCR class of the 2019 Michelin Pilot Challenge. We Sell, We Service, We Race!
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