Honda Motor Co., Ltd. announced plans for its motorsports
activities for the 2016 season and initiatives to expand the
popularity of motorsports.
Since the days of its founding, Honda has always been engaged in
motorsports activities in pursuit of being the best in the world.
While taking on continuous challenges toward victories and
attaining high goals, Honda strives to share joys with its
customers all around the world under the corporate slogan of "The
Power of Dreams". Honda will continue conducting motorsports
activities throughout 2016 in a way that will bring fun and
excitement to its fans and customers.
I. 2016 Motorsports Activities and Teams
1. Motorcycle activities
In the MotoGP, the premier class of the FIM(1) Road Racing World
Championship Grand Prix Series, Marc Marquez, who won the
championship for two consecutive seasons (2013 and 2014) and Dani
Pedrosa, a11-year veteran in this class, will continue to race for
Repsol Honda Team, a Honda factory team(2), riding the 2016 model
of the RC213V works machine, with a target to regain the
championship title in the 2016 season. In addition, three more
riders will compete in the MotoGP class this year, namely Cal
Crutchlow (LCR Honda), Jack Miller (Marc VDS Racing Team) and Tito
Rabat (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS). With these four teams and 5
riders, Honda will strive to regain the MotoGP "Triple Crown" -
rider, constructor and team championships. In the Moto3 class,
where Honda won the championship title last season, Honda will
supply 11 units of its 2016 model of the NSF250RW works machine and
vie for the riders' championship for the third consecutive
year.
In the FIM Trial World Championship Series (WCT), as with last
year, Toni Bou, the reigning champion for the last nine seasons,
Takahisa Fujinami, a 21-year veteran in WCT who will celebrate his
300th race this year, and Jaime Busto who made excellent progress
last season will race for Repsol Honda Team, a Honda factory team,
riding the COTA4RT works machine, while aiming to win the riders'
championship and the constructors' title for the 11th consecutive
year.
In the MXGP (450cc) class, the premier class of the FIM Motocross
World Championship, Gautier Paulin and Evgeny Bobryshev, who ranked
second and third for the 2015 season, respectively, will race for
Team HRC, Honda's factory team. In addition, Tim Gajser who won the
MX2 class championship last season will also race in MXGP class
this year for Team Honda Gariboldi Racing. All three riders will
ride the 2016 model of the CRF450RW works machine and vie for the
2016 championship title. Moreover, Kei Yamamoto, a contract rider
of HRC, will also race in the MXGP class for Team Honda Redmoto
Assomotor riding CRF450R. In the MX2 (250cc) class, where Honda won
the championship title last season, 19-year-old Jorge Zaragoza will
race for Honda Gariboldi, the 2015 MX2 champion team, riding
CRF250RW works machine.
In the 450SX (450cc) class of the AMA(3) Supercross, an FIM World
Championship, Cole Seely who won one race in the 2015 season,
despite the fact that it was his first year competing in this
class, and Trey Canard who won two races but struggled with an
injury last season will race with the CRF450R for Team Honda HRC,
Honda's factory team operated by American Honda Motor Co., Inc., a
Honda subsidiary in the U.S.
In the FIM Superbike World Championship Series (WSB), Nicky Hayden,
2006 MotoGP champion, and Michael van der Mark will race with the
CBR1000RR for Honda World Superbike Team supported by Honda Motor
Europe Ltd., a Honda subsidiary in the U.K. Moreover, in the FIM
Supersport World Championship Series (WSS), Kyle Smith, Luke
Stapleford, Hikari Okubo, Stefan Hill will race for CIA Landlord
Insurance Honda, Patrick Jacobsen will race for Honda World
Supersport Team and Federico Caricasulo will race for Bardahl Evan
Bros Honda riding the CBR600RR.
In the 2016 Suzuka 8hours Endurance Road Race, FIM Endurance World
Championship 3rd Round, Honda will strive to regain the victory by
selecting riders from among Honda riders who compete in the world
and regional championships. (Details will be announced as soon as
determined.)
In the JSB1000 class of the MFJ(4) All-Japan Road Race Championship
Series, Takumi Takahashi and Kosuke Akiyoshi, HRC's contract test
riders, will race for their respective team, namely MuSASHi RT
HARC-PRO and au&Teluru Kohara RT. In addition, Tatsuya
Yamaguchi (TOHO Racing) and Kazuma Watanabe (FCC TSR Teluru) will
continue competing in this class this year, and Yuki Takahashi
(MORIWAKI RACING) who won the J-GP2 championship last year will
enter into this class this year. All these riders will be riding
the CBR1000RR.
In the IA1 (450cc) class of the MFJ All-Japan Motocross
Championship Series, Akira Narita, 10-time champion in this class,
will race for Team HRC, Honda's factory team, riding the CRF450RW
works machine and strive to win back the championship title. In the
IA2 (250cc) class, where Toshiki Tomita from Team HRC won the
championship last season, Chihiro Notsuka who ranked second last
season and will join Honda this year and vie for two consecutive
wins for Honda, riding the CRF250RW works machine.
In the IAS class of the MFJ All-Japan Trial Championship Series,
Tomoyuki Ogawa, a HRC contract test rider who won his fifth
championship title last year, will race for HRC CLUB MITANI riding
the RTL300R and vie for his sixth and fourth consecutive
championship title.
2. Automobile activities
Honda will continue competing in the FIA(5) Formula One World
Championship (F1) as a power unit supplier for the McLaren-Honda,
which will again enter two machines driven by Fernando Alonso and
Jenson Button.
In the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC), Honda will
continue providing the Civic WTCC equipped with a 1.6-liter direct
injection turbo engine. Rob Huff, the 2012 WTCC champion, will join
Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team, a Honda factory team, as well
as Tiago Monteiro and Norbert Michelisz.
In the GT500 class of the SUPER GT Series, as with last year, Honda
will compete with 5 teams/5 machines. Honda will modify the
powertrain concept of the NSX CONCEPT-GT and strive to capture the
title with its 2.0-liter, direct-injected and turbocharged inline
4-cylinder engine without a hybrid system.
For the Japanese SUPER FORMULA Championship, Honda will continue
supplying the HR-414E, a 2.0-liter, inline, 4-cylinder, direct
injection turbo engine with enhanced thermal efficiency. With the
addition of Stoffel Vandoorne, the third driver of McLaren-Honda,
to DOCOMO TEAM DANDELION RACING, Honda will strive to capture the
dual titles of drivers' and team championships with its 5 teams/8
machines.
In the IndyCar(R) Series in North America, where the 100th running
of the Indy 500 will take place this year, Honda Performance
Development, Inc. (HPD), a subsidiary of American Honda Motor Co.,
Inc., will supply HI16TT, 2.2-liter V6 twin turbo engines for the
11 machines raced by 6 teams. As with last year, Takuma Sato, now
in his seventh season, will compete for A.J. Foyt Racing.
II. Fostering World-class Riders and Drivers in Motorsports
In road racing, in conjunction with Honda?s racing activities in
Asia where people's interest in motorcycle racing is growing
rapidly, Honda strives to help young riders in this region to
tackle the challenge of competing in the Road Racing World
Championship Series and realize their dreams. Toward this end,
Honda will continue its active support of the Asia Dream Cup (ADC),
a part of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship Series (ARRC), as
well as the Shell Advance Asia Talent Cup (SAATC) hosted by Dorna
Sports, S.L., which also hosts MotoGP, as these races are designed
to identify promising riders and produce future grand prix riders
from Asian countries including Japan. Moreover, Honda also supports
the FIM CEV Repsol Moto3 Junior World Championship, the destination
for riders stepping up from the ADC and SAATC, and IDEMITSU Honda
Team Asia which will compete in the Moto2 class of the FIM Road
Racing World Championship Grand Prix Series. Furthermore, Honda
Team Asia which will begin competing in the Moto3 this year will
welcome Hiroki Ono, 2013 ADC champion and second year Moto3 rider,
who will be paired with Khairul Idham Pawi, who perform brilliantly
in the FIM CEV Repsol Moto3 Junior World Championship.
In motocross racing, Honda continues to host training camps in
Japan for team riders competing in the MFJ All-Japan Motocross
Championship Series, and also conducts a program for fostering
talent by providing opportunities for young riders with future
potential to join a training camp in the U.S. and compete in MXGP
races. Moreover, Honda will strive to foster another world-class
rider by having Toshiki Tomita, one of the HRC contract riders and
a MFJ All-Japan Motocross Championship IA2 (250cc class) champion,
race in the AMA Motocross Championship Series (MX450).
For auto racing, Honda has been operating Honda Formula Dream
Project (HFDP), a program designed to find and foster talented
young drivers who will play active roles in the world of
motorsports.
In the GP2 Series(6), which is being recognized as a gateway to the
F1, Nobuharu Matsushita will compete again this year with ART Grand
Prix. In the GP3 Series(7), Nirei Fukuzumi who competed in the
All-Japan Formula Three Championship last year will compete for the
first time. Honda's Participation in GP2 Series and GP3 Series is a
coordinated project with McLaren Racing, through which Honda will
foster Japanese drivers who can compete in the world-class
races.
In Japan, Honda will continue supporting drivers who compete in the
All-Japan Formula Three Championship and the FIA-F4 Japanese
Championship(8), a formula race intended for junior drivers, which
are an excellent opportunity to foster young and talented drivers
who play active roles in the world of motorsports.
III. Honda initiatives to expand popularity of motorsports
Honda has been making active efforts to expand the popularity of
motorsports. In order to convey the fascination of motorsports to a
broader range of people, Honda has been conducting various events
and activities including ones that can be enjoyed more casually by
those people who are not yet so familiar with motorsports.
1. NSF100 HRC Trophy, CBR250R Dream Cup and HRC and NSF250R
Challenge
The NSF100 HRC Trophy, held since 2006 at over 20 circuits
throughout Japan, is a one-make race featuring the NSF100 machine
developed exclusively for racing. The race, which marks its 11th
season this year, is recognized as a gateway to success for junior
riders.
CBR250R Dream Cup is a one-make race featuring the CBR250R, a
mass-market Honda motorcycle model, and has been held since 2012 at
circuits throughout Japan. In 2014, a new class was added to
encourage entrants with no formal racing experience. This new
class, together with the original class for experienced riders, now
constitutes the two classes of the Dream Cup.
Moreover, since 2015, Honda has been hosting the HRC NSF250R
Challenge which features the NSF250R, a mass-market Honda road
racer model. The Japanese local championship for this race is held
together with the race in the J-GP3 class at each circuit where
J-GP3 is held. Modifications to the standard vehicle (HRC factory
spec) are not allowed, which helps to curb the running cost,
thereby enabling a full-fledged racing experience at a lower
cost.
Riders who rank high in regional preliminary races held in local
circuits will win admittance to the Grand Championships of
respective events held at Suzuka Circuit and Twin Ring Motegi. HRC
will continue supporting these programs, while making these racing
machines available in the market.
2. Honda Sports & Eco Program
In 2012, Mobilityland Corporation and M-TEC Co., Ltd jointly
started the Honda Sports & Eco Program, a participatory
motorsports program, under the theme of "eco-friendly sports
driving." This program is designed to provide participants with a
lighthearted experience of enjoying the fun of "driving, upskilling
and competing," while pushing the limits of eco-performance behind
the wheel of a Honda CR-Z with racing specifications provided to
each participant through the program, toward the ultimate goal of
promoting coexistence of the environment and sports driving. The
program has been providing a four-step school program which enables
motorsports beginners to strive for their racing debut with peace
of mind as well as a five-times-a year racing program for all
levels of drivers. Moreover, the price structure of this program
allows more people, including beginners and skilled sports drivers
alike, to casually experience motorsports, making the program even
more attractive to everyone.
3. The 1.5 Challenge Cup
Starting this season, the FIT 1.5 Challenge Cup, a one-make race
featuring Fit, hosted by Mobilityland Corporation will be upgraded
to a quasi-domestic rank race approved by the Japan Automobile
Federation (JAF). As a result, the title of "Suzuka Touring Car
Championship" and "Motegi/Sugo Touring Car Championship" will be
added to the race name FIT 1.5 Challenge Cup for each event in each
respective location.
4. N-ONE OWNERS' CUP
N-ONE OWNERS? CUP is a participatory motorsports program that
utilizes the N-ONE mini-vehicle that has proven popular with a
large number of customers. With the aim of letting many motorsports
fans including racing beginners actively take part, the N-ONE
OWNERS' CUP started in 2014, taking the form of a sprint race with
commercially available vehicles licensed for public roads. With
this existing concept that has proven popular, this motorsports
event will again be held at six circuits spread around Japan:
Suzuka Circuit, Twin Ring Motegi, Okayama International Circuit,
Fuji Speedway, Autopolis International Racing Course, and
Sportsland SUGO. A total of 14 races at these circuits are planned
for this season, with more extensive support provided to racing
beginners.
5. Honda Eco Mileage Challenge 2016
Since 1981, Honda has hosted the Honda Eco Mileage Challenge, an
event focused on the environment. Participants combine their
creativity, freewheeling thinking and technology to create their
own handcrafted vehicles, and then compete to see how far they can
travel on one liter of fuel. This event will mark its 36th year in
2016, and the cumulative number of teams participated since 1981
has exceeded 13,000 teams. The Honda Eco Mileage Challenge is now
held not only in Japan but also in Thailand, China and Vietnam.
6. Enjoy Honda 2016
With the aim of providing more opportunities for people to watch,
participate in and enjoy activities related to Honda motorcycles,
automobiles, and power products, the Enjoy Honda program will be
held again this year as a fan appreciation event. In 2016, Enjoy
Honda events will be held at eight venues: Kumamoto, Mie, Hokkaido,
Shizuoka, Tochigi, Miyagi, Hiroshima, plus a new venue in Kagawa
Prefecture.
The events in Mie and Tochigi will be held at Suzuka Circuit and
Twin Ring Motegi respectively, on the day when the following event
will be held: Suzuka 2&4 Races (with concurrent races of Round
2 of the MFJ All-Japan Road Race Championship Series and Round 1 of
the Japanese SUPER FORMULA Championship) at Suzuka Circuit, and
Motegi 2&4 Races (with concurrent races of Round 6 of the MFJ
All-Japan Road Race Championship Series and Round 4 of the Japanese
SUPER FORMULA Championship) at Twin Ring Motegi. Furthermore, the
Enjoy Honda 2016 also will include the display of Honda
motorcycles, automobiles, and power products, as well as various
events including parent-and-child motorcycle lessons, live
demonstrations of ASIMO and UNI-CUB and a trial bike show(9).
(1) FIM: Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme
(2) Factory team (also known as "works team"): a team managed
directly by the manufacturer that creates the racing machine. For
Honda, teams operated by Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) are factory
teams of Honda.
(3) AMA: American Motorcyclist Association
(4) MFJ: Motorcycle Federation of Japan
(5) FIA: Federation Internationale de l'Automobile
(6) The GP2 Series is a category positioned as a gateway to F1. GP2
Series races are held internationally, mostly in Europe, as support
races for F1. Past GP2 Series champions have moved on to further
success at F1.
(7) Most GP3 Series races are held concurrently with GP2 Series
races as support race for F1. Regulations and manufacturers of GP2
machines are different from those of GP2 machines.
(8) The FIA-F4 is a new category established in 2015 by FIA, with
the major purpose of fostering young drivers who can aim to move up
from cart racing to the F3 class. FIA will strive to evolve this
category in a greater number of countries around the world.
(9) The actual program will differ according to venue. For more
details, visit the official Enjoy Honda website at
http://www.honda.co.jp/enjoyhonda/ (Japanese only).
About Honda
Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (TSE:7267/NYSE:HMC/LSE:HNDA) is one of the
leading manufacturers of automobiles and power products and the
largest manufacture of motorcycles in the world. Honda has always
sought to provide genuine satisfaction to people worldwide. The
result is more than 120 manufacturing facilities in 30 countries
worldwide, producing a wide range of products, including
motorcycles, ATVs, generators, marine engines, lawn and garden
equipment and automobiles that bring the company into contact with
over 19 million customers annually. For more information, please
visit http://world.honda.com.
Source: Honda
Contact:
Media Inquiries
corporate_pr@hm.honda.co.jp
Tel: +81-3-5412-1512
Copyright 2016 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved.
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