With more than 100 Honda Formula F engines sold to racers in the United States and Canada, Honda Performance Development has played a major role in the revitalization of North American Formula F competition over the last four years.

“The enthusiasm and support for the Honda Formula F program from the racing community has been very gratifying,” said Marc Sours, HPD Senior Manager and Chief Engineer. “We believein the class; and wanted to see it grow and return to its rightful place as both a ‘first step’ for the young aspiring driver and as a competitive, cost-effective, open-wheel platform for veteran club racers.”

The 1.5-liter HPD L15A7 became eligible for SCCA Formula F competition in 2010, introducing a modern racing engine to the category while strengthening Formula F’s historic position as the first step in American open-wheel racing.

Developed from the current Honda Fit passenger car, introduced in 2009, the L15A7 engine in FF form provided open-wheel racers with a modern, fuel-injected design offering superior reliability, service life, increased availability and lower operating costs compared to the category’s traditional engines. 

HPD will continue to supply complete engines, replacement parts and support for the Formula F Honda engine after a new generation of the Honda Fit is released in North America for the 2015 model year.  Although the new Fit model will have an updated engine with direct injection and other changes, HPD has a large supply of current engines and spares available, and American Honda will continue to supply OEM support for the current Fit Formula F engine until at least 2024. 

“We’re thrilled to have surpassed 100 Honda Formula F engines sold in just four years,” Sours said.  “We’re even more proud to have participated in therecent resurgence of the class–increased club-level participation and now four separate professional series in the U.S. and Canada – since the Honda engine became available.  We look forward to continuing this pattern of support and growth for many years to come.

”In addition, more than 318,000second generation (2009-2014) model year Honda Fit cars have been sold in North America to date, with these cars providing another significant source for replacement parts and engines well into the future.