An Interview With:

ART ST. CYR

T.E. McHALE: Good afternoon, everyone. Thanks for being with us for this first of a series of media briefings we’ll be hosting at Honda hospitality throughout the 2016 season. Speaking from both a personal and professional standpoint, I can tell you it’s great to be back at a racetrack, and our guest today is Art St. Cyr, the president of HPD, Honda Performance Development. Art, thanks for making time to be with us today.
ART ST. CYR: Thanks for having me, and welcome, everybody.
T.E. McHALE: Let’s just kind of start with an overview of Honda’s teams and drivers in the 2016 season. Give us your initial impressions of how our lineup shapes up.
ART ST. CYR: We’re actually pretty excited about our lineup this year. It’s similar to what we had last year, but we have added a few very exciting younger drivers to our mix. We have three young American drivers in Conor Daly, Alexander Rossi and Spencer Pigot. We’re very excited to see how they do now that they get in the big cars here. I guess calling them rookies is a little bit of a misnomer for a lot of them. We are very excited about that. Combine that with a lot of our veteran talent, the I don’t know if you call Graham Rahal old, but Graham, Marco and Ryan Hunter Reay, James Hinchcliffe, we have a pretty good stable of drivers of experience and youth, and we’re looking forward to seeing what they can do this year. Continue reading Honda Racing–INDYCAR–St. Pete–An Interview with Art St. Cyr →

Honda Readies Field for 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series Season Opener
• Updated aero kits, engines make up 2016 Honda Indy car package
• Eleven driver full-season lineup includes Hunter-Reay, Rahal, Hinchcliffe
• Season opens Sunday in St. Petersburg, Florida

TORRANCE, Calif. (March 10, 2016) – Featuring a talented full-season lineup, updated Honda Indy V6 engine and enhanced aero kit bodywork, Honda opens the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series this weekend, seeking its seventh competitive manufacturers’ championship and 11th Indianapolis 500 victory.
The manufacturer and its Honda Performance Development racing arm will present an impressive lineup at Sunday’s season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, including 2012 series champion Ryan Hunter-Reay, five additional Indy car race winners and a trio of promising rookie talents. Continue reading Honda Readies Field for 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series Season Opener →

Pirelli World Challenge Grand Prix of Texas
Circuit of the Americas (3.431-mile road course) Austin, Texas
Weather: Sunny, mild, 78 degrees F

Eversley Scores Top-10 Finishes in Austin
• Ryan Eversley leads Acura Motorsports results at Circuit of the Americas
• Peter Cunningham battles back after contact, spin in Sunday’s finale
• Doubleheader Texas race weekend opens 2016 Pirelli World Challenge Season

AUSTIN, Texas – (March 6, 2016) – RealTime Racing showed its mettle throughout the 2016 season-opening Pirelli World Challenge weekend at the Circuit of the Americas, with Ryan Eversley scoring a pair of 10th place finishes for the Acura Motorsports effort, despite contact in Saturday’s race and a spin in Sunday’s finale; while teammate Peter Cunningham fought back after handling issues on Saturday and being tapped into a spin early in Sunday’s race. Continue reading Honda Racing–Pirelli World Challenge Grand Prix of Texas →

Andretti Leads the Way for Honda in Final Pre-Season Practice
• Two-day open test concludes with Honda drivers second through sixth
• Marco Andretti leads Honda contingent in “The Test in the West”
• 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series opens March 13 in St. Petersburg, Florida

Honda drivers claimed five of the top six positions on the leader board in the final practice session as the two-day Verizon IndyCar Series “Test in the West” came to a close Saturday night at Phoenix International Raceway. Marco Andretti posted the second-fastest speed in the fourth and final three-hour practice session, with his Andretti Autosport teammate Ryan Hunter-Reay, third. Continue reading Honda Racing–Andretti Leads the Way for Honda in Final Pre-Season Practice →

F4 CRAWFORD CHASSIS GAINS APPROVAL FROM FIA FOR INAUGURAL SEASON
Becomes first chassis approved and built in the United States

INDIANAPOLIS (February 12, 2016) – The new Formula 4 United States Championship powered by Honda took one step closer to launching its inaugural season this week as the chassis for its car was approved by the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA). Continue reading Honda Racing–F4 CRAWFORD CHASSIS GAINS APPROVAL FROM FIA FOR INAUGURAL SEASON →

Early Tests Prove RealTime Racing Acura TLX GT Ready For 2016

• Peter Cunningham, Ryan Eversley return to pilot Acuras in 2016 Pirelli World Challenge
• HPD and RTR change the Acura TLX GT to a rear-wheel-drive platform for 2016 season
• Season starts at Circuit of the Americas March 4-6

TORRANCE, Calif, (February 4, 2016) – In professional motor racing, if you aren’t moving ahead, you are going backwards. To that end, Honda Performance Development and championship-winning RealTime Racing spent most of the 2015 offseason making big changes in the Acura TLX with the intention of continuing their climb toward the sharp end of the Pirelli World Challenge GT grid in 2016. Continue reading Honda Racing–Early Tests Prove RealTime Racing Acura TLX GT Ready For 2016 →

Honda Renews Commitment to INDYCAR
• Two-year agreement through 2017
• Honda open-wheel racing program began in 1993
• Record includes six manufacturers’ championships, 10 Indy 500 wins

TORRANCE, California (February 2, 2016) – Honda today announced that the company has renewed its commitment to INDYCAR, signing a new multi-year agreement to continue participation as a manufacturer in the Verizon IndyCar Series through 2017, with an option to extend the agreement through the 2020 season.
American Honda and its racing subsidiary, Honda Performance Development, have been a part of open-wheel racing in North America since the founding of HPD in 1993. The company entered Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) competition at the start of the 1994 season.
In nine years of CART competition, Honda scored 65 victories from 164 races, winning four manufacturers’ championships and six consecutive drivers’ titles from 1996-2001.
Honda joined the IndyCar Series at the start of the 2003 season, became single supplier of racing engines to the series from 2006-2011, and welcomed the return of multi-manufacturer competition in 2012. Honda has scored an additional 152 victories in INDYCAR, 54 of those wins in multi-manufacturer competition. In addition, the company has two Manufacturers’ Championships and scored 10 Indianapolis 500 victories from 2004-2015.
“In the 13 years that Honda has been a part of the INDYCAR, we’ve had a great deal of success, both against strong competition from other auto manufacturers and as single engine supplier,” said Art St. Cyr, president of HPD. “Honda is pleased to be part of the IndyCar Series, as it provides a technical challenge for our associates, a showcase for Honda products worldwide and incredible entertainment for racing fans.” Continue reading Honda Renews Commitment to INDYCAR →

HPD Racing Report
Sunday, January 31, 2016

Rolex 24 at Daytona Race Report
Circuit: Daytona International Speedway (3.56-mile road course), Daytona Beach, Fla.
Weather: Clear, mild overnight, overcast and 72 degrees F at the finish

Honda, Tequila Patrón ESM Wins the Rolex 24
• First overall victory for Honda at Daytona
• Pipo Derani claims fastest race lap for Honda
• Mechanical failure ends leading run for Michael Shank Racing

Tequila Patrón ESM prevailed Sunday in a hard-fought Rolex 24 at Daytona, scoring Honda’s first overall victory at the famed event and the first IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship win for the new Honda HR35TT twin-turbocharged V6 engine. Continue reading HPD Racing–Rolex 24 at Daytona →

Honda Ridgeline Baja Race Truck Conquers Baja 1000
• Off-road racing truck debuts with Class 2 victory
• Completes desert endurance event in first attempt
• Racing machine previews second-generation Honda Ridgeline

ENSENADA, Mexico (Nov. 22, 2015) – Developed by Honda as a preview to the introduction of the new, second-generation Honda Ridgeline, the driving trio of Jeff Proctor, Sage Marie and Jason LaFortune piloted their Ridgeline Baja Race Truck to the Class 2 victory in this weekend’s 48th running of the SCORE Baja 1000.

Built jointly by Honda Performance Development, the North American motorsports arm of American Honda, and the Proctor Racing Group, the tube-frame Unlimited Class 2 off-road Ridgeline Baja Race Truck made its competition debut at the brutal Baja event, which this year consisted of an 821-mile loop that started and finished in Ensenada, Mexico. Continue reading Honda Racing–Honda Ridgeline Baja Race Truck Conquers Baja 1000 →

Fourth-Place Finish for Honda, Tequila Patrón ESM in Japan
• Ryan Dalziel, Scott Sharp and David Heinemeier Hansson claim fourth at Fuji Speedway
• Second consecutive top-four result of 2015 for Tequila Patrón ESM
• Sister Tequila Patrón ESM Honda finishes seventh

Honda and the Tequila Patrón ESM team earned a second consecutive fourth-place finish in the 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship Sunday at Fuji Speedway in Japan, with the driving trio of Ryan Dalziel, Scott Sharp and David Heinemeier Hansson battling ever-changing weather conditions in a wet-to-dry six-hour endurance contest in their Ligier JS P2 Honda. Continue reading Honda Racing–Fourth-Place Finish for Honda, Tequila Patrón ESM in Japan →

HPD Racing Report
Saturday, October 3, 2015

TUDOR United SportsCar Championship Petit Le Mans
Circuit: Road Atlanta (2.54-mile road course) Braselton, GA
2014 Winner: Jordan Taylor / Ricky Taylor / Max Angelelli (Wayne Taylor Racing Chevrolet)
Weather: Rain, cool, 53 degrees F

Disappointing Finish to Competitive Season for Michael Shank Racing, Honda
• Crash in rain-plagued race ends Petit Le Mans run
• Honda finishes third in the 2015 manufacturers’ championship

A promising start for the Honda-powered Michael Shank Racing team at the season-ending Petit Le Mans ended in disappointment with a crash in the fourth-hour of the rain-soaked race Saturday at Road Atlanta. Continuing rains and track flooding led to the scheduled 10-hour event being checkered two hours early. Continue reading Honda Racing– TUDOR United SportsCar Championship Petit Le Mans →

Honda, Acura Racers Claim Eight SCCA National Championships
• Runoffs results reflect impact of Honda Racing Line Program
• Podium sweep in Super Touring Light
• Honda, Acura drivers also win T4, FF, STU, GT-3, GT-L, FP, and HP

DAYTONA, Fla. (Sept. 27, 2015) – Honda and Acura racers won eight Sports Car Club of America national championship titles, including a podium sweep in the competitive Super Touring Light category and a fourth consecutive Formula F title, at the 2015 SCCA National Championship Runoffs, contested this weekend at Daytona International Speedway Continue reading Honda, Acura Racers Claim Eight SCCA National Championships →

HPD Racing Report
Saturday, September 19, 2015

World Endurance Championship 6 Hours of the Circuit of the Americas
Circuit: Circuit of the Americas (3.40 mile road course), Austin, TX
2014 LMP2 Winner: Matthew Howson / Richard Bradley / Tsugio Matsuda (KCMG Racing Oreca Nissan)
Weather: Clear, warm, 83 degrees F

Fighting Fourth-Place Finish for Honda, Tequila Patrón ESM in Texas
• Ryan Dalziel claims fourth on final lap at Circuit of the Americas
• Best World Endurance Championship result of 2015 for Tequila Patrón ESM
• Mechanical issue, crash, eliminates second Tequila Patrón ESM Honda

Honda and the Tequila Patrón ESM team earned its best finish of the 2015 World Endurance Championship season Saturday night at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, as Ryan Dalziel passed class rival Team SARD Morand on the final lap to finish fourth in the LMP2 category in the six-hour contest. Continue reading Honda Racing– World Endurance Championship 6 Hours of the Circuit of the Americas →

HPD Racing Report
Sunday, September 19, 2015

TUDOR United SportsCar Championship Lone Star Le Mans
Circuit: Circuit of the Americas (3.40-mile road course) Austin, TX
2014 Winner: Scott Pruett / Memo Rojas (Chip Ganassi Racing Ford)
Weather: Mostly sunny, hot, 93 degrees F

Negri Charges to Fourth at Circuit of the Americas
• Second-consecutive fourth place finish for Honda, Michael Shank Racing
• Fifth top-four result of 2015 for Honda-powered team
• Justin Wilson honored Continue reading Honda Racing– TUDOR United SportsCar Championship Lone Star Le Mans →

FIA Formula 4 Comes to America
• SCCA Pro Racing to sanction F4 Championship Series in 2016
• Series to feature Crawford chassis, Honda engine, Pirelli tires
• Showcase for American drivers graduating from karting competition

AUSTIN, TX (September 17, 2015) – The Sports Car Club of America, in conjunction with the Automobile Competition Committee of the United States, today announced the arrival of FIA Formula 4 competition in the U. S., with SCCA Pro Racing to organize and sanction a five-venue, 15-race professional series starting in 2016. Continue reading Honda Racing–FIA Formula 4 Comes to America →

Acura Motorsports Race Report
Sunday, September 13, 2015

Grand Prix of Monterey
Circuit: Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca (2.238-mile road course) Monterey, California
Weather: Partly Cloudy, warm, 70 degrees F

RealTime Racing Acura TLX GTs Score Double Top-10s in Season Finale
• RealTime Racing Acura TLX GT finished in top 10 in 16 of year’s 20 races
• Ryan Eversley climbs to sixth in the final points standings
• Peter Cunningham closes 2015 season with season-high sixth-place finish

MONTEREY, Calif.- (Sept. 13, 2015) – RealTime Racing closed the 2015 Pirelli World Challenge in strong fashion Sunday at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca as team owner/driver Peter Cunningham finished a season-best sixth in leading a double top-10 finish for the team’s Acura TLX GTs. Continue reading Honda Racing–Acura Motorsports Race Report–Grand Prix of Monterey →

Acura Motorsports Race Report
Sunday, August 30, 2015

Grand Prix of Sonoma
Circuit: Sonoma Raceway (2.385-mile road course) Sonoma, California
Weather: Sunny, warm, 82 degrees F

Late Pass Earns Saturday Top-10 For Acura’s Ryan Eversley in Sonoma
• Eversley moves to seventh in series points with one race remaining
• RealTime Racing Acura TLX GT has scored top-10 results in 15 of 19 races.
• Eversley wins Saturday’s “Pass of the Race” Award on Saturday Continue reading Honda Racing–Grand Prix of Sonoma →

Honda Racing Report
Sunday, August 30, 2015

GoPro Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma
Circuit: Sonoma Raceway (2.385-mile road course) Sonoma, CA
2014 Winner: Scott Dixon (Chip Ganassi Racing) 94.026 mph average
Weather: Sunny, warm, 82 degrees F

Top 10 Race Results:
Fn. St. Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Average Speed/Notes
1. 9. Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 85 xx.xx mph average speed
2. 3. Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti Autosport Honda 85 +6.1115 seconds
3. 7. Charlie Kimball Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 85
4. 11. Tony Kanaan Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 85
5. 17. Ryan Briscoe Schmidt Peterson Motorsport Honda 85
6. 5. Juan Pablo Montoya Team Penske Chevrolet 85
7. 1. Will Power Team Penske Chevrolet 85
8. 18. Takuma Sato A.J. Foyt Racing Honda 85
9. 24. Rodolfo Gonzalez-R Dale Coyne Racing Honda 85
10. 14. Mikhail Aleshin Schmidt Peterson Motorsport Honda 85
Other Honda-powered Results
11. 8. Marco Andretti Andretti Autosport Honda 85 Running
12. 19. Oriol Servia Andretti Autosport Honda 85 Running
14. 21. Gabby Chaves-R Bryan Herta Autosport Honda 85 Running
18. 6. Graham Rahal Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda 85 Running
19. 25. Jack Hawksworth A.J. Foyt Racing Honda 85 Running
22. 12. Carlos Munoz Andretti Autosport Honda 84 Running
23. 23. Tristan Vautier Dale Coyne Racing Honda 82 Running
25. 22. James Jakes Schmidt Peterson Motorsport Honda 63 Did not finish – crash

Hunter-Reay, Honda Run Third at Sonoma Season Finale
• Tire wear, contact end Rahal’s championship hopes
• Late-season surge sees Hunter-Reay finish sixth in the championship
• Chaves claims series rookie honors

Graham Rahal took the battle for the 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series championship down to the final race of the season, Sunday at Sonoma Raceway, but high tire wear in the race and contact from Sebastien Bourdais ended the Honda driver’s championship hopes.

The contact, on Lap 76 of the 85-lap contest, spun Rahal’s Honda, dropping him from sixth to an eventual 18th-place finish, and from second to fourth in the final championship standings. Prior to that incident, Rahal ran consistently near the front of the field, but relatively high tire wear on a warm day would see him struggle with handling aboard his Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda during the second half of each run between pit stops.

Ryan Hunter-Reay ended his 2015 season by finishing second in the race to new series champion Scott Dixon. Today’s result, combined with victories at Iowa Speedway and Pocono Raceway in recent weeks, vaulted the 2012 series champion from 11th to sixth in the final championship standings.

Substituting for the recovering James Hinchcliffe, Ryan Briscoe also finished his season on a high note, taking the checkers in fifth for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports; while Gabby Chaves claimed series Rookie of the Year honors with a 14th-place finish today.

Prior to the start of today’s race, Honda driver Justin Wilson was remembered with a moving tribute, including a video presentation and the singing of “God Save the Queen” in honor of the British driver, who died on Monday as a result of injuries sustained last weekend in a racing accident at Pocono Raceway in Pennsylvania.

Earlier, American Honda and HPD announced plans to contribute $50 per lap completed at Sonoma by each of the 13 Honda entries at this weekend’s race to the Wilson Childrens’ Fund, established to benefit the surviving family of the 37-year-old racer. Honda drivers completed a total of 1,079 laps today, which will result in a donation of $53,950 to the fund. Fans may add their own donations, or purchase Justin Wilson memorabilia with proceeds going to the fund, by logging on to www.wilsonchildrensfund.com.

Ryan Hunter-Reay (#28 Andretti Autosport Honda) started 3rd, finished 2nd, his third podium finish in the last four races: “It was a good finish to the season, that’s for sure. We won two of the last four races – we finished second today, so it’s been a really good streak. Today we jumped a few spots in the championship. We finished sixth, which is crazy coming from 11th in the championship this morning. It’s been a great run and it’s great that it ended on a high note like this headed into a busy off-season. But we’re also missing Justin Wilson. He’s here with us in spirit. He’s a part of what we’re doing, and he’ll always be moving forward with us at Andretti Autosport.”

Graham Rahal (#15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda) started 6th, finished 18th, finished a career-high fourth in the drivers’ championship: “Unfortunately our car was pretty terrible today from the start. The guys did a great job in the pits to kind of keep us in it, frankly, because we didn’t really deserve to be in that position. The car has been like this all weekend, it’s been an animal. I wasn’t worried so much about the championship from the start. I knew it looked like [Scott] Dixon would pretty much dominate. I can’t thank this team enough, Honda has done a great job and I’m proud to lead the charge for them. Obviously, the [Sebastien] Bourdais thing [contact and resulting spin for Rahal] hurt us and went from third to fourth in the championship. What can you say? It’s been a great year, we have nothing to be ashamed of and have a lot to be proud of. Finishing fourth in the championship is not the worst, but obviously we hoped for better. This team did a tremendous job all season and they deserved better than fourth. I feel like I drove pretty well this year. I feel like I improved a lot in areas that I needed to improve. I’m proud of the effort the team put in and I’m proud of the effort I put in and we have a lot to improve on yet.”

Art St. Cyr (President, Honda Performance Development) on today’s race and the 2015 season: “Considering the struggle we had at the beginning of the season, the way our associates responded and fought back the entire way is inspiring. Winning three of the final four races gives us good momentum moving towards 2016. In a lot of ways, this has been one of most challenging years, not just in terms of performance, but with the serious injuries to James Hinchcliffe at Indianapolis and, of course, the tragic loss of Justin Wilson just last week. Our thoughts remain with the Wilson family in this difficult time. All of us in the Honda family are going to honor his memory in the best way we know: by continuing to fight hard for race wins and championships.”

Honda to Assist Wilson Children’s Fund at Sonoma
• Contribution plan announced based on laps completed by all Honda entries
• All funds to be contributed to Wilson Children’s Fund
• Oriol Servia to drive #25 Andretti Autosport Honda

TORRANCE, CA (August 27, 2015) – American Honda Motor Company, Inc., and Honda Performance Development today announced plans to contribute to the Wilson Children’s Fund based on laps completed by all Honda entries in this weekend’s GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma Verizon IndyCar Series season finale at Sonoma Raceway. Continue reading Honda to Assist Wilson Children’s Fund at Sonoma →

Art St. Cyr, president, Honda Performance Development

“To say that we are heartbroken over the loss of Justin Wilson would create the false impression that our pain is localized. At a time earlier in the season, when we were in a continuing struggle to remain competitive in the Verizon IndyCar Series, Justin was the guy who WANTED to be with Honda, and he demonstrated that time and again. That allows you to take the measure of the man, and we will be forever grateful for his loyalty, and the gracious and gentlemanly way he represented our company, on and off the race track.

He was our friend, and our comrade. All of our thoughts and prayers are for his wife, Julia, daughters Jane and Jessica; his parents Keith and Lynne; his brother Stefan; and his many friends around the world.”