Andretti Qualifies Third for Honda at Auto Club Speedway Speedway
• Second of three 500-mile races in 2015
• Briscoe leads Honda 1-2 result in morning practice

A strong qualifying run for Marco Andretti Friday at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, will see the Honda-powered Andretti Autosport driver start third in Saturday’s MAVTv500, the second rung of the 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series “Triple Crown” of 500-mile events.

Andretti was fast throughout the first day of activity on the two-mile Auto Club Speedway oval, posting the second-fastest speed in morning practice behind fellow Honda driver Ryan Briscoe and following up with a 217.797 mph average in qualifying. Continue reading HONDA Racing–Andretti Qualifies Third for Honda at Auto Club Speedway Speedway →

Honda and Acura Bring 13 Vehicles To Compete in 2015 Pikes Peak Hill Climb
• Indy Lights champion Alex Lloyd to compete
• Honda-powered vehicles have earned class wins in each of last 13 years
• Honda, Acura products to run in 11 classes in June 28 race

TORRANCE, Calif. (June 25, 2015) – In their most ambitious assault ever on the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, Honda Performance Development and Honda Research and Development associates are fielding 13 vehicles in 11 different classes for the June 28 race up the 14,110-foot Colorado mountain. Continue reading Honda Racing–Honda and Acura Bring 13 Vehicles To Compete in 2015 Pikes Peak Hill Climb →

For Immediate Release

Honda-Powered HPD ARX-04b to tackle Pikes Peak
• Indy car veteran, race winner Justin Wilson to pilot LMP2 machine
• New coupe design debuted at 24 Hours of Daytona
• Utilizes production-based 3.5 liter Honda V6 engine

TORRANCE, Calif. (June 17, 2015) – A number of different types of Honda and Acura vehicles have taken part in the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in recent years, ranging from the Acura NSX to the Honda Fit, and even a high-speed Honda Odyssey, but Honda Performance Development has upped the ante this year by entering one its newest sports cars in the race up the 14,110-foot mountain.
The new Honda-powered HPD ARX-04b LMP2 coupe that competed in this year’s Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona has been entered in the 2015 Pikes Peak event, and will be driven by Verizon IndyCar Series race winner and former Formula 1 driver Justin Wilson.
The ARX-04b will be the first full-carbon monocoque vehicle ever sanctioned for PPIHC entry and will be fitted with a 3.5-liter V6 twin-turbocharged engine. The ARX-04b will compete in the Unlimited class, which features highly-modified cars that can navigate the 156 turns of the 12.42-mile course in under 10 minutes. Continue reading Honda Racing– Honda-Powered HPD ARX-04b to tackle Pikes Peak →

Honda Racing Report
Sunday, June 14, 2015
Honda Indy Toronto
Circuit: Exhibition Place (1.755-mile temporary street circuit), Toronto, Ont., Canada
2014 Winners: Race 1 Sebastien Bourdais (KVSH Racing) 90.370 mph average
Race 2 Mike Conway [Ed Carpenter Racing] 73.168 mph average [rain]
Weather: Overcast, scattered light rain, 62 degrees F

Rahal Shines for Honda on Damp Toronto Streets
• Sixth top-10 finish of 2015 for Graham Rahal
• Mechanical issues end race for Munoz while running second

Graham Rahal continued his run as Honda’s top performer in the Verizon IndyCar Series, scoring his sixth top-10 finish of the 2015 season Sunday at the Honda Indy Toronto, and maintaining his hold on fifth in the drivers’ championship after 10 of 16 races. Continue reading Honda Racing–Honda Indy Toronto →

HPD Racing Report
Sunday, June 14, 2015
24 Hours of Le Mans
Circuit: Circuit de la Sarthe (8.47-mile road course), Le Mans, France
Weather: Scattered showers, mild, 73 degrees F

Solid Runs for Honda-Powered Teams at Le Mans
• Top-10 finishes for Tequila Patrón ESM in first appearance at Le Mans
• Seventh-place result for Brown, Fogarty and van Overbeek
• OAK Racing Ligier-Honda contends in early hours

A strong early run for Honda-powered OAK Racing and a solid debut for Tequila Patrón ESM in its first appearance at the Circuit de la Sarthe highlighted the efforts of Honda Performance Development this weekend at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Continue reading Honda Racing–24 Hours of Le Mans →

Sato Leads Honda Qualifiers in Toronto
• Sato to start Honda Indy Toronto from eighth on the grid
• Graham Rahal, James Jakes also advance to second-round qualifying

Takuma Sato produced his third top-10 qualifying effort of the 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series season, and will start Sunday’s Honda Indy Toronto from eighth in his A.J. Foyt Racing Honda. Sato missed advancing to the “Fast Six” final round qualifying by only five-hundredths of a second, after making it to the last qualifying round in two of the four previous temporary street circuit events this season.

After leading the Honda field in Friday’s practice sessions, Graham Rahal also advanced to the second round, and will start 10th in his Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda, with Schmidt Peterson Motorsports’ James Jakes equaling his season-best 12th-place qualifying effort in Texas last week with an identical starting position for tomorrow’s 85-lap contest.

The 10th round of the Verizon IndyCar Series season start at 3 p.m. EDT Sunday, with live television coverage on the NBC Sports Network.

Takuma Sato (#14 Rahal A.J. Foyt Racing Honda): “We were very close to advancing [to the Fast Six Shootout], I think we were just five-one hundredths short, or close to it. But that’s racing. This is a tricky, very bumpy track, with a lot of surface changes. Even after they ground [the surface], it’s still rough. But that makes for an exciting race, and this race gets such fantastic support from Honda and all of the Canadian race fans. I hope to be able to give them something to celebrate tomorrow.”

Rahal Leads Honda Effort in Toronto Practice
• Graham Rahal continues run of strong road-course, street-circuit performances
• Rain dampens afternoon activities

Graham Rahal led the way for Honda in practice action Friday on Toronto’s Exhibition Place street circuit, in preparation for Sunday’s Honda Indy Toronto. The Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing driver, coming off a run of three podium finishes in the last four Verizon IndyCar Series road- and street-course races, was eighth fastest in today’s opening practice session. Continue reading Honda Racing–Rahal Leads Honda Effort in Toronto Practice →

Munoz, Rahal Lead Honda Qualifying in Texas
• Carlos Munoz, winner of last Saturday’s race in Detroit, will start fourth
• Graham Rahal, fifth in the drivers’ championship, qualifies sixth

Carlos Munoz, winner of last Saturday’s Verizon IndyCar Series race at Belle Isle Park, led the Honda field in qualifying Friday at Texas Motor Speedway for Saturday night’s Firestone 600. Munoz recorded the fourth-fastest speed in his Andretti Autosport Honda during single-car qualifying for this weekend’s first night race of 2015.

Graham Rahal, currently fifth in the drivers’ championship standings after podium finishes in three of the last four road course events and a fifth-place finish at the Indianapolis 500, qualified sixth for his Rahal Letterman Lanigan team. Munoz’s teammate, Marco Andretti, posted the 11th fastest qualifying run while James Jakes rounded out the top 12 for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports.

Saturday’s 248-lap run, the second oval race of 2015, starts at 8 p.m. EDT with live television coverage on the NBC Sports network.

Carlos Munoz (#26 Andretti Autosport Honda) 4th fastest in qualifying: “I thought the first lap was okay, and at least the top four weren’t all Penske cars! I’m really happy. I think here, qualifying is quite important in order to stay in the front, because passing is so difficult. You have to have a good car for the race, a consistent car. It was good to have my teammates (Ryan Hunter-Reay, Marco Andretti) qualify in front of me. That’s the good thing about qualifying [last], your teammates can give you information on how they did, what they did. I need to give a big thanks to them for their help, and especially my crew. Tomorrow is a long race, so we’ll keep it clean the whole time.”

Munoz, Rahal Lead Honda Qualifying in Texas
• Carlos Munoz, winner of last Saturday’s race in Detroit, will start fourth
• Graham Rahal, fifth in the drivers’ championship, qualifies sixth

Carlos Munoz, winner of last Saturday’s Verizon IndyCar Series race at Belle Isle Park, led the Honda field in qualifying Friday at Texas Motor Speedway for Saturday night’s Firestone 600. Munoz recorded the fourth-fastest speed in his Andretti Autosport Honda during single-car qualifying for this weekend’s first night race of 2015. Continue reading Honda Racing–Munoz, Rahal Lead Honda Qualifying in Texas →

Sato, Rahal, Honda Finish Second and Third in Detroit Dual 2
• Late cautions, shortened race distance prevent Honda victory
• Honda drivers claim eight of top 10 finishing positions

A race day made up of constantly shifting weather, challenging track conditions, a series of late-race cautions and a shortened race distance combined to prevent Honda from sweeping the second half of Sunday’s “Dual in Detroit-2” at Belle Isle Park. But the manufacturer still dominated the finishing order, claiming eight of the top 10 positions in the second half of the Verizon IndyCar Series double header weekend, after a 1-2 finish in Saturday’s opening race. Continue reading Honda Racing–Sato, Rahal, Honda Finish Second and Third in Detroit Dual 2 →

Promising Sunday Event For RealTime Racing Acuras Washed Away in Detroit
• Sunday’s race cancelled by rain, poor visibility
• RealTime Acuras had earned best starting position of 2015 for Sunday’s race
• Eversley battles to score top-10 finish in Saturday’s opener
• RealTime Racing Acura TLX GT has finished in top 10 in eight of year’s 10 races.

DETROIT (May 31, 2015) – The Acura TLX GTs of RealTime Racing offered a case study in making the best of a challenging situation during Saturday’s Pirelli World Challenge GT race in Detroit. Continue reading Honda Racing–Promising Sunday Event For RealTime Racing Acuras Washed Away in Detroit →

HPD Racing Report
Sunday, May 30, 2015

TUDOR United SportsCar Championship Detroit Sports Car Classic
Circuit: Detroit Belle Isle Park (2.35-mile temporary street circuit), Detroit, MI
2014 Winner: Jordan Taylor/Ricky Taylor (Wayne Taylor Racing Corvette DP)
Weather: Mostly cloudy, intermittent rain showers, 79 degrees F

Honda, Michael Shank Racing Continue Podium Streak in Detroit
• Team follows up third-place result at Laguna Seca with second in Detroit
• Ligier Honda combination proves competitive on tight street circuit
• Best finish of 2015 for Michael Shank Racing

Honda-powered Michael Shank Racing continued its improving form in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship Saturday in Detroit, Michigan, following up a third-place earlier this month in Monterey, California, with a second-place result Saturday on the Belle Isle Park temporary street circuit. Continue reading Honda Racing– Honda, Michael Shank Racing Continue Podium Streak in Detroit →

Munoz Leads Honda 1-2 Finish in Detroit Dual 1
• Carlos Munoz scores career first Indy car victory
• Marco Andretti completes 1-2 finish for Honda
• Honda drivers lead 44 of 48 laps

Carlos Munoz combined near-perfect driving in challenging, constantly changing conditions with bold pit strategy from his Andretti Autosport team to score his maiden Verizon IndyCar Series victory and lead a 1-2 Honda finish Saturday on the temporary Belle Isle street circuit in the first of two races this weekend in Detroit, Michigan. Continue reading Honda Racing–Munoz Leads Honda 1-2 Finish in Detroit Dual 1 →

Sato Qualifies Fourth for Detroit Dual 1
• Double header weekend features Indy car races Saturday and Sunday
• Marco Andretti, James Jakes post top-10 qualifying runs
• Tristan Vautier returns with Dale Coyne Racing, qualifies 11th

Takuma Sato led the Honda effort Friday at Belle Isle Park, qualifying fourth for Saturday’s first race of the Dual in Detroit Presented by Quicken Loans, a Verizon IndyCar Series double header race weekend on the temporary street circuit in Detroit, Michigan. Continue reading Honda Racing–Sato Qualifies Fourth for Detroit Dual 1 →

Rahal Finishes Fifth for Honda at Indianapolis 500
• Sixth-place finish for Marco Andretti
• Fuel gambles by Justin Wilson, Carlos Munoz come up short
• Gabby Chaves leads rookie field

Graham Rahal and Marco Andretti led the way for Honda Sunday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, finishing fifth and sixth, respectively, in the 99th running of the Indianapolis 500.

Starting 17th, Rahal gained ground steadily throughout the first third of the 200-lap contest, reaching the top 10 on Lap 68. The Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing driver continued to battle his way forward, finally moving to fifth in the closing laps as the top Honda finisher. Starting on the third row of the grid, eighth, Andretti struggled early with handling issues, but was able to improve the car through changes at successive pit stops, then gained positions with aggressive re-starts after cautions late in the race to finish sixth. Continue reading Honda Racing–Rahal Finishes Fifth for Honda at Indianapolis 500 →

Sato Leads Honda Effort at Indianapolis 500 “Carb Day” Final Practice
• Final practice prior to 99th Indianapolis 500
• Gabby Chaves continues impressive rookie performance
• Green Flag set for 12 p.m. Sunday

Takuma Sato led the way for Honda and his A.J. Foyt team in the traditional “Carb Day” final practice Friday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway prior to Sunday’s Indianapolis 500.

Sato posted the fifth-fastest speed of the 33 drivers and teams who qualified for the 99th running of the Memorial Day weekend classic. Gabby Chaves continued his run of impressive performances in practice to record the ninth-fastest speed for Bryan Herta Autosport and was once again the fastest rookie driver in the field.

Television coverage of Sunday’s 99th running of the Indianapolis begins at 11 a.m. on ABC.

Takuma Sato (#14 A.J. Foyt Racing Honda) 5th fastest: “It’s very encouraging to see all three cars very competitive [teammates Jack Hawksworth and Alex Tagliani were 12th and 16th, respectively]. I felt comfortable in traffic which is what today is all about. The ABC boys did a great preparation on the car, taking everything off and putting it back together again – the car feels really, really good. A very positive day so we’re in the best position for race day.”

An interview with:

ART ST. CYR

T.E. McHALE: Good morning, everyone. Thanks for joining us at the Honda hospitality motor coach. Our guest this morning is Honda Performance Development president Art St. Cyr.
Art, thanks for making time for us this morning.
ART ST. CYR: Good morning, everybody.
T.E. McHALE: I think we want to start just by speaking about the accident that happened here Monday that affected Honda driver James Hinchcliffe. I know you’ve been to see him twice in the hospital. Obviously he’s in all of our thoughts at this point.
Just give us an update on your personal impressions of his condition at this point.
ART ST. CYR: It’s actually a little hard for me to talk about it honestly, because in my time here at HPD, it’s the first real serious accident that we’ve been involved in. Continue reading Honda Performance Development–An Interview with Art St. Cyr →

• Pagenaud remains in championship contention with seventh-place run
• Aleshin leads rookie contingent

Issues in pit lane and a fuel strategy gamble that came up short hampered Honda Verizon IndyCar Series efforts Sunday at The Milwaukee Mile, as Josef Newgarden led the way for the manufacturer with a fifth-place run at the ABC Supply Wisconsin 250 Presented by the Metro Milwaukee Honda Dealers.
Continue reading Honda Racing–Late-Race Charge Nets Newgarden Fifth for Honda at Milwaukee →

• Milestone in continuing Honda-USAC partnership
• Spec, sealed race engine developed from Honda K24
• Provides affordable entry to Midget racing

TORRANCE, Calif. (August 15, 2014) – The United States Auto Club (USAC) has made the first deliveries of the Honda/HPD Midget Series engines to racers in the open-wheel category, marking the next milestone in Honda’s continuing partnership with the sanctioning body announced in 2013.
Continue reading Honda Racing– Honda/HPD Midget Series Engines Take to the Track →

• Dalziel scores second consecutive pole for HPD ARX-03b Honda
• Multiple late-race restarts hamper victory efforts
• Riley Honda Daytona Prototype returns to TUDOR competition
Once again, the Extreme Speed Motorsports pairing of Ryan Dalziel and Scott Sharp led the way for Honda Performance Development Sunday at the Continental Tire Road Race Showcase, starting from the pole and finishing third in the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship race at Road America. Continue reading Honda Racing–Dalziel, Sharp Produce Podium Finish for HPD, Honda at Road America →