SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (November 16, 2012) – The first 2013-spec Honda Performance
Development, (HPD) ARX-03c LMP1 car – incorporating larger front tires as well as other
significant performance upgrades – will test for the first time at the Motorland Aragon Circuit in Spain, November 18-20.

British team Strakka Racing will conduct this inaugural test. Strakka’s ARX-03a, which achieved considerable success in this year’s FIA World Endurance Championship, has been subjected to an exciting upgrade package taking it to ‘03c’ (2013) specification. This upgrade includes wider Michelin front tires, plus new front-suspension geometry, steering configuration and bodywork.

As with its multiple race and championship-winning HPD ARX predecessors, the latest ARX-03c has been designed and developed with Wirth Research, taking full advantage of the company’s renowned all-digital aerodynamic and chassis development processes. Power comes from HPD’s efficient normally-aspirated 3.4-liter, V8 gasoline engine.
Strakka’s regular drivers, Jonny Kane and Nick Leventis, as well as Klaus Graf – who won the ALMS LMP1 crown in a Muscle Milk Pickett Racing-run HPD ARX-03a – will be behind the wheel at the test. Graf will fill the seat vacated by Danny Watts, who will be away in Asia on Macau Grand Prix duties during the Aragon test.

The test will almost certainly be viewed with great interest by privateer teams currently
competing at LMP1 level, as well as others looking to graduate to the premier class of sports
prototype racing.HPD Vice President Steve Eriksen commented: “In 2009, HPD showed the future direction ofLMP1 car design by pioneering the use of large rear tires on all four wheels of its radical, championship-winning LMP1 Acura ARX-02a prototype.
“Since then, all rival LMP1 manufacturers have adopted this concept, and the 2013 HPD ARX-03c will feature this large front-tire format, along with a raft of aerodynamic and mechanical updates, boosting all-around performance.”

Located in Santa Clarita, California, Honda Performance Development (HPD) is the Honda
racing company within North America. In 2012, HPD teams and drivers swept both the LMP1 and LMP2 sports prototype championships in the American Le Mans Series, and won the FIA World Endurance Championship in LMP2 – along with the LMP2 class in the 24 Hours of Le Mans – in partnership with Starworks Motorsport.

HPD Sweeps American Le Mans Series Titles
Honda Performance Development wrapped up an outstanding season of American Le Mans Series competition Saturday at the season-ending Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta, finishing first and third in LMP2; and claiming both the LMP1 and LMP2 class championships in the 1,000-mile endurance race.

Saturday’s LMP2 win, and second overall finish, for the Level 5 Motorsports trio of Christophe Bouchut, Luis Diaz and team owner/driver Scott Tucker was more than enough to secure the class driver, team, engine and chassis manufacturers championships for Level 5 and HPD.

In LMP1, Muscle Milk Pickett Racing drivers Klaus Graf, Lucas Luhr and Romain Dumas overcame an early-race collision with a GTC-category Porsche 911 to lay claim to their own set of American Le MansSeries championships.

Level 5’s triumph marked the 50th victory for HPD’s ARX family of sports-prototype chassis since the debut of the original ARX-01a – a class win combined with a second-place overall finish – at the 2007 12 Hours of Sebring. It also was the 17th win of the 2012 season for HPD’s ARX chassis in both the American Le Mans Series and the FIA World Endurance Championship.

Saturday’s twin American Le Mans Series manufacturer championships are the fifth and sixth for the ARX chassis line, and come one week after HPD won the WEC LMP2 title in Fuji, Japan, the first World Championship for the company since it was founded in 1993.

Previously, HPD won American Le Mans Series LMP1 and LMP2 manufacturer titles in 2009; and the combined LMP category in 2010. HPD also won LMP2 engine manufacturer championship honors in 2011.

In addition, the year-long Michelin Green X Challenge, for going the furthest while using the least fuel, was won by the Muscle Milk Pickett team, which collected four individual Green X challenge awards this year, at Long Beach, Laguna Seca, Mosport and Virginia International Raceway. Level 5 Motorsports made it a 1-2 result for HPD in the Green X Challenge by claiming the honor at three races this year: Sebring, Baltimore and today’s Petit Le Mans. HPD teams also won the Green X Challenge in both 2009 and 2010.

The 10th and final race of the 2012 American Le Mans Series season got off to an exciting start, as Luhr in his ARX-03a battled hard in the early laps with the pole-starting Lola Toyota of Rebellion Racing, driven by Neel Jani. The pair ran nose-to-tail for the first hour, rapidly pulling away from the rest of the 37-car starting field. But contact with a slower car while exiting Turn One sent Luhr’s ARX-03a hard into the barriers, delaying the car for nearly an hour while it was towed back to the paddock and extensive repairs were completed.
While the Rebellion Lola would go on to record its first LMP1 overall victory, the Muscle Milk team returned to battle for the final class podium positions with the two Lola Mazdas of Dyson Racing, both of which had been delayed by mechanical issues. As the race entered its final stages, it appeared as if the Muscle Milk team would hold on to second place in LMP1, but a late-race stop to replace a damaged rear suspension pushrod dropped Luhr, Graf and Dumas to third in LMP1, 34th overall – but still more than sufficient to sweep the LMP1 titles.

In LMP2, Level 5 covered its bets by setting the car of Dario and Marino Franchitti, along with Tucker, off to challenge for the class victory, while the team car of Bouchut, Tucker and Diaz ran a more conservative pace, as completing 70 percent of the overall race distance would earn them the class championships. Once that milestone was achieved, both Level 5 entries became class contenders.

A series of penalties for the Franchitti/Tucker entry, including avoidable contact and passing under caution, dropped it from the lead lap, but the second Level 5 team then came through for the victory, taking advantage to a late-race cut tire and pit-lane speeding penalty for Conquest Racing to finish second overall and first in LMP2. Meanwhile, Marino Franchitti thrilled the large crowd at Road Atlanta with a relentless charge in the final 30 minutes to claim third in LMP2 – and fourth overall – on the final lap.

Today’s Petit Le Mans concluded the 2012 American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patron season. Honda Performance Development and its partner teams will return to defend their sports prototype championships in 2013, starting with the 61st running of the 12 Hours of Sebring on March 16.

Greg Pickett (owner, #6 Muscle Milk Pickett Racing HPD ARX-03a) started 1st, finished 3rd in LMP1 to claim the class team and drivers’ championships, with HPD winning the LMP1 chassis and engine manufacturer titles; first title for team owner Greg Pickett since he won the SCCA Trans-Am championship in 1978: “This feels great. Winning the championship is a goal we set for the organization last year after this race. The team fought really hard today, the drivers have done a great job all year long and we couldn’t have done this without the help of our partners HPD and Michelin. Today, it was about perseverance. We were more than just a race team, we were a championship-winning race team because the guys did it like champions and I respect that a lot. I’m very proud of them. I’m already looking  forward to Sebring and the start of the 2013 season. We don’t want this to be a one-time deal.”

Scott Tucker (owner/driver, #95 Level 5 Motorsports HPD ARX-03b) 2nd overall and 1st in LMP2 with co-driver Christophe Bouchut and Luis Diaz, also credited with 3rd in LMP2 co-driving with Dario and Marino Franchitti; Level 5 also won the Michelin Green X Challenge for fast, clean and efficient performance for the 3rd time this year: “We knew it would be a tight, difficult race. Conquest [Racing] are great competitors, we knew [completing] 70 per cent [of the overall race distance to clinch the championship] would be no easy task. My hat’s off to my teammates here [Christophe Bouchut and Luis Diaz]. What a great day for us. I’ll let it soak in. I’m really proud of the effort of the team and the
drivers. I was just talking to Martin [Plowman, Conquest Racing driver] and we agreed – some of the best European teams came over for this event, and we proved we are as good or better.”

Art St. Cyr (President, Honda Performance Development) on Saturday’s Petit Le Mans race at Road Atlanta: “What a fantastic day, and one that caps our most successful season ever in sports-car racing on a world-wide stage: two more North American titles to go with our first world championship; repeat LMP2 victories at Sebring and Le Mans; and 17 wins this season to bring our victory total for the ARX chassis to 50. It’s just been an incredible year for HPD in sports-car racing. In the last week alone, we’ve clinched three manufacturer titles for the ARX to double our championship total! There’s no doubt that the ARX has proven to be an outstanding line of race cars. Congratulations to everyone at both Muscle Milk Pickett Racing and Level 5 Motorsports for a near-perfect season in 2012, culminating in well-earned championships for both. At HPD, we all realize the incredible level of hard work, with long hours of preparation, that are required to produce seasons like this one, so these championships are a great reward for the efforts of everyone at HPD, our technical partner Wirth Research, and all of our partner teams in both the American Le Mans Series and World Endurance Championship. In addition, Level 5 won the Michelin Green X Challenge for the third time this year, and it is the seventh Green X award for an HPD team in 2012, an accomplishment of which we all can be proud.”

Starworks, Honda Performance Development Clinch FIA World Endurance Championship in Japan

Finishing second Sunday in the P2 category at a thrilling Six Hours of Fuji in Japan, the Florida-based Starworks team clinched the 2012 P2 teams title in the FIA World Endurance Championship, the first world championship in the 19-year history of Honda Performance Development.

Starworks drivers Ryan Dalziel, Enzo Potolicchio and Stephane Sarrazin enjoyed a trouble-free run to second place in P2, ninth overall. The Honda-powered HPD-03b crossed the finish line almost a minute ahead of the third-place finishing OAK Racing Morgan Nissan, but more important, three positions ahead of the Pecom Racing Oreca 03 Nissan, the closest competitor to Starworks for the P2 title. The result clinched the championship for Starworks with one race remaining, and caps a year that also saw the team win the P2 class at the 12 Hours of Sebring, 24 Hours of Le Mans and Six Hours of Sao Paulo in its first year of world championship competition. It also is the first world championship for engine and chassis supplier HPD of Santa Clarita, California, and the first FIA world championship for an American-based organization since the 1968, when Ford won the FIA International Championship for Manufacturers.

In the P1 category, the British-based JRM team had its strongest outing of 2012, finishing fifth overall and second in the privateer category for independent teams in its HPD ARX-03a. After six hours of intense competition, the JRM trio of David Brabham, Karun Chandhok and Peter Dumbreck finished just eight seconds ahead of fellow HPD-equipped private team of Strakka Racing and drivers Jonny Kane, Nick Leventis and Danny Watts.

Making its debut with Honda power in LMP1, the French OAK Racing team of Bertrand Baguette, Dominik Kraihamer and IZOD IndyCar Series regular Takuma Sato completed 210 laps for an eighth place finish.

Honda, Acura Racers Claim Titles at SCCA Runoff

SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (Sept. 25, 2012) – Honda and Acura racers won four Sports Car Clubof America national titles and claimed a 1-2 finish in the inaugural B-Spec category, run as aexhibition class, in last weekend’s SCCA National Championship Runoffs at Road America.

More than three dozen Honda and Acura racers traveled to the classic Road America road
course in Wisconsin for this year’s 49th annual Runoffs, September 17-23, taking part in 13 of the 30 competition classes. Five drivers used the Honda L15A7 engine in Formula F at this year’s Runoffs, a record for the manufacturer in this open-wheel, training-ground category. Tim Kautz made history on Friday as the first Honda-powered Formula F National Champion, after a race-long battle with defending class champion Lewis Cooper.
“I was hoping the two of us could [break away from the pack] and make it a two-car fight, and that’s what happened,” Kautz said. “On the last lap, it came down to whoever got the better run out of the last corner and, fortunately, we were able to pull it off. It was a great race. Thanks to Honda. They gave us a great engine. You just put it in and go. That reliability allowed me to focus my efforts on improving the chassis and my racecraft.”

Thursday’s opening event,resulted in a clean sweep for Honda and Acura drivers in the
combined race for Showroom Stock B, Showroom Stock C and the new B-Spec class. Luke
Wilwert started from the pole and went on to win SSB in his Honda Civic Si, while Michael
Crawford piloted his Acura Integra from third on the starting grid to the SSC national title.
“I think I was able to get through traffic a little bit better than [the competition]. Dealing with
traffic is part of the art, and I think I just got lucky,” Wilwert said. “This win means a lot. I feel truly blessed, in my second try, to win a National Championship. I didn’t expect it.”
Crawford also won an exciting event, avoiding last-lap contact taking place just in front of him to claim his SSC victory. “I saw [Charlie James and Brian Husting] get a little aggressive,” Crawford recounted. “I’m thinking ‘let’s just see what happens’ and they both went wide at the ‘kink.’ I was able to get by at that point, and just kept going!”

In the new, non-championship B-Spec category, Sage Marie came out of top of a wild three-car fight in his Honda Fit, which also earned him the Sunoco “Hard Charger” award for his efforts. Marie, fellow Honda driver Joel Lipperini, and Shawn Young in a Mazda2 ran within tenths of a second of one another throughout the 13-lap contest, frequently running three abreast on the long Road America straightaways, before Marie eked out a narrow victory over Lipperini

The fourth Honda championship of the weekend came in H Production, where Michael Moser won his first Runoffs title, with defending class champion Greg Gauper making it a 1-3 finish for Honda. Moser and Gauper were part of a four-car train that broke away from the field in the early laps, before Moser edged away to his first national championship.
“Mike Origer passed me, and I figured I’d let him lead for a bit, but then I got a really good run out of Turn Three and into Five,” Moser said. “I out-braked him, went to the inside, and was able to get ahead. He was still in my mirror for a couple of laps, but once I got a little distance, I settled down a bit and ran my race. It all turned out good.”

Honda Performance Development [HPD], through the Honda Racing Line, offered contingency awards of up to $2,500, along with additional support to help offset travel costs for the racers. HPD also hosted catered, trackside hospitality exclusively for Honda/Acura competitors and their team members, providing a buffet lunches September 18-22 and a television monitor showing a live feed of on-track activities.

Launched in July 2009, the Honda Racing Line is a program targeted at licensed participants in sanctioned amateur and entry-level professional racing. The Honda Racing Line was formed to provide its members with a direct connection to Honda Performance Development and its unparalleled record of success at the highest levels of motorsport. Competitors may register for the Honda Racing Line through HondaRacingLine.com.

Honda Performance Development (HPD) is the Honda racing company within North America. Located in Santa Clarita, Calif., HPD is the technical operations center for high-performance Honda racing cars and engines.

As one of three engine suppliers to the IZOD IndyCar Series, Honda won this year’s
Indianapolis 500 with driver Dario Franchitti; and competes in prototype sports-car racing under the HPD banner in the American Le Mans Series and the FIA World Endurance Championship, where it again took a P2 class win at this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. HPD offers a variety of race engines for track applications from prototype sports cars to karting; and showcases “fun-to drive” products for professional, amateur and entry-level racers.

Starworks Wins Again for HPD in Sao Paulo

The American Starworks team once again led the way for Honda Performance Development Saturday in FIA World Endurance Championship competition, taking the P2 class victory in its HPD ARX-03b at the Six Hours of Sao Paulo in Brazil, after a long mid-race battle with the Morgan Nissan of OAK Racing.

In P1, the contest between private teams once again featured the HPD ARX-03a of the British Strakka Racing organization against a pair of Lola Toyotas fielded by the Swiss Rebellion Racing team, while a second ARX-03a run by JRM Motorsports had its most promising run of the season.

The Starworks HPD started from the pole in the strong, 11-car P2 field after an outstanding performance on Friday by Stephane Sarrazin, but the #35 OAK Racing Morgan produced a formidable challenge, as the teams traded the lead throughout the first four hours. The Oreca Nissan of ADR-Delta Racing also figured during the contest’s opening hour, but then fell off the pace with mechanical issues that resulted in a long pit stop.

Two hours into the race, Ryan Dalziel in the HPD and Alex Brundle in the OAK Morgan put on a thrilling battle for the P2 lead, trading places several times and running side-by-side up the long Sao Paulo front straight for three consecutive laps before Dalziel finally established an advantage. Once in front, Dalziel and teammates Sarrazin and Enzo Potolicchio extended their lead over them remaining two hours to a three-lap margin at the finish, helped by a mechanical problem with the #35 OAK Morgan and a pair of pit-lane speeding penalties for the sister #24 car. It was the third P2 win of the season for Starworks, on the heels of previous triumphs at the 12 Hours of Sebring and 24 Hours of Le Mans, and extended its class points lead after five of eight races.

In the “privateer” portion of the P1 contest, late-race contact between the Nick Leventis in the Strakka HPD and the #13 Rebellion Racing Lola of Harald Primat while fighting for second place sent both cars That set the stage for yet another come-from-behind charge from Strakka as, first Leventis, then Jonny Kane began to close the 40-second gap to the #13 Rebellion car. The margin was halved after the last round of pit stops, and Kane was relentless in his pursuit, finally catching and passing the Lola at the start of the final lap to finish second among the private P1 entries and fifth overall.

Fielding a second HPD ARX-03a, JRM produced its best effort of the season, qualifying strongly and featuring in the early race fight with Rebellion and Strakka, but an off-course excursion and extended pit stop at the two-hour mark dropped JRM to an unrepresentative seventh-place finish.

Having finished its 2012 European and American rounds, the World Endurance Championship now heads to the Bahrain International Circuit on the Arabian Peninsula on Saturday, September 29, for the 6 Hours of Bahrain.
Ryan Dalziel (#44 Starworks HPD ARX-03b) started 1st, finished 1st in P2, 3rd class win of 2012: “I
think the Starworks HPD was the car to have this weekend! It’s a great package, but we have great people, too. We turned up here and found that we were competitive straight away – we have an extremely fast and reliable car. Most places seem to come down to tire wear, and we’re extremely conservative on what we do to the car to make sure we can double-stint [the tires] consistently. A lot of other cars seem to be falling off in their second stints and I think we’ve been strong at that all year.

Today was definitely won by strategy, hard work, and a well-prepared car.” Steve Eriksen (Vice President, Honda Performance Development) on Saturday’s WEC race in Brazil:
“Another fine effort from Starworks was rewarded with another P2 win, further cementing its reputation as one of the top teams in the series this season, with three wins in five races – including the ‘big two’ at LeMans and Sebring. We’re pleased to see the points lead extended, and of course, its pole position in qualifying. It was quite an accomplishment for an American team in this quality P2 field. In P1, it was encouraging to see JRM continuing to improve and start the race in such a strong fashion, and Strakka produced yet another thrilling finish. It seems to be becoming a habit for them! Now, it’s on to Bahrain
and the races in Japan and China. We’re looking forward to them.”

HPD Teams Sweep VIR
Both Honda Performance Development teams in the American Le Mans Series closed in on their respective championships Saturday with victories at Virginia International Raceway. Muscle Milk Pickett Racing won the VIR 240 overall and LMP1 for its sixth victory of the season with drivers Klaus Graf and Lucas Luhr; while the Level 5 Motorsports duo of Christophe Bouchut and Scott Tucker followed up its overall win two weeks ago on the streets of Baltimore with an LMP2 class win in Virginia.

It was a perfect race weekend for Muscle Milk Pickett, as the team set a new outright VIR lap record with its HPD ARX-03a in securing the pole on Friday, with Graf at the wheel around the challenging 17-turn, 3.27-mile road course located in the hill country of southern Virginia. Saturday’s race saw the Muscle Milk pair lead from start to finish, avoiding issues with slower traffic and including a new race lap record by Luhr, to pull away to a dominating three-lap victory over the Lola-Mazda of Dyson Racing. The team once again claimed the Michelin Green X Challenge, its fourth MGXC award of the year.

The victory also moved the Muscle Milk Pickett team one step closer to the LMP1 championship. Unofficially, the team needs only to complete at least 70 per cent of the race distance at next month’s Petit Le Mans season finale to secure the championship.
In LMP2, it was another exciting race-long battle between the pair of HPD ARX-03bs, against the fast Morgan-Nissan of Conquest Racing, with all three cars leading the race at different points – and all three involved in contact with other cars during the course of the four-hour contest.

At the end, Level 5’s superior pit strategy appeared to make the difference, as the #055 HPD of Christophe Bouchut exited the pits for the final time with a narrow margin over the Morgan of David Heinemeier-Hansson. That proved decisive, as Bouchut skillfully worked his way through the slower GT field to pull away to a 28-second victory and the fifth win of 2012 for Bouchut and team owner/driver Scott Tucker.

The team’s second HPD, driven by Tucker, Ricardo Gonzalez and Luis Diaz, finished third in LMP2 on track, but was later excluded from the results when it failed the post-race “stall test”, as the engine did not shut off when the air intake was sealed. With one race remaining in the 2012 season, HPD and its partner teams and drivers continue to lead their
respective driver, team and manufacturer championships in both LMP1 and LMP2. The American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patron concludes Saturday, October 20 with the Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta, near Gainesville, Georgia.

Klaus Graf (#6 Muscle Milk Pickett Racing HPD ARX-03a) started 1st, finished 1st, the team’s sixth race win of 2012; also won the Michelin Green X Challenge for fast, clean and efficient performance for the 4th time this year: “It was a difficult race to manage from a traffic standpoint. There are certain places [here] where you just can’t get around another car without taking too much risk. So I pushed hard, but at the same time I was conservative with the moves I made in traffic. For us, we had a trouble-free race, which is what we really came here to do. It was a perfect race for Muscle Milk Racing. Now we go back to the shop and prepare [for Petit Le Mans], where [finishing 70 per cent of the race] is not the easiest thing to do. It will be a big team effort.”

Steve Eriksen (Vice President, Honda Performance Development) on Saturday’s race at Virginia International Raceway: “Congratulations to everyone at both Muscle Milk Pickett Racing and Level 5 Motorsports for a near perfect weekend at Virginia International Raceway. It takes a great deal of hard work with long hours of preparation and planning to produce a ‘clean sweep’ weekend like this one, so this is a great reward for the efforts of everyone at HPD and our partner teams. In addition to their dominating weekend, Muscle Milk also won the Michelin Green X Challenge for the fourth time this year, and it is the sixth Green X award for an HPD team in 2012, an accomplishment of which all of us at HPD
can be proud. Now, the championships in LMP1 and LMP2 once again come down to the always challenging Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta, where HPD certainly has had more than its share of ‘exciting moments’ over the years. But we all look forward to the challenge, and to successfully defending our string of prototype titles.”

Franchitti Finishes Second in California Season Finale
A thrilling conclusion to Saturday night’s MAVTV 500 saw a closing-lap duel between Target Chip Ganassi Racing’s Dario Franchitti and Ed Carpenter end just after Carpenter claimed the lead, as Takuma Sato crashed and yellow flags froze the field through the final corners on the 250th – and final – lap of the IZOD IndyCar Series season-ending event at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California.

Franchitti and Carpenter traded the lead several times over the last six laps, a repeat of their closing-lap battle for victory at Kentucky Speedway last year – a race also won by Carpenter in a photo finish.

In addition to Franchitti, his Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Scott Dixon, Takuma Sato and Alex Tagliani all had extended runs at the front of the 26-car starting field. As the race approached Lap 200, Honda-powered drivers were running first through fourth, led by Dixon; and at the Lap 125 mid-point in the 500-mile run, Tagliani, Sato and Franchitti were 1-2-3 for Honda.

A crash by Tony Kanaan on Lap 240 set up the wild finish. Race officials briefly halted the race to clear the track and then restarted on Lap 244 with a six-lap dash to the checkers. When the green flag waved for the final time, Franchitti was in front, with Carpenter and Ryan Hunter-Reay – who needed to finish fifth or better to claim the IZOD IndyCar Series drivers’ championship – rounding out the top three. Sato, in fourth, Dixon and a charging Helio Castroneves rounded out the potential race winners. Franchitti and Carpenter quickly pulled out an advantage of several car lengths over the rest of the frontrunners,
who staged their own equally fierce battle for third through sixth. At the start of the final lap,
Carpenter made one final pass on Franchitti as the pair exited Turn 2 and, just an instant later, Sato spun and crashed without injury to end the race. As a result, Dixon grabbed third, while fourth place was just enough for Hunter-Reay to edge Will Power for the series title.

Rookie Newgarden Stars in Qualifying at Fontana

Josef Newgarden (#67 Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Honda) 4th quickest in qualifying, best
qualifying performance of 2012: “We were pretty flat out [during the qualifying run], and maybe we
could have trimmed out the car a little bit more. We weren’t sure about the temperature, and didn’t want
to risk too much. Coming into the race, we talked a lot about how I want a car that’s going to be
comfortable, reliable and consistent for the entire race. That’s what we’re working on, we want to have a
good race car that can run a lot of laps. If we have that, then we can run and compete up front.”

Honda Racers Star at NASA National Championships

SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (Sept. 10, 2012) – Five Honda National Auto Sport Association (NASA) racers closed out their 2012 racing seasons in the best possible manner, winning six class titles at the NASA National Championships, September 8-9 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

More than three dozen Honda and Acura racers made the annual trek to Lexington, Ohio, for
this year’s national championship races, with the majority taking part in the Honda Challenge
classes.

In Honda Challenge 1, Jason Kohler led the field from the green flag in his Honda S2000 and
was never challenged to claim his first NASA National Championship. Driving a newly race prepared Acura Integra – a job that was completed only just before the race start – Jonathan
Meris came from the back of the starting field to record an incredible second-place finish.
“I was able to get a great start. I think the open track in front of me really helped me get a gap
to second place, as everyone had to sort themselves out behind me,” Kohler said. “The car was really good. The tires were getting greasy at the end, but that happens when you push it really hard.” Kohler doubled his championship tally on Sunday, with a victory in the TTB class in the Group F Time Trial event.

Jeremy Croiset took the Honda Challenge 2 crown in his Honda CRX after an early-race battle with Egidijus [Eddie] Sadauskas until Lap 5, when Sadauskas went off track in the Mid-Ohio Carousel and Croiset broke away from the rest of the H2 field to claim his first NASA Championship trophy.

“My crew chief helped me put together a dynamite car,” Croiset said. “The CRX was perfect
from the beginning to the end. I got a good start and that helped me get a gap, which was
critical in my race. Egidijus was fast all weekend, but I got the jump at the start and that is what I needed. I had to drive a little defensively for a few laps until Eddie went off. That allowed me to get a gap to the end of the race.”
Members of the Honda Racing Line taking part in the Honda Challenge races were eligible for up to $2,500 in contingency awards at Mid-Ohio. In addition, American Honda provided catered trackside hospitality exclusively for Honda/Acura competitors and their crew members.

Honda Racers Chase Titles At NASA National Championships

SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (September 6, 2012) – Honda and Acura racers from across the country will journey to the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course next weekend in pursuit of club-racing glory at the September 5-9 National Auto Sport Association (NASA) Championships, Presented by Toyo Tires.

Contingency awards of up to $2,500, offered through the Honda Racing Line, will be available to Honda and Acura drivers taking part in the Honda Challenge classes.  In addition to the Honda Challenge, other events with Honda and Acura entries include the Performance Touring and Time Trial categories.

Honda Performance Development will once again provide catered trackside hospitality exclusively for Honda/Acura competitors and their crews.  The hospitality tent will offer a buffet lunch from Thursday, Sept. 6 through Saturday, Sept. 9.

Drivers to watch this year include defending Honda Challenge 1 title-holder Kevin Helms of Charlotte, N.C.; Manny Coats, H2 winner in 2011; and two-time NASA champion Jonathan Meris, who will debut a new Acura Integra at the National Championships.

Launched in July 2009, the Honda Racing Line is a program targeted at licensed participants in sanctioned amateur and entry-level professional racing. The Honda Racing Line was formed to provide its members with a direct connection to Honda Performance Development and its unparalleled record of success at the highest levels of motorsport. Competitors may register for the Honda Racing Line through HondaRacingLine.com.

Honda Performance Development (HPD) is the Honda racing company within North America. Founded in 1993, and located in Santa Clarita, Calif., HPD is the technical operations center for high-performance Honda racing cars and engines.

As one of three engine suppliers to the IZOD IndyCar Series, Honda won this year’s Indianapolis 500 with driver Dario Franchitti; and competes in prototype sports-car racing under the HPD banner in the American Le Mans Series and the FIA World Endurance Championship. HPD offers a variety of race engines for track applications from prototype sports cars to karting; and showcases ‘fun-to-drive’ products for professional, amateur and entry-level racers.

Statement from Art St. Cyr, President, Honda Performance Development, on today’s announcedmerger of the American Le Mans Series and Grand Am:

“In much the same way as unification provided a way forward for open-wheel racing, today’s news announcing the merger of the American Le Mans Series and Grand-Am has the potential to grow and improve the sport.

Honda has participated in sports car racing, under a variety of sanctioning bodies and formats, since the mid-1980s. As a company, we have always sought out series where races and championships could be won – or lost – on engineering merit.  Since 2007, we have been continuous participants in the American Le Mans Series under both the Acura and Honda Performance Development banners. HPD is the reigning American Le Mans Series LMP champion, having won class titles for the past three years.

In 2012, HPD and its partner teams continue to take part in both LMP1 and LMP2 in the American Le Mans Series; and launched an ambitious multi-team prototype effort in the World Endurance Championship. We look forward to taking part in a new, combined North American road-racing series, featuring a defined rules package that maintains sports car racing’s traditional role as a technological leader and innovator.”

Pagenaud Finishes Third in Wild Baltimore Run

Simon Pagenaud, who has already clinched IZOD IndyCar Series Rookie of the Year honors, starred in Sunday’s Grand Prix of Baltimore, jumping from sixth to first on a Lap 35 restart and going on to lead 14 laps en route to a third-place finish, his fourth podium result of the 2012 season.

Pagenaud fell back to third during the final round of pit stops, and was unable to make a final bid for victory when his Schmidt Hamilton Racing Honda Dallara picked up an understeer in the final laps of today’s 75-lap contest, making it impossible for him to mount a successful attack on either race winner Ryan Hunter-Reay or runner-up Ryan Briscoe.

Takuma Sato also make a strong bid for victory, despite starting near the back of the field after a difficult qualifying session on Saturday. Sato led 12 laps while a brief, light rain shower blanketed portions of the 2.04-mile downtown temporary street circuit, and continued to lead on dry weather “slick” tires when many others elected to pit for rain tires. But a lack of fuel pressure caused Sato’s engine to stumble on the same Lap 35 restart that saw Pagenaud snare the lead, and soon ended Sato’s day on Lap 38.

Scott Dixon finished fourth, while Alex Tagliani led one lap today for Barracuda Racing. Justin Wilson, Graham Rahal, Dario Franchitti and Charlie Kimball all ran in the top five for portions of today’s race before being delayed by a wide variety of causes in an incident-filled race. Wilson, along with Mike Conway, lost time in a late-race, multi-car collision; Franchitti came up one lap short in an attempt to stretch his fuel mileage to the checkers; while Kimball ran as high as third before mechanical failure ended his day.

Honda’s popular Fastest Seat in Sports sweepstakes returned in Baltimore, with former Indianapolis 500 champion Arie Luyendyk at the wheel of the two-seat Indy car. He gave Tyler Treiber of Uniontown, Ohio the ride of a lifetime around Mid-Ohio at the head of the 27-car starting field just prior to the start of today’s race.

Level 5 Best in Baltimore

In a wild race run Saturday afternoon through the streets of downtown Baltimore, Level 5 Motorsports celebrated the best day in the team’s history of American Le Mans Series competition, finishing first and second overall and in LMP2 at the Baltimore Sports Car Challenge. After two hours of racing around the 2.04-mile temporary street circuit, it was the HPD ARX-03b of Christophe Bouchut and Scott Tucker carrying a 2.158-second margin to the checkers ahead of teammates Luis Diaz and Ricardo Gonzalez.

Level 5 was quick to capitalize on various misfortunes that struck all three LMP1 contenders, including the pole-qualifying Muscle Milk Pickett Racing HPD ARX-03a of Klaus Graf and Lucas Luhr. Starting driver Graf was pulling away from the field – and had built a lead of almost a full lap after 45 minutes of racing – when the gearbox actuator failed, resulting in a long pit stop for repairs.

With a replacement actuator installed, the Muscle Milk team resumed the contest more than six laps down to the leaders. But the team persevered to a third-place finish to protect its LMP1 championship lead with two races remaining in the 2012 American Le Mans Series.
Level 5 took command of the LMP2 contest when Conquest Racing’s David Heinemeier Hannson was penalized for contact with the LMP1 Lola of Dyson Racing. Spins, suspension failure and a pit lane penalty further delayed both Dyson entries. That turned the overall lead over to the #95 Level 5 HPD of Diaz, with teammate Bouchut in the #055 ARX-03b taking over at the front in the final half-hour. It was the first overall American Le Mans Series
triumph for both Bouchut and Tucker. The pair also extended its championship lead over the Conquest duo or Heinemeier Hansson and Martin Plowman, who suffered race-ending suspension failure with less than 20 minutes remaining.

Baltimore marked the first 1-2 overall finish for LMP2 machines in the American Le Mans Series competition since 2008, when the Acura ARX-01bs of Andretti Green Racing, Patron Highcroft Racing and de Ferran Motorsports finished 1-2-3 at the Grand Prix of Detroit.

Conway, Dixon Shine in Baltimore Qualifying

Mike Conway and Scott Dixon led the Honda-powered field Saturday in IZOD IndyCar Series qualifying for the Grand Prix of Baltimore, posting the second- and third-quickest times in the final-round Firestone “Fast Six” shootout.

Conway’s qualifying effort was his best of 2012, and equaled his IndyCar Series career-best qualifying at the Honda Grand Prix of Alabama in 2010. But the A.J. Foyt Racing driver will have a 10-spot grid penalty assessed for an unapproved engine change between the Sonoma and Baltimore races, which will result in a 12th-place race start.

That will move Dixon, the third-fastest qualifier and one of the few remaining championship challengers to pole winner Will Power, to second on the starting grid. Dixon’s Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammate, Dario Franchitti, made it three Hondas in the top five qualifying positions; followed by Charlie Kimball, seventh, Justin Wilson in ninth and Bruno Junqueira, substituting for the injured Josef Newgarden, rounding out the top 10. IZOD IndyCar Series Rookie of the Year Simon Pagenaud starts 12th.

Mike Conway (#14 A.J. Foyt Racing Honda) 2nd quickest in qualifying, best qualifying performance of 2012: “We went out this morning and the car’s balance was really good, so we didn’t really change anything for qualifying. We were just trying to find a little bit more on the last lap [going for the pole time] and went too much [hitting the wall on the chicane exit]. We’re happy to qualify second, but with the engine change, we will start 12th. It’s going to make our [race] day tomorrow a bit more challenging, so we will see where we stack up during the first few laps and then determine our strategy.”

Pagenaud Flies to P2 in Baltimore Practice

Simon Pagenaud led the Honda-powered field Friday in practice for Sunday’s Grand Prix of Baltimore,posting the second quickest time around the 2.04-mile temporary street circuit in preparation for Sunday’s pentultimate race in the 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series.

Pagenaud survived a scare in the opening practice, when his Schmidt Hamilton Racing Honda Dallara hit a bump on the back straight and briefly became airborne, followed by a hard landing as the car returned to the pavement. After inspecting the circuit, race officials installed a temporary chicane to slow the cars and direct them to the smoother, left-hand side of the circuit. The change accomplished its goal, and no more unintentional “flights” were reported in the afternoon practice session.

Scott Dixon posted the third-quickest practice time, with Mike Conway, Dario Franchitti and Charlie Kimball rounding out the top-10 for Honda.

IZOD IndyCar Series activities in Baltimore continue Saturday, with final practice and “Fast Six” knockout qualifying. Sunday’s race starts at 2:30 p.m. EDT, with live television coverage on the NBC Sports Network.

Simon Pagenaud (#77 Schmidt Hamilton Racing Honda) second quickest in Friday practice: “The first practice was a bit short for us. I hit a big bump and the car took off like a plane. I saw only sky until it landed, pretty hard. I was sore at first, but I’m okay now. For the afternoon practice, the [race officials] installed a chicane at that spot and made it a lot better. It’s a lot of fun now, throwing the car at the corner [the chicane] and powering through.”

Strakka, Starworks Shine for HPD at Silverstone

Steve Eriksen (Vice President, Honda Performance Development) on Sunday’s WEC race at Silverstone: “For the second week in a row, there was a thrilling finish for sports car racing and its fans. Both last weekend’s four-hour American Le Mans Series race at Road America and today’s six-hour run at Silverstone featured HPD teams in a fight going right to the finish line. The “”never-say-die”” tenacity of the HPD teams shown during the race really exemplifies the Honda Racing Spirit and made for a real ‘nail biter’ ending after six hours of intense racing. Unfortunately there aren’t wins to show for the effort but there is solace in knowing that the teams tried their very best.”

Franchitti Finishes Third in Sonoma
Indianapolis 500 champion Dario Franchitti led the way for Honda in Sunday’s GoPro Indy Grand Prix of
Sonoma, putting pressure on IZOD IndyCar Series leader Will Power and eventual race winner Ryan
Briscoe throughout the final laps of Sunday’s race as he finished third in his Target Chip Ganassi Racing
Honda Dallara.
Starting sixth, Franchitti avoided an opening lap incident that saw his teammate, Scott Dixon, spin out
after contact from Helio Castroneves. Starting the race on the harder “black compound” Firestone tires,
Franchitti was able to switch to the better gripping “reds” at his first scheduled pit stop, and he ran near
the front of the field for the remainder of the 85-lap contest. A pair of late-race caution periods allowed
him to challenge Power for second place, but the four-time series champion was never able to attempt a
pass.
Behind Franchitti, Graham Rahal had one of his strongest runs this season to finish fifth for Service
Central Chip Ganassi Racing, while seventh for Simon Pagenaud clinched IndyCar Rookie of the Year
honors for the Schmidt Hamilton Racing driver. Charlie Kimball also had a strong run, moving from 21st
on the starting grid to 11th place by Lap 66, the biggest gain of any driver. But a late race transmission
problem dropped him three laps off the pace, resulting in an unrepresentative 21st-place finish.
Honda’s popular Fastest Seat in Sports sweepstakes returned at Sonoma, with racing legend Mario

Dixon, Franchitti Lead Honda Qualifying at Sonoma

Scott Dixon (#9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) qualified 5th: “It was definitely tough [qualifying] today. I nearly got knocked out of the first qualifying round, when I came up on traffic on my last lap and he went off in front of me!  The car has good balance, but we’re missing a little bit somewhere, so we’ve got a bit of work to do tonight. The wind changed direction between the morning [practice] and qualifying [in the afternoon], and that seemed to affect us more than some of the others. In such a close field, it’s just the smallest things that can make a difference.”

Muscle Milk Charge Highlights Road America Run
After four hours of racing around the classic, four-mile Road America road course, the finish of Saturday’s
Road Racing Classic came down to the final four corners, with multiple lead changes leading to a final
charge to the checkered flags, where the Honda Performance Development ARX-03a of Muscle Milk
Pickett Racing came up just 83 0ne-thousandths of a second short of a sixth consecutive American Le
Mans Series victory.

Allen Miller (Principal Engineer and Large Project Leader, Honda Performance Development) on
Saturday’s race at Road America: “While the outcome was certainly disappointing for HPD and our
teams, it was an awesome race and we’re really proud of the effort put forth by Muscle Milk Pickett
Racing. To come back from a four-lap deficit around this place is an incredible achievement. It was a
great job by everyone on the team: the mechanics who repaired the car under difficult conditions, perfect
strategy calls by the engineers and a fantastic performance from both drivers. Second feels like a poor
reward for their efforts, but the fans certainly saw an incredible show. Level 5 Motorsports also had a
strong run today, and it’s unfortunate that a late-race problem, apparently the result of contact early in the
race, ended their chance for victory.”

Dixon Continues Mid-Ohio Mastery