Category Archives: Honda Racing

Podium Results for Hunter-Reay, Dixon at Road America

Podium Results for Hunter-Reay, Dixon at Road America
• Ryan Hunter-Reay continues mid-season surge with second-place finish
• Championship leader Scott Dixon runs third
• Honda drivers claim five of top six finishing positions

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (June 24, 2018) – Ryan Hunter-Reay and Scott Dixon continued to lead the way for Honda in today’s Kohler Grand Prix, taking second and third, respectively, after 55 laps of fierce Verizon IndyCar Series competition at the scenic Road America circuit in central Wisconsin.

Both Dixon and Hunter-Reay have been on a charge for Honda during the middle third of the 2018 season. Dixon moved to the Drivers’ Championship points lead earlier this month, on the heels of victories at the opening round of the Detroit doubleheader weekend and at Texas Motor Speedway. Following today’s result, Dixon leads the title chase with 393 points, to 348 points for Hunter-Reay and Alexander Rossi. Continue reading Podium Results for Hunter-Reay, Dixon at Road America

Hunter-Reay Tops Honda Qualifying at Road America

Hunter-Reay Tops Honda Qualifying at Road America
• Ryan Hunter-Reay to start third in Sunday’s Verizon IndyCar Series race
• Alexander Rossi qualifies fourth in his Andretti Autosport Honda
• Four Honda drivers advance to final-round “Fast Six” qualifying

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (June 23, 2018) – Andretti Autosport teammates Ryan Hunter-Reay and Alexander Rossi led the way for Honda Saturday at Road America in qualifying for Sunday’s Kohler Grand Prix. The pair will share the second row of the starting grid – with Hunter-Reay third and Rossi fourth – for the start of tomorrow’s Verizon IndyCar Series race.

After leading the initial practice session on Friday, Robert Wickens will start his Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda from fifth. Sebastien Bourdais rounded out the “Fast Six” final qualifiers, and made it four Honda drivers to advance to the final round of qualifying in his Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan Honda. Continue reading Hunter-Reay Tops Honda Qualifying at Road America

Wickens, Bourdais Head Honda Attack in Practice at Road America

Wickens, Bourdais Head Honda Attack in Practice at Road America
• Robert Wickens runs second fastest in afternoon practice, Sebastien Bourdais third
• Takuma Sato posts second-quickest time in morning session
• All five Honda teams represented in top eight overall results on Friday

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. (June 22, 2018) – Honda drivers Robert Wickens and Sebastien Bourdais led the way for Honda Friday at Road America, ending the opening day of practice in second and third places, respectively, in preparation for Sunday’s Kohler Grand Prix Verizon IndyCar Series race.

Wickens took his Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda to a best time of 1:42.9025 around the classic 4-mile road course in central Wisconsin, to finish the day second overall behind Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden. St. Petersburg race winner Bourdais slotted in just behind, third, at 1:43.0020 for Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan. Continue reading Wickens, Bourdais Head Honda Attack in Practice at Road America

Dixon, Honda Dominate in Texas

Dixon, Honda Dominate in Texas
• Scott Dixon wins at Texas Motor Speedway for second victory in last two weeks
• Alexander Rossi runs third to continue championship challenge
• Honda drivers claim eight of top nine finishing positions

FORT WORTH, Texas (June 9, 2018) – For the second time in two weeks, Scott Dixon dominated a Verizon IndyCar Series race, leading a race-high 119 laps to claim victory tonight in the DXC Technology 600 at Texas Motor Speedway. The victory at the demanding, high-speed Texas oval follows Dixon’s win last Saturday in the opening race of the doubleheader Detroit Grand Prix weekend, and vaults Dixon into the Drivers’ Championship points lead after nine of 17 races. Continue reading Dixon, Honda Dominate in Texas

Second-Row Start for Wickens, Honda in Texas

Second-Row Start for Wickens, Honda in Texas
• Robert Wickens qualifies fourth, best oval start of his rookie season
• Honda drivers claim six of top 10 qualifying spots
• Saturday night contest will be third oval race of 2018

FORT WORTH, Texas (June 8, 2018) – Robert Wickens continues to impress in his Verizon IndyCar Series rookie season, as he led Honda qualifiers today at Texas Motor Speedway and will start Saturday night’s race from the outside of the second row, fourth.

It is the best oval track qualifying performance to date for Wickens, who also qualified on the pole at the season-opening Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, a temporary street circuit. In the previous two oval races this season, Wickens qualified 18th at the Indianapolis 500 and sixth at ISM Raceway. Continue reading Second-Row Start for Wickens, Honda in Texas

2019 Acura RDX Makes Racing Debut at Pikes Peak Hill Climb; Acura Returns With Four Competition Entries

2019 Acura RDX Makes Racing Debut at Pikes Peak Hill Climb;
Acura Returns With Four Competition Entries
• Modified Acura RDX with larger turbo and supercharger producing 350-horsepower to take on Exhibition Class
• Production-based Acura NSX to compete in Time Attack 1 Class, following last year’s hybrid record-setting run
• TLX GT piloted by Peter Cunningham returns to compete in Open Class, expanding on 2017 Open Class record and overall podium finish
• Turbocharged, 500-horsepower 2018 TLX A-Spec to compete in Open Class, as a follow-up to 2017 Exhibition win

TORRANCE, Calif. (June 7, 2018) – Acura returns to the Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb on June 24 with four production-based race cars, including the all-new 2019 RDX making its world racing debut. Joining the new RDX, which went on sale nationally June 1, is last year’s Open Class-winning TLX GT, Exhibition Class-winning TLX A-Spec, and Time Attack 1 podium-placing NSX.

Acura marks its seventh consecutive year competing in the ‘Race to the Clouds’ in 2018. The brand is also returning for the fourth straight year as Official Pace Car and Support Vehicle of the event, with a 2019 RDX A-Spec and 2018 MDX, respectively.

The TLX GT, driven by Acura racing legend Peter Cunningham, will return in the Open Class to build on a commanding 2017 class win, while Acura R&D engineer James Robinson, coming off a Hybrid record-setting run in 2017, will return with a NSX in the Time Attack 1 Class. Acura R&D engineer and brother to James, Nick Robinson, will also return to Pikes Peak in the Exhibition Class-winning 2018 TLX A-Spec.

Pikes Peak rookie Jordan Guitar will make his hill-climb debut in the all-new 2019 Acura RDX, competing in the Exhibition Class. A veteran of rally racing events, Jordan is the 2016 B-Spec National Champion and has recently graduated to the Civic Sport Turbo Rally car for 2018.

Pikes Peak Premiere: 2019 RDX
Jordan Guitar of Acura R&D’s North American Chassis Development Group will make the racing debut of the 2019 RDX in this year’s Exhibition Class. The 2019 RDX set to make its racing debut in this year’s Exhibition Class features a production-derived 2.0L VTEC® Turbo engine, along with a sport tuned 10-speed automatic transmission and the newest iteration of Acura Super Handling All‐Wheel Drive™ (SH‐AWD®).

In addition to the lightly modified production powertrain, the Pikes Peak RDX has been fitted with 48-volt micro hybrid technology, including an electric supercharger. The vehicle’s interior has been stripped to reduce weight and improve handling. The overall focus of the Pikes Peak RDX is to display the potential of this exciting new platform and highlight new technology that expands driving performance.

The Pikes Peak RDX’s VTEC Turbo engine has been dialed up to a peak output of 350 horsepower and 330 lb.-ft. of torque through the use of a larger turbocharger, bigger intercooler for maximum response and electric supercharger to help reduce turbo lag as elevation increases.

The 2019 RDX debuts the most advanced mechanical iteration of Acura’s torque-vectoring Super Handling All‐Wheel Drive yet. The RDX race car will compete with production SH-AWD hardware, only receiving software changes to increase the rear torque bias. Additional handling enhancements included race-tuned suspension, custom 19-inch HRE forged race wheels and Pirelli racing tires. Braking performance has been upgraded with Brembo front brake calipers and racing pads.

2018 TLX A-Spec in Exhibition Class
Nick Robinson of Acura R&D’s North American Chassis Development Group will return to Pikes Peak in the 2017 Exhibition Class-winning TLX A-Spec. Following its successful debut in the Exhibition Class last June, the TLX A-Spec returns with a revised suspension, updated 500-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 turbo powerplant and a limited-slip differential.

Optimized specifically for this hill-climb course, custom engine software and tuning was handled by an in-house team of the company’s North American R&D engineers. Changes from the TLX A-Spec’s debut in 2017 include a revised aerodynamic package and additional weight reduction. A five-time veteran of Pikes Peak, Nick Robinson had his first victory in 2014 in the motorcycle Pikes Peak 250 class. In addition, Nick piloted the NSX to victory in the Time Attack 2 Production Class, as well as the Exhibition Class win in 2017.

TLX GT Competes in Open Class
The all-wheel drive RealTime Racing (RTR) prepared TLX GT race car returns to Pikes Peak in 2018 following a 2017 Open Class Record and overall podium finish, featuring a power-enhanced J35 twin-turbo V6 motor setup used in past Pirelli World Challenge Series competitions, but tuned on multiple levels to accommodate the elevation changes of Pikes Peak. The software mapping developed by Honda Performance Development optimizes turbo operation and boost pressures for the decreasing levels of oxygen on the way to the 14,115-foot summit. RTR has built the TLX GT’s suspension specifically for this hill-climb environment, and the transmission’s gearing has been revised for faster acceleration coming out of the course’s many hairpin turns.

For 2018, the TLX GT features increased downforce with the addition of a larger front splitter and dive planes that will improve front downforce, allowing the team to dial in more rear wing downforce for balance. Also new this year, with the abolishment of Pikes Peak’s requirement for the Open Class to use D.O.T-approved tires, the TLX GT adds Pirelli racing slicks.

The TLX GT will again be piloted by Peter Cunningham of RealTime Racing, which has campaigned Acuras in the World Challenge since 1996 and seeks a consecutive Pikes Peak podium finish following his ‘Rookie of the Year’ debut in 2017. The versatile Cunningham has claimed 14 professional drivers’ championships in his storied career in everything from ice racing, performance rallying and road racing.

Baja 500 Victory Caps Near-Perfect Weekend for Honda Racing And Acura Motorsports Programs

Baja 500 Victory Caps Near-Perfect Weekend for Honda Racing
And Acura Motorsports Programs
• Team Honda Racing Ridgeline continues Baja success with “500” triumph
• Honda sweeps Detroit IndyCar Series doubleheader
• Acura Motorsports scores 1-2 GTD result, double-podium in prototypes

TORRANCE, Calif. (May 5, 2018) – Team Honda Racing Ridgeline’s class victory in this weekend’s 50th annual Baja 500 capped a near-perfect weekend of racing for both the Honda and Acura brands, scoring four of a possible five wins, and 10 of 11 possible podium results.

The string of trophy results included a Honda sweep of both races making up the Detroit IndyCar Series doubleheader weekend; a 1-2 finish for the Acura NSX GT3 in the companion IMSA sports car race in Detroit, second and third-place Prototype finishes for the Acura ARX-05s in the same event, and a Class 7 triumph for the Ridgeline Baja Race Truck in Mexico. Continue reading Baja 500 Victory Caps Near-Perfect Weekend for Honda Racing And Acura Motorsports Programs

Hunter-Reay Completes Honda’s Detroit Doubleheader Sweep

Hunter-Reay Completes Honda’s Detroit Doubleheader Sweep
• Ryan Hunter-Reay uses speed, three-pit stop strategy to win on Belle Isle
• Late-race brake issues cost Alexander Rossi shot at victory
• Honda drivers claim five of top six finishing positions

DETROIT, Mich. (June 3, 2018) – For the second consecutive year, Honda drivers swept both rounds of the Dual in Detroit doubleheader Verizon IndyCar Series weekend, as Andretti Autosport’s Ryan Hunter-Reay prevailed for his first victory of 2018 on Sunday, after a thrilling late-lap duel with teammate Alexander Rossi.

In Saturday’s opening round, Scott Dixon led a Honda sweep of the top six finishing positions, with Hunter-Reay and Rossi completing the podium. Continue reading Hunter-Reay Completes Honda’s Detroit Doubleheader Sweep

Dixon Leads Detroit Sweep for Honda

Dixon Leads Detroit Sweep for Honda
• Scott Dixon leads Honda sweep of top six positions in opening race of doubleheader
• Ryan Hunter-Reay, Alexander Rossi complete all-Honda podium
• Second race in doubleheader weekend runs Sunday

DETROIT, Mich. (June 2, 2018) – For the second consecutive year, Honda drivers dominated the opening round of the Dual in Detroit doubleheader Verizon IndyCar Series weekend, leading all 70 laps, with Scott Dixon spearheading a Honda sweep of the top six finishing positions.

Starting from the pole, Marco Andretti led until the first round of scheduled pit stops was completed. Ryan Hunter-Reay, running a three pit-stop, “out of sequence” strategy, assumed the lead. Then, taking control in the second half of the 70-lap contest, Dixon maintained a narrow, but consistent margin over his pursuers in his Chip Ganassi Racing Honda for the remainder of the day. Continue reading Dixon Leads Detroit Sweep for Honda

Acura, Meyer Shank Racing Take Victory in Detroit

Acura, Meyer Shank Racing Take Victory in Detroit
• Katherine Legge, MSR score repeat victory for Acura NSX GT3 on Belle Isle
• Justin Marks, Lawson Aschenbach complete a MSR 1-2 result for Acura
• Acura Team Penske duo of Helio Castroneves, Ricky Taylor finish second in prototype
• Juan Pablo Montoya, Dane Cameron finish third to complete nearly perfect day for Acura

DETROIT, Mich. (June 2, 2018) – The four Acura entries in this weekend’s Detroit Grand Prix Presented by Lear completed a nearly perfect set of results in today’s 100-minute race, with a 1-2 result for the Acura NSX GT3 and Meyer Shank Racing in the GTD class, and a 2-3 finish for Acura Team Penske and the ARX-05 prototype. Continue reading Acura, Meyer Shank Racing Take Victory in Detroit

Hunter-Reay, Dixon Lead Practice Sessions in Detroit

Hunter-Reay, Dixon Lead Practice Sessions in Detroit
• Ryan Hunter-Reay, Honda, top the time sheets in practice for two-race weekend
• Scott Dixon, James Hinchcliffe round out 1-2-3 Honda sweep of practice sessions
• Qualifying and Race One follow on Saturday; Race Two on Sunday

DETROIT, Mich. (June 1, 2018) – Honda drivers led the way in opening practice today for this weekend’s Dual in Detroit Verizon IndyCar Series doubleheader race weekend, with Ryan Hunter-Reay fastest in the second practice session – and on the day – in his Andretti Autosport Honda. Scott Dixon ended the day second on the timesheets for Chip Ganassi Racing, while James Hinchcliffe rounded out a Honda 1-2-3 sweep of the day.

In the morning, Honda drivers also dominated the opening practice, taking the top eight positions, led by Sebastien Bourdais for Dale Coyne Racing, followed by Dixon and double-defending race winner Graham Rahal.

Activities continue Saturday in Detroit with the first of this weekend’s two 70-lap Verizon IndyCar Series races. The seventh and eighth rounds of the 2018 season begin at 3:30 p.m. EDT Saturday and Sunday, respectively, with live television coverage of both races on ABC. Continue reading Hunter-Reay, Dixon Lead Practice Sessions in Detroit

Richard Childress Racing–Pocono Advance

Richard Childress Racing at Pocono Raceway … In 157 starts at Pocono Raceway, RCR team owner Richard Childress has two wins, both with Dale Earnhardt, who won on July 19, 1987 and July 18, 1993. Additionally, RCR has earned one pole award, 16 top-five and 54 top-10 finishes with 610 laps led at the uniquely-shaped three-turn track. Childress, a former driver in NASCAR’s top division, contributed two of those top-10 finishes under the RCR banner.

RCR in the MENCS … In 2,872 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts dating back to 1969, RCR has amassed 48 pole awards,108 wins, 487 top-five finishes and 1,055 top-10 finishes, with an average starting position of 17.8 and an average finishing position of 16.2. RCR has earned 15 total championships (six Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championships with Earnhardt in 1986, ’87, ’90, ’91, ’93 and ’94, six NASCAR Xfinity Series titles, two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series titles and one ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards title) and was the first organization to win titles in NASCAR’s three national series. Continue reading Richard Childress Racing–Pocono Advance

Dixon Runs Third for Honda at Indianapolis 500

Dixon Runs Third for Honda at Indianapolis 500
• Fuel gambles from Stefan Wilson, Jack Harvey and Oriol Servia come up short
• Come-from-behind efforts from Alexander Rossi, Graham Rahal
• Robert Wickens paces rookie field, finishes ninth

SPEEDWAY, Ind., (May 27, 2018) – Competing pit strategies converged in the final laps of today’s Indianapolis 500, as Scott Dixon and his Chip Ganassi Racing team worked fuel saving to the maximum to finish third, while Alexander Rossi brought his Andretti Autosport Honda to fourth after a series of thrilling outside passes.

On a day of unofficial record high temperatures in the 90’s, a series of yellow flags around the 50-lap mark led roughly half the field to adopt a fuel-saving strategy which netted them one less pit stop during the race, while the other half relied on speed to make up the time difference caused by the extra stop.

The group with the upper hand varied during the middle third of the 200-lap contest, but Honda drivers and teams featured in both.

The fuel-saving group including Dixon, veteran Oriol Servia, second-time “500” starters Stefan Wilson and Jack Harvey, and rookie Zachary Claman De Melo. The Honda quintet was running first through fifth at Lap 180 [of 200], with Servia at the point. The yellow flag flew for the seventh and final time on Lap 189, and on the Lap 192 restart Wilson rapidly moved around Servia to lead with just eight laps remaining.

Harvey also passed Servia for second, but both were forced to pit for a splash of fuel on Lap 197. Servia and Claman De Melo pitted one lap later, leaving Dixon to lead the Honda field home, in third, behind race winner Will Power.

The second group included Honda drivers Graham Rahal, Robert Wickens, Marco Andretti and Alexander Rossi. Starting 32nd after cutting a tire during his qualifying run last weekend, Rossi pulled off pass after pass right from the green flag, gaining seven positions in the first 15 laps and continuing to work his way up the order. Running 12th on Lap 117, Rossi gained another seven places during a pair of restarts on Lap 144 and 152, moving him to third with 40 laps remaining. Dixon’s ability to save fuel to the finish dropped Rossi to fourth at the checkers.

After starting 30th, Rahal made steady progress up the running order, leading 12 laps mid-race. As the differing strategies converged in the final 20 laps, Rahal finished 10th. Just ahead at the checkers, Robert Wickens completed an impressive Indy 500 debut, as the rookie also led two laps en route to a ninth-place result, highest of the four rookies in the field.

Video recaps from this month’s Honda racing activities at Indianapolis, including today’s Indianapolis 500, are being posted on the “Honda Racing/HPD” YouTube channel. Produced by the Carolinas Production Group, the video packages can be found in the 2015 HPD Trackside Video Playlist at: https://www.youtube.com/HondaRacingHPDTV.

IndyCar Series teams and drivers now prepare for a hectic schedule of three races over the next two weeks, starting with next weekend’s June 2-3 doubleheader weekend, with races both Saturday and Sunday on the Belle Isle street circuit in Detroit, Michigan.

Scott Dixon (#9 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) finished 3rd: “We were trying to save fuel at the end and we knew we had to take a gamble with the PNC Bank car. We just didn’t have the speed today and the restarts were tough for us. That [finish] was all due to my team, though. They made that great strategy call and all I did was get the fuel number they gave me. Huge congrats to [race winner] Will Power. I know he’s been very hungry for this and congratulations to him.”

Alexander Rossi (#27 Andretti Autosport Honda) finished 4th: “I feel like we did what we could, and we maximized what we had. The NAPA Andretti Honda team did everything right. I don’t look back on anything and wish we’d done anything different. Despite, it was a good day from a championship perspective. We didn’t have enough to win, but congrats to Will [Power].”

Robert Wickens (#6 Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda) finished 9th, top rookie finisher: “It was an emotional rollercoaster today. I thought we had a great car, but we just couldn’t progress. We would make some moves forward with the strategy, and then we would get a yellow that would put us at the back again. Hats off to the Lucas Oil SPM boys – we had great pit stops all day. Finally, at the end we could let loose and pick people off, and we went from 19th to ninth in the last 10 laps. Today was a lot of fun. I’m leaving here feeling like I want more, but a top-10 finish as a rookie in the Indy 500… it’s hard to complain.”

Stefan Wilson (#25 Andretti Autosport Honda) finished 15th after leading three laps: “It was so close – it was a great strategy call by the team. The No. 25 Driven2SaveLives team did a great job all day. With that strategy call, we knew we were gambling. We knew we were rolling the dice. We were just hoping for another yellow flag at the end. I was leading, and I knew we were strong enough and wouldn’t be able to be passed but the yellow just didn’t come. While I was out there leading, I was just out there thinking if it goes yellow now my dreams are made. It didn’t happen, but we led our first laps, we learned a lot this month and it was mad fun, so I’m leaving here with a smile on my face and my head held high.”

Art St. Cyr (president, Honda Performance Development) on today’s Indianapolis 500: “The best you can ever hope for at the Indianapolis 500 is to have multiple cars in contention for victory late in the race, and we did that today. As the race developed, there were two different [pit] strategies in play, and Honda drivers featured in both. Scott [Dixon’s] bold fuel-saving tactic, came very close to paying off today. And Alexander [Rossi] pulled off some of the most amazing passes I’ve ever seen here, at one point making up seven positions on two restarts. He’s clearly proving that his victory here in 2016 was no fluke. Unfortunately, we were unable to add to our 12 Indianapolis 500 victories here today, but we’ll go on to Detroit next week looking for a repeat of last year’s doubleheader sweep.”

Eversley Takes Civic Type-R to Victory Lane at Lime Rock Park

Eversley Takes Civic Type-R to Victory Lane at Lime Rock Park
• Ryan Eversley scores season’s second win for Honda Civic Type R
• Eversley holds World Challenge Touring Car R Series points lead after six races
• Honda Civic Si driver Tom O’Gorman scores third TCA victory in 2018

LAKEVILLE, Conn.. (May 27, 2018) – RealTime Racing driver Ryan Eversley continued to show the way in his Honda Civic Type-R at Lime Rock Park, scoring his second win of the year and claiming the lead in the Pirelli World Challenge TCR point standings at the season’s halfway point. Continue reading Eversley Takes Civic Type-R to Victory Lane at Lime Rock Park

Dixon, Andretti, Bourdais All Fast in “Carb Day” for the Indianapolis 500

Dixon, Andretti, Bourdais All Fast in “Carb Day” for the Indianapolis 500
• Scott Dixon, Marco Andretti lead the way for Honda on “Carb Day”
• Sebastien Bourdais runs fourth overall in one-hour practice session
• Honda drivers claim four of the top six positions in final practice prior to Sunday’s “500”

SPEEDWAY, Ind. (May 25, 2018) – Scott Dixon and Marco Andretti led the way for Honda Friday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, recording the second- and third-fastest speeds in the traditional “Carb Day” final practice session prior to Sunday’s Indianapolis 500. Both posted laps in the 225-mph range, with Dixon at 225.684 mph in his Chip Ganassi Racing Honda and Andretti taking his Andretti Autosport entry to 225.220 mph.
Continue reading Dixon, Andretti, Bourdais All Fast in “Carb Day” for the Indianapolis 500

Honda Racing–Art St. Cyr

An interview with:

ART ST. CYR

T.E. McHALE: Our guest is Art St. Cyr, who I think you all know if president of Honda Performance Development. Let’s start with a question of your general impressions of the month of May for Honda and HPD so far.
ART ST. CYR: Well, obviously qualifying didn’t quite go the way that we were expecting. The advantage that we’ve enjoyed over the last couple years is not there right now. Got to give credit to the other side on that one. Continue reading Honda Racing–Art St. Cyr

Honda Seeking 13th Indianapolis 500 Victory

Honda Seeking 13th Indianapolis 500 Victory
• Sebastien Bourdais, Scott Dixon head 17-driver field for Honda
• Honda victory on Sunday would be 13th since 2004, and third consecutive
• Honda lineup includes four former winners, three “500” rookies

SPEEDWAY, Ind. (May 23, 2018) – A pair of four-time series champions will head the 17-driver Honda field to the green flag Sunday for the start of the 102nd running of the Indianapolis 500. Sebastien Bourdais, now fully recovered from injuries sustained in a qualifying crash for last year’s race, will start fifth in his Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan Honda as he seeks his first “500” victory, to go with his four consecutive ChampCar World Series titles won from 2004-07. Continue reading Honda Seeking 13th Indianapolis 500 Victory

Bourdais, Dixon Lead Honda Qualifiers for 102nd Indianapolis 500

Bourdais, Dixon Lead Honda Qualifiers for 102nd Indianapolis 500
• Sebastien Bourdais completes return from injury by qualifying fifth
• Scott Dixon to start ninth in search of his second “500” win
• Indy 500 field to feature 17 Honda drivers from five teams

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (May 20, 2018) – Sebastien Bourdais led the Honda-powered field in final qualifying today at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and will start next Sunday’s Indy 500 from the middle of the second row, fifth.

For Bourdais, the run capped an impressive return from multiple fractures and other injuries sustained in a qualifying crash here last year. The Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan driver also won the 2018 Verizon IndyCar Series opener in St. Petersburg, Florida, and currently is ranked third in the Drivers’ Championship point standings. Continue reading Bourdais, Dixon Lead Honda Qualifiers for 102nd Indianapolis 500

Bourdais, Dixon Lead Honda First-Round Qualifiers at Indianapolis

Bourdais, Dixon Lead Honda First-Round Qualifiers at Indianapolis
• Sebastien Bourdais, Scott Dixon advance to Sunday pole shootout
• Final qualifying Sunday will set starting order for field of 33
• Mechanical issue prevents final qualifying attempt from James Hinchcliffe

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (May 19, 2018) – Sebastien Bourdais and Scott Dixon led the way for Honda today at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in a drama-filled “Bump Day” of first-round qualifying in preparation for next weekend’s Indianapolis 500. Continue reading Bourdais, Dixon Lead Honda First-Round Qualifiers at Indianapolis

Honda Drivers Top Speed Chart in “Fast Friday” at Indianapolis

Honda Drivers Top Speed Chart in “Fast Friday” at Indianapolis
• Marco Andretti, Robert Wickens lead the way in final practice day before qualifying
• Honda drivers take four of top six practice speeds
• Field of 33 to be set on Saturday, pole position qualifying takes place Sunday

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (May 18, 2018) – “Fast Friday” once again lived up to its name today at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as the Honda duo of Marco Andretti and Robert Wickens claimed the top two positions on the speed chart in the final full day of practice prior to qualifying for the Indianapolis 500. Continue reading Honda Drivers Top Speed Chart in “Fast Friday” at Indianapolis