Honda Performance Development Marks Two Decades Of Achievement in Motorsports

In April of 1993, North Carolina beat Michigan to win the NCAA National Basketball Championship; “Jurassic Park” ushered in a new age of computer animation in movies; construction began on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio; the planet Uranus caught and passed Neptune in their parallel orbits of the sun (an event that takes place only once every 171 years); and the stage musical “Tommy” opened on Broadway in New York.

Meanwhile on April 1, 1993, in a new industrial park situated at the northern tip of suburban Los Angeles, Honda Performance Development opened its doors – with just Robert Clarke, the newly-appointed General Manager for HPD, and a trio of executives from Honda R&D in Japan overseeing construction of the North American motorsports arm of American Honda, inside in an empty, cavernous 43,500-square foot building.

Eventually, that huge building would be filled with work stations, an engine assembly area, machine tools, engine dynamometers, and as many as 100 associates preparing engines for Honda-powered teams taking part in Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) IndyCar World Series.

Later, HPD would even outgrow its original location and move to a massive 123,000 square-foot facility just a mile to the south.  The company would continue to grow and expand beyond IndyCar and the Indianapolis 500, undertaking racing programs in such pinnacle racing series as the World Endurance Championship and American Le Mans Series – while simultaneously extending its participation to the lower rungs of the motorsports ladder, such as entry-level karting and Quarter Midget competition. 

Along the way, races and championships were won; and lessons were learned through both failure and success; as HPD and its associates continue striving to position Honda as a manufacturer that can compete and excel at all levels of North American motorsport, by supplying superior product and outstanding customer support.

Throughout its two decades of existence, HPD has continually sought out new challenges, as directed by Tetsuo Iwamura, president of parent company American Honda Motor Co., Inc.:

“Our Challenging Spirit must be relentless.  One after the other, each of us must be ever vigilant, to relentlessly overcome each challenge, to reach higher, set more innovative goals, and bring joy to our customers.  The company cannot rely on its past successes, but must willingly revitalize itself by challenging each associate to achieve a greater level of innovation.”

Today, HPD celebrates 20 years of on-track achievements and innovation.  Over the coming weeks, we will mark this occasion with remembrances of the early days at HPD; the evolution of the company from struggling motorsports newcomer to dominant force in CART and IndyCar competition; and its eventual expansion into an all-encompassing auto racing company. 

My name is Corey Fergus. I race the #197 Honda Civic Si for RSR Motorsports in Grand-Am’s Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge with co-driver Owen Trinkler.

For the third race of the season, we traveled to Barber Motorsports Park, in Birmingham, Alabama. This race weekend was with IndyCar, which was pretty cool. Almost every year, I attend the Indy 500 so I’m very familiar with these cars, but being paddocked with them on a race weekend is a different experience altogether. I felt like we were among the Indy drivers and we were just as important as them.

The fan support was great, just like all CTSCC races. In fact, at Barber I had several people come up to me during the fan walk before the race and tell me they were Honda fans and would be routing for me. It’s always nice to have fans supporting you and in a series like the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge, it’s very easy for fans to relate to us and our race cars. Our Honda Civic Si race car is off of the factory line and is almost as close to stock as you’re going to get in racing. A Honda Civic from the street and our Civic look almost the same as well. The series makes it very easy for fans to recognize their car and see their car in a whole new element.

Part of the reason for so much Honda support was probably due to the fact that IndyCar was there and Honda is a big supporter in that series. There was an HPD hospitality tent at Barber and many Honda associates were in attendance. It was nice to meet some of the head guys at Honda and show them around our paddock. It was good to see Honda’s big presence at Barber.

Because of the good presence, we really wanted to do well and represent the brand. Barber is Owen’s home track, so going into the weekend we had high hopes, especially after having such a strong car at COTA. For Barber, we were still in the 2011 Honda Civic. The team is working to convert to all new 2013 Hondas this year. Our car is still in the process of being built.

At Barber, we had four days on track. The weather made things a little difficult for us. The first day of testing we only got two dry sessions. We were P1 in the first session. The next two days it was wet, but a dry line formed for qualifying. Then on the first lap of qualifying there was a crash that ended the session, so we were gridded on championship points. This meant we were starting 4^th. I honestly know we could have started higher than 4^th, but that’s how it was going to be. I was excited that we basically didn’t get a dry session until the race because we had a great setup. The team had tested at Barber two weeks prior to the event, so we had an advantage. Any advantage I can get in the CTSCC, I’ll take.

The race started off really well. I moved into second on the first lap. On lap 6, while in third, we experienced throttle body issues and I had to pull off the race track and crawl back to our trailer. The crew hustled like crazy to fix the car and got us back out there, but we were 13 laps down. We finished 23^rd, salvaging 8 points towards the championship.

For having such a fast car and a successful weekend before the race, we obviously expected better results. We went from 4^th in the championship to 12^th. That was our bad race. Hopefully we got that out of the way and can have a strong result at our next race and get back in the championship fight.

Our next race is at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia, April 20^th.

See you at the track!

Salem, MO. (Feb 22-23, 2013) – THR head to 2013 100 Acre Wood Rally with HPD-Equipped B-SPEC Rally Fit

THR brought their B-Spec Fit, equipped with a kit developed specifically for Rally competition by Honda Performance Development, to the second round of the Rally-America National Championship. 

“Based on the interest in B-Spec from the inaugural year of B-Spec in 2012, we wanted to come back and run a full season to showcase the true competitiveness of the B-Spec Rally Fit," stated James Robinson, Honda R&D Engineer and driver for THR.  “Looking forward to 2013, we hope to have more competition and excitement in the class, thanks to the continued involvement of Ford Racing and Toyota.” 

The B-Spec Rally Fit started the 2013 season with a win in the B-Spec Championship at the Sno*Drift rally.  “We were excited to get the season started with a win, and also to make it through the challenging snow and ice event without any issues,” Robinson said prior to traveling to the 100 Acre Wood Rally.  Based on the experiences from 2012, the team was hopeful to repeat its success in the fast gravel event held in Missouri. 

THR started the second round of the 2013 Rally-America Rally series with some trepidation. At the start of the event, Robinson said, “We had hoped to have the same kind of conditions as last year, but the weather is definitely not cooperating with us!”

The day prior to the start of the event, a large snow and ice storm pummeled the region, changing the smooth, fast gravel roads into a challenging mix of mud, snow, and ice.  Compounding those issues was the fact that the team didn’t have the right tire to tackle the icy roads.  “We’ll have our work cut out for us this weekend. Our goal is to make sure we don’t take ourselves out of the race!” stated Jordan Guitar, co-driver for the Fit. 

Starting out cautiously on the icy roads, the Fit was able to build up a 30-second lead over the other production-based Ford Fiesta.  “We were just trying to keep on the road through today. The roads are especially challenging with a gravel tire!” James explained at the end of Stage 7. 

Moving into the second day of competition, which included 10 new stages, the B-Spec Fit continued to maintain its lead over the other production-based 2WD cars. By afternoon, conditions had warmed up enough for the team to take advantage of its gravel tires and make up some time.  “Stages Twelve through Fourteen really felt good for us, and we were able to make up some time on our competition,” said James. “We’ll need the cushion when night falls and the roads ice over again.” 

As expected, conditions became treacherous again for cars not running dedicated snow tires, and the B-Spec Fit had to back off the pace.  Finally, the B-Spec Honda Fit was able to claim victory in the second round of the 2013 B-Spec National Championship, and narrowly hold off the other 2WD production-based cars. 

“The Production Fiesta was charging hard after us in the last three stages of the event,” a relieved Robinson recalled after the victory. “We were happy that we could hold onto our position at the end of the event. 

“The competition between the production Fiesta and the Fit is very tight and should make for some exciting races for the rest of the season.  We’re looking forward to another chance to battle with them in Oregon in a few months!”

About 100 Acre Wood Rally:

The Rally in the 100 Acre Wood is the second race of the Rally America National Championship and is known as one of the most scenic. Named after the storybook home of Winnie the Pooh, the Rally in the 100 Acre Wood is a picturesque race with enough twists and turns to test every driver’s ability. Set in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains of Missouri, this race is always a favorite due to its pristine surroundings and fast, tight roads. Although you won’t see Winnie the Pooh or any of his friends, you will see some of the best rally driving on some of the best rally roads in North America.

About Rally America:
Based in Williston, VT, Rally America, Inc. sanctions the Rally America National Championship which consists of at least seven national-level events located at a variety of venues across the country, from Portland, Oregon to Newry, Maine. Top competitors in the Rally America National Championship reach speeds of well over 100 miles per hour, driving highly modified street cars such as Mitsubishi Evolutions, Subaru WRX STIs, Ford Fiestas and Scion XDs on natural-terrain courses consisting of gravel, dirt, ice or snow. For more information regarding Rally America’s National Championship or the sport of performance rally, visit www.rally-america.com