HPD Blog

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Honda Performance Development, Inc. to Begin Sale of Performance Parts for Racing

Company Will Manufacture a Variety of Components In-House


Honda Performance Development, Inc. (HPD), the racing arm of American Honda Motor Company, Inc., will begin offering performance automotive parts for sale to registered racers competing in amateur and entry-level professional racing series, it was announced today.

The announcement took place concurrent with the annual Performance Racing Industry (PRI) trade show in Orlando, Fla. HPD is offering performance parts for racing as a component of its grassroots motorsports initiative, announced in July.

“We at HPD are extremely proud of the legacy we have established in open-wheel and sports-car racing,” said Erik Berkman, HPD president. “One of the cornerstones of our new motorsports initiative has been to establish a connection between our accomplishments in premier series and those of the many competitors who support Honda and Acura through the club racing and entry-level professional ranks.

“We believe that the manufacture and sale of racing performance parts by HPD are integral to helping us establish that connection.”

The product line will be comprised of HPD-designed parts and branded components. Through the validation process, HPD will rigorously test parts and components to confirm their performance and give consumers the confidence that comes from HPD’s years of success at the top levels of motorsport.

HPD plans to manufacture many of the performance parts in-house, including camber and caster plates, steering and front lower-arm bushings. HPD worked with various suppliers to develop front stabilizer bushings, rear stabilizer bars, engine mounts, transmission differentials, and brake fluid. HPD will co-brand components such as brake pads, brake lines, and coil springs with established leaders in the performance parts industry such as Cobalt Friction Technologies, Goodridge, and Eibach.

The Grand-Am Series has approved the majority of components announced today for use on the 2006-2010 model Honda Civic Si vehicles competing in the GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Street Tuner (ST) class. HPD has also developed performance parts such as brake pads, brake lines, and rear differentials for Honda S2000s competing in the SCCA T3 class.

HPD performance parts are expected to become available in early 2010, with the exception of the engine mounts, rear stabilizer bars, and front stabilizer bushings, which will be available in the spring of 2010. Additions to the product line will be offered as the market warrants and will be posted on the HondaRacing.com/HPD website for registered Honda racers.

Honda Performance Development (HPD) is Honda’s racing company within North America. Founded in 1993, and located in Santa Clarita, Calif., HPD is the technical operations center for Honda’s high-performance racing cars and engines. In addition to its new grassroots motorsports business, HPD is the single engine supplier to the IndyCar Series and spearheaded Acura’s championship-winning efforts in the 2009 American Le Mans Series.

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