Rangely, Colorado. (July 22-23, 2017) – Maxxis
renewed its partnership with Honda Performance Development to continue
campaigning the 2015 B-Spec Fit developed specifically for Rally competition at
the Rally Colorado (RCO), the seventh and eighth rounds of the 2017 Rally
America National Championship. In
addition, the veteran Honda rally team would finally be debuting the 2017 Honda
Civic Sport hatchback in overall two-wheel drive (2WD) competition.
This Colorado Rally would serve as the second round for
display of the new Civic Sport Rally car.
With a strong finish at the Southern Ohio Forrest Rally, the Maxxis /
HPD team was hopeful of maintaining the momentum at the new Colorado Rally.
“It’s awesome to get to work on the brand new Civic platform,”
stated James Robinson, Honda engineer and driver for Maxxis/HPD. “Although we’ve
had to postpone our plan to utilize the 300-horsepower engine from the new Civic
Type R, we are still looking forward to having more horsepower than the Honda
CR-Z that we ran at 100 Acre Wood event [earlier in the season].”
The team was still struggling to get an updated suspension
for the Civic Rally car, which would leave it at a distinct disadvantage in the
rough terrain of Rally Colorado. “We
were hopeful that the rally springs and dampers would arrive in time for the
car to be shipped to Colorado,” explained James at Scrutineering. “Running stock ride heights and soft springs
will definitely add some complications to our race.”
The Rally Colorado is set in the rugged, mountainous terrain
of western Colorado, making it a beautiful and challenging round in the
National Championship. The rough, fast, yet technical roads for the RCO would
allow drivers to test their courage while dealing with dangerous exposure and
sheer drop-offs. The high altitude offered an additional challenge, sapping
power and the concentration of the teams.
“This is the first time for any of us to run these roads
ever,” Robinson explained, “Considering our stock suspension and the new
platform that we’ll be testing out, we are very interested in keeping our Civic
in one piece, while hopefully keeping some competitiveness with our competition.”
With six stages to contest on the opening day, the new Civic
and the B-Spec Fit teams set out to establish a strong pace against the competition. “The B-Spec cars will have to work very hard
to keep their pace in these conditions,” driver Dan McCarron noted at the first
service of the day. “The stages are
really challenging, but we’re ready to attack!”
After Stage 3, the new HPD / Maxxis Civic rolled into the
first service with no problems. The
veteran team of James Robinson and Brian Penza was playing it safe, balancing
speed with care over the rough terrain. “These
stages are incredible! The backdrop for
these roads is second to none, and I’ve never before seen such a wide variety
of terrain,” noted Robinson at service.
“We’re trying to push the pace on the smooth sections, and take extreme
care in the rough bits to save the car.”
In addition to the B-Spec Fit and the new Civic, the Maxxis
CR-Z returned in the hands of 2016 B-Spec National Champion Jordan Guitar. This would be the second event where the Maxxis
/ HPD team would field three National Rally cars at the inaugural running of
RCO.
By the end of Day 1, all three cars were running well and
trouble free. “So far, we’re very
excited to be here at RCO,” Jordan said during service, “The stages are
fantastic, and you can’t beat the scenery!”
Moving into Day 2, the Civic team was making up time against
its competitors. “We’re working hard to
get our car on the 2WD podium,” observed Robinson before the start of the final
stages, “It’s definitely going to be a race to the finish.”
Unfortunately, for CR-Z team, a hard hit on the skidplate
did significant damage to the engine mounts.
“We were really starting to get the hang of the stages here at RCO, but
we took a big hit on a jump and it unfortunately forced us to stop so we wouldn’t
do further damage to the car!” said Guitar at the second service on Day 2.
Proving that the new Civic platform will be a contender, the
team of Robinson and Penza was able to move the Civic into third place in 2WD
and 10th overall. “I’m so
impressed with how durable this new Civic is,” Robinson observed. “Even with
the disadvantage of the stock suspension, it’s amazing that we’re able to keep
up with the top teams!”
By the end of Day 2, the Maxxis / Honda team had secured
some excellent finishes, taking third in 2WD, 10th overall for the new Civic; and first in
B-Spec, 16th overall for the B-Spec Fit. In addition, the CR-Z had
finished third in 2WD during the Friday regional event.
“What an amazing event for our team,” said Robinson at the
event’s conclusion. “Even with the DNF
from the CR-Z on Day Two, we were able to get three podium finishes!”
Rally Colorado Rally Results:
Car
|
Driver/Co-Driver
|
Overall Finish Time
|
Overall
|
In Class
|
Honda Civic
|
J.Robinson/B.Penza
|
2:21:08.1
|
10th
|
3rd
|
Honda Fit
|
D.McCarron/M.Blake
|
2:40:17.5
|
16th
|
1st
|
Honda CR-Z
|
J.Guitar/J.Sharps
|
DNF
|
DNF
|
DNF
|
Look for the THR B-Spec Fit, CR-Z and the new THR Rally
Civic throughout the 2017 Rally America Series.
