Honda 2017 Motorsports Program Overview2017-02-21 09:53Honda Motor Co., Ltd. announced plans for its motorsports activities for the 2017 season and initiatives to expand the popularity of motorsports. Since the days of its founding, Honda has always been engaged in motorsports activities in pursuit of being the best in the world. Last year, the 50th anniversary since Honda began racing in the premier classes of the FIM*1 Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix , Honda became the first in the world to win championships in all three premier classes, namely the FIM Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix (MotoGP™), the FIM Motocross World Championship (MXGP) and the FIM Trial World Championship (WCT). In the area of automobile racing, Honda won the commemorative 100th running of the Indy 500. In 2017, under the corporate slogan of “The Power of Dreams,” Honda will take on continuous challenges toward victories and conduct motorsports activities with the goal of sharing joys with its fans and customers all around the world. *1FIM: Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme 《2017 Motorsports Activities and Teams》 【Motorcycle activities】 In MotoGP, the premier class of the FIM Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix, where Honda won the championship last year, Marc Márquez, the 2016 champion and Dani Pedrosa, a 12-year veteran in this class, will continue to race for Repsol Honda Team, a Honda factory team*2, riding the 2017 model of the RC213V factory machine. In addition, three more riders will compete in the MotoGP class this year, namely Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda), Jack Miller and Tito Rabat (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS). As with last year, with five riders, Honda will strive to win the MotoGP “Triple Crown” – rider, constructor and team championships. In the Moto3 class, Honda will supply 15 units of its 2017 model of the NSF250RW factory machine to eight teams and strive to regain the championship. In the MXGP (450cc) class, the premier class of the FIM Motocross World Championship, Tim Gajser who won the 2016 championship in his rookie year and Evgeny Bobryshev who ranked fifth will race for Team HRC, Honda’s factory team. Both riders will ride the 2017 model of the CRF450RW factory machine and vie for the 2017 championship title. Moreover, in the MX2 (250cc) class, Chihiro Notsuka who won the 2016 championship in IA2 (250cc) class of the All-Japan Motocross Championship and Michele Cervellin will race for Team HRC, riding CRF250RW works machine. In the FIM Trial World Championship (WCT), as with last year, Toni Bou, the reigning champion for the last 10 seasons, Takahisa Fujinami, a 22-year veteran in WCT who celebrated his 300th race last year, and Jaime Busto who ranked sixth last season will race for Repsol Honda, a Honda factory team, riding the COTA4RT factory machine. Toni Bou will strive to win the riders’ championship for the 11th consecutive year. In the 450SX (450cc) class of the AMA*3 Supercross, an FIM World Championship, Ken Roczen, a new addition to the team, will join Cole Seely for his second-year racing with the 2017 model of CRF450R for Team Honda HRC, Honda’s factory team operated by American Honda Motor Co., Inc., a Honda subsidiary in the U.S. In the FIM Superbike World Championship (WSB), Nicky Hayden, 2006 MotoGP champion, and Stefan Bradl will race with the new CBR1000RR SP2 based racing machine for Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team supported by Honda Motor Europe Ltd., a Honda subsidiary in the U.K. In the Suzuka 8 hours Endurance Road Race, which will be the final round of the FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC) starting in the 2017 season and coming to 40th anniversary, Honda will vie for victory by selecting riders from among Honda riders who compete in the world and regional championships. (Details will be announced as soon as determined.) In the SS600 class of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC), Md Zaqhwan Zaidi and Teppei Nagoe will race for MuSASHi Boon Siew Honda Racing, a team vying for both the team and rider titles for six consecutive seasons. In AP250 class, Gerry Salim, Rheza Danica Ahrens and Awhin Sanjaya will race with the all-new CBR250RR for the Astra Honda Racing Team. In the JSB1000 class of the MFJ*4 All-Japan Road Race Championship, Takumi Takahashi, an HRC contract test rider, and Kosuke Akiyoshi will race with the new CBR1000RR SP2 based racing machine for their respective teams, namely MuSASHi RT HARC-PRO and au&Teluru Kohara RT. In addition, Tatsuya Yamaguchi will race for Honda Dream Racing and TOHO Racing. Moreover, Ryuichi Kiyonari who has the experience of winning the Suzuka 8 hours Endurance Road Race will join Yuki Takahashi and race for MORIWAKI MOTUL RACING. In the IA1 (450cc) class of the MFJ All-Japan Motocross Championship, Akira Narita, the 2016 champion who has won 11 championships in this class, and Kei Yamamoto, the 2012 IA2 (250cc) class champion who also competed in the MXGP class of the FIM Motocross World Championship in 2016 season, will race for Team HRC, Honda’s factory team, riding the CRF450RW factory machine and Honda will strive to win a second consecutive championship title in this class. In the IAS class of the MFJ All-Japan Trial Championship, Tomoyuki Ogawa, an HRC contract test rider who won his sixth championship title last year, will race for HRC CLUB MITANI riding the RTL300R and vie for his seventh championship title for the fifth consecutive year. *2Factory team (also known as “works team”): a team managed directly by the manufacturer that creates the racing machine. For Honda, teams operated by Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) are the factory teams of Honda. *3AMA: American Motorcyclist Association *4MFJ: Motorcycle Federation of Japan 【Automobile activities】 Honda will continue competing in the FIA*5 Formula One World Championship (F1™) as a power unit supplier for the McLaren-Honda with two drivers, Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne. In the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC), Honda will continue providing the Civic WTCC equipped with a 1.6-liter direct injection turbo engine. In addition to Tiago Monteiro and Norbert Michelisz who will race for the Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team, Ryo Michigami will race for Honda Racing Team J.A.S., thus Honda will vie for titles with its two factory teams / three drivers. As for private teams, Honda will supply machines to Zengő Motorsport, for which 2017 will be the fifth year competing with Civic. With both factory teams and a private team, Honda will vie for the dual titles of drivers’ and manufacturers’ championships In the GT500 class of the SUPER GT, as with last year, Honda will compete with five teams / five machines. For 2017 season, along with the introduction of the NSX-GT developed based on the NSX super car model announced in August 2016 in Japan, Honda has made significant improvement in the development system and capability so that it can vie for titles. For the Japanese SUPER FORMULA Championship (SF), Honda will introduce the HR-417E, a 2.0-liter, inline, 4-cylinder, direct injection turbo engine with enhanced thermal efficiency. With the new addition of Pierre Gasly, the 2016 GP2 Series*6 champion, to TEAM MUGEN, Honda will strive to capture the dual titles of drivers’ and team championships with its five teams / eight machines. In the IndyCar® Series in North America, Honda Performance Development, Inc. (HPD), a subsidiary of American Honda Motor Co., Inc., is planning to supply the HI17TT, 2.2-liter V6 twin turbo engines for 14 machines raced by six teams. Takuma Sato, now in his eighth season, will compete for a new team, Andretti Autosport. *5FIA: Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile *6The GP2 Series is a category positioned as a gateway to F1. GP2 Series races are held internationally, mostly in Europe, as support races for F1. 《Overview of Honda Participation in Motorcycle Racing》 ★on a team name indicates a factory team of Honda, ★on a machine name indicates a factory machine of Honda, ★on a rider’s name indicates an HRC contract rider 【Road Races】 FIM Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix Team No. Machine Rider Age Nationality 2016 result Repsol Honda Team ★ 93 RC213V ★ Marc Márquez ★ 23 Spain MotoGP Champion 26 Dani Pedrosa ★ 31 Spain MotoGP 6th LCR Honda 35 RC213V Cal Crutchlow 31 U.K. MotoGP 7th Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS 43 Jack Miller ★ 22 Australia MotoGP 18th 53 Tito Rabat 27 Spain MotoGP 21st Team No. Machine Rider Age Nationality 2016 result Estrella Galicia 0,0 33 NSF250RW ★ Enea Bastianini 19 Italy Moto3 2nd 44 Aròn Canet 17 Spain Moto3 15th Leopard Racing 36 Joan Mir 19 Spain Moto3 5th 11 Livio Loi 19 Belgium Moto3 18th Del Conca Gresini Racing Moto3 21 Fabio Di Giannantonio 18 Italy Moto3 6th 88 Jorge Martin 19 Spain Moto3 16th Marinelli Rivacold Snipers 5 Romano Fenati 21 Italy Moto3 10th 95 Jules Danilo 21 France Moto3 20th British Talent Team 17 John McPhee 23 U.K. Moto3 22nd SIC Racing Team 7 Adam Norrodin 18 Malaysia Moto3 28th 71 Ayumu Sasaki 16 Japan Rookie’s Cup Champion Honda Team Asia 27 Kaito Toba 16 Japan CEV Moto3 4th 41 Nakarin Atiratphuvapat 21 Thailand CEV Moto3 17th SIC58 Squadra Corse 14 Tony Arbolino 16 Italy CEV Moto3 10th 24 Tatsuki Suzuki 19 Japan Moto3 27th FIM Superbike World Championship (WSB) Team No. Machine Rider Age Nationality 2016 result Red Bull Honda WorldSuperbike Team 69 CBR1000RR Nicky Hayden 35 U.S.A. WSB 5th 6 Stefan Bradl 27 Germany MotoGP 16th FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC) Suzuka 8 hours Endurance Road Race Team No. Machine Rider Age Nationality 2016 result au&Teluru・Kohara RT TBD CBR1000RR TBD F.C.C. TSR Honda Honda Team Asia Honda Dream Racing Tatsuya Yamaguchi 41 Japan JSB1000 4th TBD MuSASHi RT HARC-PRO. Takumi Takahashi 27 Japan JSB1000 3rd TBD MORIWAKI MOTUL RACING Yuki Takahashi 32 Japan JSB1000 14th ARRC 4th Ryuichi Kiyonari 34 Japan BSB 20th Suzuka 8 hours 6th (This is the list of the main teams. More details will be announced as soon as they are determined.) FIM Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC) Team No. Machine Rider Age Nationality 2016 result A.P.Honda Racing Thailand 59 CBR600RR Ratthapong Wilairot 24 Thailand ARRC 600 14th 104 Tatsuya Yamaguchi 41 Japan JSB 1000 4th Astra Honda Racing Team 16 Irfan Ardiansyah 17 Indonesia Suzuka 4 hours 1st MuSASHi Boon Siew Honda Racing 21 Md Zaqhwan Zaidi 21 Malaysia ARRC SS600 Champion 634 Teppei Nagoe 19 Japan ST600 3rd RAMA Honda by NTS T.Pro Ten 10. 77 Taiga Hada 18 Japan ARRC SS600 10th 81 Sena Yamada 22 Japan CEV Moto2 18th 69 Shankar Sarath Kumar 25 India ARRC SS600 31st Team No. Machine Rider Age Nationality 2016 result A.P.Honda Racing Thailand 46 CBR300R Vorapong Malahuan 30 Thailand ARRC AP250 9th 44 Muklada Sarapuech 23 Thailand JRR JP250 (Int’l license) 4th Astra Honda Racing Team 31 CBR250RR Gerry Salim 19 Indonesia ARRC SS600 9th 123 Rheza Danica Ahrens 18 Indonesia Suzuka 4 hours 1st 198 Awhin Sanjaya 18 Indonesia CBR Dream Cup Champion RAMA Honda 71 Tomoyoshi Koyama 33 Japan ARRC SS600 2nd 8 Sethu Rajiv 19 India ADC 16th YUZY HONDA VIETNAM RACING TEAM 95 Bui Duy Thong 21 Vietnam ADC 13th 20 Azroy Hakeem Anuar 17 Malaysia ARRC AP250 22nd MFJ All-Japan Road Race Championship (JRR) ＜JSB1000＞ Main teams and riders Team No. Machine Rider Age Nationality 2016 result MuSASHi RT HARC-PRO 634 CBR1000RR Takumi Takahashi * 27 Japan JSB1000 3rd Honda Dream Racing ◎2nd and 3rd rounds 104 Tatsuya Yamaguchi 41 Japan JSB1000 4th TOHO Racing ◎4th through 9th rounds au&Teluru・Kohara RT 090 Kosuke Akiyoshi 42 Japan JSB1000 11th MORIWAKI MOTUL RACING 72 Yuki Takahashi 32 Japan JSB1000 14th 88 Ryuichi Kiyonari 34 Japan BSB 20th *on a rider’s name indicates HRC contract test rider ◎Tatsuya Yamaguchi will race in 2nd and 3rd rounds of JSB 1000 for Honda Dream Racing, and 4th round forward for TOHO Racing Team No. Machine Rider Age Nationality 2016 result Team TARO PLUS ONE 44 HP6 Taro Sekiguchi 41 Japan J-GP2 2nd MuSASHi RT HARC-PRO 634 HP6q Ryo Mizuno 18 Japan J-GP2 3rd MOTO BUM HONDA 32 CBR600RR Ikuhiro Enokido 18 Japan ST600 Champion Team Kotake RSC 31 MD600 Ryosuke Iwato 19 Japan ST600 4th 8 MD600 Kosuke Sakumoto 20 Japan J-GP2 8th ＜ST600＞ Main teams and riders Team No. Machine Rider Age Nationality 2016 result Mistresa RT HARC-PRO 3 CBR600RR Teppei Nagoe 19 Japan ST600 3rd 【Motocross】 FIM Motocross World Championship (MXGP) ＜MXGP＞ Team No. Machine Rider Age Nationality 2016 result Team HRC ★ 243 CRF450RW ★ Tim Gajser ★ 20 Slovenia MXGP Champion 777 Evgeny Bobryshev ★ 29 Russia MXGP 5th ＜MX2＞ Team No. Machine Rider Age Nationality 2016 result Team HRC ★ 28 CRF250RW ★ Chihiro Notsuka ★ 20 Japan IA2 Champion 747 Michele Cervellin ★ 20 Italy MX2 16th AMA Supercross, An FIM World Championship (450SX) Team No. Machine Rider Age Nationality 2016 result Team Honda HRC ★ 94 CRF450R Ken Roczen ★ 22 Germany 450SX 2nd 14 Cole Seely ★ 26 U.S.A. 450SX 6th MFJ All-Japan Motocross Championship (JMX) ＜IA1＞ Main teams and riders Team No. Machine Rider Age Nationality 2016 result Team HRC ★ 1 CRF450RW ★ Akira Narita ★ 36 Japan IA1 Champion 400 Kei Yamamoto ★ 25 Japan MXGP 27th TEAM NAKAKI Honda 113 CRF450R Masami Tanaka 27 Japan IA2 8th TEAM 887 With HondaDREAM Kawasaki Miyamae 117 Daiki Baba 24 Japan IA1 13th Team Sakurai with WAKI Racing 19 Kenichi Nagato 21 Japan IA1 19th T.E. SPORT 45 Gota Otsuka 20 Japan IA2 17th ＜IA2＞ Main teams and riders Team No. Machine Rider Age Nationality 2016 result TEAM ITOMO 912 CRF250R Kohei Ogawa 22 Japan IA2 4th 39 Yusuke Mori 18 Japan IA2 11th N.R.T 922 Taiki Koga 19 Japan IA2 5th 35 Takumu Yokosawa 18 Japan IA2 7th TEAM KOHSAKA 40 Ukyo Michiwaki 23 Japan IA2 12th TEAM HAMMER 41 Eiki Suzumura 17 Japan IA2 13th 02 Kainosuke Oshiro 17 Japan IBOP 2nd ＜Ladies Class (LX)＞ Main teams and riders Team No. Machine Rider Age Nationality 2016 result TEAM HAMMER 2 CRF150R Yuna Takeuchi 19 Japan LX 2nd T.E. SPORT 3 Jyuri Hatao 20 Japan LX 3rd TEAM ITOMO 9 Nanami Katsumata 22 Japan LX 9th 【Trial】 FIM Trial World Championship (WCT) Team No. Machine Rider Age Nationality 2016 result Repsol Honda Team ★ 1 COTA4RT ★ Toni Bou ★ 30 Spain WCT Champion 3 Takahisa Fujinami ★ 37 Japan WCT 3rd 6 Jaime Busto ★ 19 Spain WCT 6th All-Japan Trial Championship (JTR) ＜IAS＞ Main teams and riders Team No. Machine Rider Age Nationality 2016 result HRC CLUB MITANI 1 RTL300R Tomoyuki Ogawa * 40 Japan IAS Champion *on a rider’s name indicates HRC contract test rider 《Overview of Honda Participation in Automobile Racing》 FIA Formula One World Championship (F1) Team No. Driver Age Nationality 2016 result McLaren‐Honda 14 Fernando Alonso 35 Spain F1 10th 2 Stoffel Vandoorne 24 Belgium F1 20th Super Formula 4th FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) Team No. Driver Age Nationality 2016 result Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team 18 Tiago Monteiro 40 Portugal WTCC 3rd 5 Norbert Michelisz 32 Hungary WTCC 4th Honda Racing Team J.A.S. 34 Ryo Michigami 43 Japan WTCC 25th Zengő Motorsport TBD Aurélien Panis 22 France Formula V8 3.5 5th SUPER GT ＜GT500 class＞ Team No. Driver Age Nationality 2016 result AUTOBACS RACING TEAM AGURI 8 Tomoki Nojiri 27 Japan GT500 15th Takashi Kobayashi 29 Japan GT300 5th TEAM MUGEN 16 Hideki Mutoh 34 Japan GT500 13th Daisuke Nakajima 28 Japan GT500 18th KEIHIN REAL RACING 17 Koudai Tsukakoshi 30 Japan GT500 11th Takashi Kogure 36 Japan Epson Nakajima Racing 64 Bertrand Baguette 30 Belgium GT500 18th Kosuke Matsuura 37 Japan GT500 15th TEAM KUNIMITSU 100 Naoki Yamamoto 28 Japan GT500 14th Takuya Izawa 32 Japan Japanese SUPER FORMULA Championship(SF) Team No. Driver Age Nationality 2016 result REAL RACING 10 Koudai Tsukakoshi 30 Japan SF 11th TEAM MUGEN 15 Pierre Gasly 21 France GP2 Series Champion 16 Naoki Yamamoto 28 Japan SF 7th DOCOMO TEAM DANDELION RACING 40 Tomoki Nojiri 27 Japan SF 9th 41 Takuya Izawa 32 Japan SF 16th B-Max Racing team 50 Takashi Kogure 36 Japan SF 13th NAKAJIMA RACING 64 Daisuke Nakajima 28 Japan SF 12th 65 Narain Karthikeyan 40 India SF 14th IndyCar Series Team No. Driver Age Nationality 2016 result Andretti Autosport 26 Takuma Sato 40 Japan IndyCar Series 17th 《Fostering World-class Riders and Drivers in Motorsports》 In road racing, in conjunction with Honda’s racing activities in Asia where people’s interest in motorcycle racing is growing rapidly, Honda strives to help young riders in this region to tackle the challenge of competing in the FIM Road Racing World Championship and realize their dreams. Honda will utilize the IDEMITSU Asia Talent Cup (IATC) hosted by Dorna Sports, S.L., which also hosts MotoGP, to foster the development of more riders for the future. For the IATC, NSF250R developed exclusively for racing will be used. The IATC will be held six rounds in this year concurrently with MotoGP, FIM Superbike World Championship and the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship in Asia. And Honda will support Honda Team Asia competing in the FIM CEV Repsol Junior World Championship, Moto2 and Moto3. In the Moto2 class, Takaaki Nakagami who won his first victory and ranked sixth last season will race for IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia. And Khairul Idham Pawi who won two races in Moto3 class last year will join the team. Moreover, Honda Team Asia will welcome Kaito Toba who came in fourth in Moto3 class of the FIM CEV Repsol Junior World Championship in 2016 as well as Nakarin Atiratphuvapat who came in 17th in the class. In motocross racing, Honda continues to host training camps in Japan for team riders competing in the MFJ All-Japan Motocross Championship, and also conducts a program for fostering talent by providing opportunities for young riders with future potential to join a training camp in the U.S. and compete in MXGP races. Moreover, Honda will strive to foster more world-class riders by having Chihiro Notsuka, one of the HRC contract riders and a MFJ All-Japan Motocross Championship IA2 (250cc class) champion, race in the MX2 class of the FIM Motocross World Championship and also by having Toshiki Tomita, one of the HRC contract riders, continue racing in the AMA Motocross Championship (450MX). For auto racing, Honda has been operating the Honda Formula Dream Project (HFDP), a program designed to find and foster talented young drivers who will play active roles in the world of motorsports. Nobuharu Matsushita and Nirei Fukuzumi will continue competing in the GP2 Series, which is being recognized as a gateway to F1, and in the GP3 Series*7, respectively. Both drivers will compete for the ART Grand Prix. Moreover, Tadasuke Makino who competed in the All-Japan Formula3 Championship last year will take on challenges in competing in the FIA Formula3 European Championship*8 for HITECH GP for the first time. By supporting these drivers, Honda will enhance its efforts to foster drivers who can compete in world-class races. In Japan, Honda will continue supporting drivers who compete in the All-Japan Formula3 Championship and the FIA-F4 Japanese Championship*9, a formula race intended for junior drivers, which are an excellent opportunity to foster young and talented drivers who play active roles in the world of motorsports. *7Most GP3 Series races are held concurrently with GP2 Series races as support race for F1. Regulations and manufacturers of GP2 machines are different from those of GP2 machines. *8FIA Formula3 European Championship is a Formula 3 championship in Europe which has been producing a number of Formula 1 drivers. *9The FIA-F4 is a category established by FIA, with the major purpose of fostering young drivers who can aim to move up from cart racing to the F3 class. FIA will strive to evolve this category in a greater number of countries around the world. ＜For Reference＞ For the purpose of developing riders and drivers who will become formidable contenders on the global motorsports stage, Mobilityland Corporation has been operating the Suzuka Circuit Racing School-Junior for motorcycle riders since 1992, Suzuka Circuit Racing School-Kart since 1993 and the Suzuka Circuit Racing School-Formula since 1995 where top-class riders and drivers provide guidance as instructors. To date, these SRS programs have produced a number of outstanding riders and drivers, including Takuma Sato, who are now competing successfully domestically and internationally in their respective categories. A new program, SRS-Formula Challenge, was added to the lineup in 2015. Moreover, drivers who demonstrate outstanding results at SRS-Formula receive a scholarship through which they compete in FIA-F4 Japanese Championship, a category for stepping up to higher level competition. In the area of motorcycle racing, starting in 2016, SRS-Junior was renamed as SRS-Moto, and its rider development system and curriculum as well as machines used in the program were renewed so that they are geared toward the development of riders who can compete at the level of world championships such as MotoGP. The SRS-Moto will launch a scholarship program with which selected riders will become a part of TEAM SRS-Moto, a racing team operated by this school, which is planning to compete in the MFJ All-Japan Road Race Championship in the 2017 season. ＜Motorcycles＞ FIM Road Racing World Championship Team No. Machine Rider Age Nationality 2016 result IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia 30 Kalex Takaaki Nakagami 25 Japan Moto2 6th 89 Khairul Idham Pawi 18 Malaysia Moto3 19th Team No. Machine Rider Age Nationality 2016 result Honda Team Asia 27 NSF250RW ★ Kaito Toba 16 Japan CEV Moto3 4th 41 Nakarin Atiratphuvapat 21 Thailand CEV Moto3 17th FIM CEV Repsol Moto3 Junior World Championship Team No. Machine Rider Age Nationality 2016 result Asia Talent Team TBD NSF250RW ★ Kazuki Masaki 16 Japan CEV Moto3 10th TBD Ai Ogura 16 Japan SAATC 2nd TBD Yuki Kunii 13 Japan SAATC 6th AP Honda Racing Thailand TBD Somkiat Chantra 18 Thailand SAATC Champion Astra Honda Racing Team TBD Andi Izdihar 19 Indonesia CEV Moto3 32nd FIM CEV Repsol Moto2 European Championship Team No. Machine Rider Age Nationality 2016 result Astra Honda Racing Team 20 Kalex Dimas Ekky Pratama 24 Indonesia CEV Moto2 7th AMA Motocross Championship (450MX) Team No. Machine Rider Age Nationality 2016 result TBD TBD CRF450R Toshiki Tomita ★ 26 Japan AMA 450MX 45th ＜Automobiles＞ GP2 Series Team No. Driver Age Nationality 2016 result ART Grand Prix 7 Nobuharu Matsushita 23 Japan GP2 11th GP3 Series Team No. Driver Age Nationality 2016 result ART Grand Prix 2 Nirei Fukuzumi 20 Japan GP3 7th FIA Formula3 European Championship Team No. Driver Age Nationality 2016 result HITECH GP TBD Tadasuke Makino 19 Japan Japanese Formula3 5th Japanese Formula3 Championship Team No. Driver Age Nationality 2016 result TODA RACING 2 Hiroki Ohtsu 22 Japan Japanese Formula3 10th HFDP RACING 7 Sena Sakaguchi 17 Japan Japanese Formula3 9th FIA-F4 Japanese Championship Driver Age Nationality 2016 result Toshiki Oyu 18 Japan FIA-F4 Japanese Championship 3rd Ukyo Sasahara 20 Japan Graduated from SRS-Formula 《Honda initiatives to expand popularity of motorsports》 Honda has been making active efforts to expand the popularity of motorsports. In order to convey the fascination of motorsports to a broader range of people, Honda has been conducting various events and activities including ones that can be enjoyed more casually by those people who are not yet so familiar with motorsports. ＜One-make race sponsored by Honda Racing Corporation (HRC)＞ The NSF100 HRC Trophy, held since 2006 at over 20 circuits throughout Japan, is a one-make race featuring the NSF100 a mass-market road racer of HRC. The race, marks its 12th season this year, is recognized as a gateway to success for junior riders. Since 2016, the HRC GROM Cup featuring the mass-market GROM was added as a class that is easier for riders to participate in even for those who never raced before. CBR250R Dream Cup is a one-make race featuring the CBR250R, a mass-market Honda motorcycle model, and has been held since 2012 at circuits throughout Japan. In 2014, a new class was added to encourage entrants with no formal racing experience, making it a motorcycle race with the largest number of entrants in Japan. Moreover, Honda has been hosting the HRC NSF250R Challenge which features the NSF250R, a mass-market Honda road racer model. The Japanese local championship for this race is held together with the race in the J-GP3 class at each circuit where J-GP3 is held. Modifications to the standard vehicle (HRC factory spec) are not allowed, which helps to curb the running cost, thereby enabling a full-fledged racing experience at a lower cost. Honda has been hosting some Japan-wide races for riders who rank high in races held in local circuits throughout Japan and that fulfill a certain condition. HRC will continue supporting these programs, while making these racing machines available in the market. ＜Honda Sports & Eco Program＞ In 2012, Mobilityland Corporation and M-TEC Co., Ltd. jointly started the Honda Sports & Eco Program, a participatory motorsports program, under the theme of “eco-friendly sports driving.” This program is designed to provide participants with a lighthearted experience of enjoying the fun of “driving, upskilling and competing,” behind the wheel of a rental Honda car with racing specifications provided to each participant through the program, toward the ultimate goal of promoting coexistence of the environment and sports driving. The program has been providing a four-step school program which enables motorsports beginners to strive for their racing debut with peace of mind as well as a four-times-a-year racing program for all levels of drivers. Moreover, the price structure of this program allows more people, including beginners and skilled sports drivers alike, to casually experience motorsports, making the program even more attractive to everyone. ＜FIT 1.5 Challenge Cup＞ The FIT 1.5 Challenge Cup, a one-make race featuring Fit, hosted by Mobilityland Corporation and SUGO Co., Ltd. is held as to a quasi-domestic rank race approved by the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF). The title of “Suzuka Touring Car Championship” and “Motegi / Sugo Touring Car Championship” was added to the race name FIT 1.5 Challenge Cup for each event in each respective location. A total of six races at each circuit are planned for this season. ＜N-ONE OWNERS’ CUP＞ N-ONE OWNERS’ CUP is a participatory motorsports program that utilizes the N-ONE mini-vehicle that has proven popular with a large number of customers. With the aim of letting many motorsports fans including racing beginners actively take part, the N-ONE OWNERS’ CUP started in 2014, taking the form of a sprint race with commercially available vehicles licensed for public roads. With this existing concept that has proven popular, this motorsports event will again be held at seven circuits spread around Japan: Suzuka Circuit, Twin Ring Motegi, Okayama International Circuit, Fuji Speedway, Autopolis International Racing Course, Sportsland SUGO and the new addition of Tokachi Speedway in Hokkaido. A total of 14 races at these circuits are planned for this season, with more extensive support provided to racing beginners. ＜Honda Eco Mileage Challenge 2017＞ Since 1981, Honda has hosted the Honda Eco Mileage Challenge, an event focused on the environment. Participants combine their creativity, freewheeling thinking and technology to create their own handcrafted vehicles, and then compete to see how far they can travel on one liter of fuel. This event will mark its 37th year in 2017, and the cumulative number of teams participated since 1981 has exceeded 14,000 teams. The Honda Eco Mileage Challenge is now held not only in Japan but also in Thailand, China and Vietnam. Honda Eco Mileage Challenge 2017: Schedule in Japan Schedule Event name Circuit May 13 (Sat.) 31st Honda Eco Mileage Challenge 2017 Suzuka East Course, Suzuka Circuit (Mie) June 24 (Sat.) 9th Honda Eco Mileage Challenge 2017, Motegi West Course, Twin Ring Motegi (Tochigi) August 6 (Sun.) 33rd Honda Eco Mileage Challenge 2017, Kyushu Circuit Course, HSR Kyushu (Kumamoto) Sep. 30 (Sat.): Practice runs Oct. 1 (Sun.): Finals 37th Soichiro Honda Cup Honda Eco Mileage Challenge 2017 National Competition Super Speedway, Twin Ring Motegi (Tochigi) ＜Enjoy Honda 2017＞ With the aim of providing more opportunities for people to watch, participate in and enjoy activities related to Honda motorcycles, automobiles, and power products, the Enjoy Honda program will be held again this year as a fan appreciation event. In 2017, Enjoy Honda events will be held at nine venues: Kumamoto, Mie, Shizuoka, Hokkaido, Tochigi, Miyagi, plus new venues in Okayama and Niigata Prefectures. The events in Mie and Tochigi will be held at Suzuka Circuit and Twin Ring Motegi respectively, on the day when the following event will be held: Suzuka 2&4 Races (with concurrent races of Round 2 of the MFJ All-Japan Road Race Championship and Round 1 of the Japanese SUPER FORMULA Championship) at Suzuka Circuit, and Motegi 2&4 Races (with concurrent races of Round 6 of the MFJ All-Japan Road Race Championship and Round 4 of the Japanese SUPER FORMULA Championship) at Twin Ring Motegi. Furthermore, the Enjoy Honda 2016 also will include various displays and events which enable participants to feel Honda more closely, including the display of Honda motorcycles, automobiles, and power products as well as parent-and-child motorcycle lessons, the opportunity to experience the UNI-CUBβ and a trial bike show, etc.*10. *10The actual program will differ according to venue. For more details, visit the official Enjoy Honda website at http://www.honda.co.jp/enjoyhonda/ (Japanese only). Enjoy Honda 2017 schedule Schedule Venue Concurrent races April 1-2 (Sat. – Sun.) HSR Kyushu (Kumamoto) April 22-23 (Sat. – Sun.) Suzuka Circuit (Mie) MFJ All-Japan Road Race Championship Japanese SUPER FORMULA Championship May 13-14 (Sat. – Sun.) Ehime World Trade Center (Ehime) May 27-28 (Sat. – Sun.) Okayama International Circuit (Okayama) Japanese SUPER FORMULA Championship July 1-2 (Sat. – Sun.) Convention Center Hive Nagaoka (Niigata) July 8-9 (Sat. – Sun.) Fuji International Speedway (Shizuoka) Japanese SUPER FORMULA Championship July 15-16 (Sat. – Sun.) Access Sapporo (Hokkaido) August 19-20 (Sat. – Sun.) Twin Ring Motegi (Tochigi) MFJ All-Japan Road Race Championship Japanese SUPER FORMULA Championship September 23-24 (Sat. – Sun.) Sportsland SUGO (Miyagi) Japanese SUPER FORMULA Championship * Schedule as of February 13, 2017 ＜Honda Racing THANKS DAY 2017＞ To show its appreciation to motorsports fans, Honda will host Honda Racing THANKS DAY again in 2017. Honda Racing THANKS DAY 2017 schedule Schedule Event Venue December 3, 2017 (Sun.) Honda Racing THANKS DAY 2017 Twin Ring Motegi (Tochigi) ＜For Reference＞ Mobilityland Corporation strives to contribute to the further growth of a motorsports culture in Japan by hosting various events and races. Since its opening in 1962 as the first full-scale race course in Japan, Suzuka Circuit has hosted a large number and wide variety of racing events during its rich history spanning over 50 years. The circuit will host a multitude of events again in 2017. The Suzuka 8 hours Endurance Road Race which will be held as the final round of the FIM Endurance World Championship will be celebrating its 40th race this year. In addition, Mobilityland will host various races and events including the FIA Formula One World Championship and the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship races. Twin Ring Motegi will be celebrating its 20th anniversary this year and continue hosting the FIM Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix races, which has been a tradition since the early days of this circuit, and will host many more races and events including the FIM Trial World Championship and the FIA World Touring Car Championship. In addition to international motorcycle and automobile races, the Motorsports Fan Appreciation Day to be held on March 4-5 (Sat.-Sun.) at Suzuka Circuit, both circuits continue to offer fans the opportunity to watch and experience a wealth of Japanese and international motorsports event. Main international races to be hosted by Mobilityland Category Schedule Title Circuit WCT May 27-28 (Sat. – Sun.) 2017 FIM Trial World Championship Round 2 STRIDER Japanese Grand Prix Twin Ring Motegi (Tochigi) ARRC June 2-4 (Fri. – Sun.) 2017 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship Round 3 Japan Suzuka Circuit (Mie) EWC July 27-30 (Thu. – Sun.) 2016-2017 FIM Endurance World Championship Final round The “Coca-Cola” Suzuka 8hours Endurance Road Race – the 40th commemorative race Suzuka Circuit (Mie) F1 October 6-8 (Fri. – Sun.) 2017 FIA Formula One World Championship Round 16 Japanese Grand Prix Suzuka Circuit (Mie) MotoGP October 13-15 (Fri. – Sun.) 2017 FIM MotoGP World Championship Round 15, Grand Prix of Japan Twin Ring Motegi (Tochigi) WTCC October 28-29 (Sat. – Sun.) 2017 FIA World Touring Car Championship Race of Japan Twin Ring Motegi (Tochigi) Source: Honda Motor Company Click here to visit our forums to discuss this story |
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