Honda Global | January 11, 2019 Honda 2019 Motorsports Program Overview

January 11, 2019 – Honda Motor Co., Ltd. announced its motorsports activities for the 2019 season and initiatives to expand the popularity of motorsports.

Since the days of its founding, Honda has been engaged in various motorsports activities in pursuit of being the best in the world, and 2019 marks Honda’s 60th anniversary of first racing at the Isle of Man T.T. Race. By competing in various races, Honda has been refining its technologies and human resources, and sharing the fun, joy and inspirational experiences with many fans and customers.

In 2019, Honda will continue to compete in the most prestigious motorcycle and automobile races in the world and is planning to compete in various races in different categories in Japan and in other regions around the world. Everyone involved in Honda’s motorsports activities including riders, drivers, engineers, mechanics and other team members will work as one “Team Honda” and compete with full force.

【Motorcycle activities】

In the MotoGP^TM class of the FIM^*1 Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix, Marc Márquez, the five-time World Champion who won the championship in 2018 for the third consecutive year will welcome Jorge Lorenzo, the three-time MotoGP World Champion, to the Repsol Honda Team and work together to capture the MotoGP “Triple Crown” for the team for the third consecutive year.

In the FIM Superbike World Championship (WSBK), Honda will strengthen its competitive structure by having Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) support Moriwaki Althea Racing.

In the MFJ^*2 All-Japan Championship, Honda will compete at the top class of the three categories, namely Road Race Championship (JRR), Motocross Championship (JMX) and Trial Championship (JTR) and strive to win consecutive championship titles in Motocross and Trial and regain the Road Race championship title to capture all three MFJ All-Japan Championship titles for the first time since 2017.

【Automobile activities】

In the FIA^*3 Formula One World Championship (F1^TM) where Honda competes as a power unit supplier, Honda will begin supplying the power unit to Red Bull Racing in addition to Scuderia Toro Rosso. Honda will strive to further advance its power unit by supplying the power unit with the same specifications to two teams. In addition, Honda will continue to support drivers who take on challenges to move up to the F1 class, which includes young drivers who compete in the FIA Formula 2 Championship (F2) and the FIA Formula 3 Championship (F3).

In Japan, Honda will make changes to the respective team structures and strive for second consecutive titles in SUPER GT GT500 class and Japanese SUPER FORMULA Championship (SF), where Honda captured double championships in the 2018 season.

In North America, Takuma Sato will continue to race for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing and compete in the IndyCar^® Series.

*1 FIM: Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme
*2 MFJ: Motorcycle Federation of Japan
*3 FIA: Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile

■Overview of Honda Teams          As of January 11, 2019

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★ 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 Grand Prix World Championship (MotoGP)

◆FIM Superbike World Championship (WSBK)

*4 JRR: All Japan Road Race Championship 

◆FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC)

◆EWC Suzuka 8 hours Endurance Road Race

*Honda will make an announcement about the team competing in the EWC Suzuka 8 hours Endurance Road Race as soon as the details are decided.

◆FIM Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC)

*In the ASB1000 Class, new addition this year, Honda will compete with one unit of CBR1000RR SP-based racing machines raced by Honda Asia-Dream Racing. In the SS600 class, Honda will compete with three teams – namely Astra Honda Racing Team, A.P. Honda Racing Thailand and MuSASHi Boon Siew Honda Racing – and six machines. In AP250 class, Astra Honda Racing Team and A.P. Honda Racing Thailand will race five machines. Honda will make an announcement as soon as the details are decided.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

◆MFJ All-Japan Road Race Championship (JRR)

【Motocross】

◆FIM Motocross World Championship (MXGP)

◆AMA^*5 Supercross, An FIM World Championship (450SX)

◆AMA Motocross Championship (450MX)

◆MFJ All-Japan Motocross Championship (JMX)

【Trial】

◆FIM Trial World Championship (TrialGP)

◆All-Japan Trial Championship (JTR)

※ on a rider’s name indicates HRC contract test rider

◆Dakar Rally 2019

◆FIA Formula One World Championship (F1)

◆SUPER GT

◆Japanese SUPER FORMULA Championship (SF)

◆IndyCar Series

◆Customer Race

In the race categories which feature machines based on mass-market models, Honda will take on challenges with each team by not only supplying machines, but also strengthening its support for the team so that each team can race more competitively. Honda will supply CIVIC Type R-based racing machine, CIVIC TCR, for the FIA World Touring Car Cup (WTCR) which started in 2018 and the TCR series endurance races, which have been popular all around the world. Moreover, for GT championships and endurance races held in North America, Europe, Japan and rest of the world, Honda will supply the NSX GT3.

◆FIA World Touring Car Cup (WTCR)

*Honda will make an announcement about the team competing in the series as soon as the details are decided.

SUPER GT

* Contiguous participation of CARGUY Racing is still under discussion.

IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship

■Supporting Young Riders and Drivers in Moving Up Toward the Top Category

In road racing, in conjunction with Honda racing activities in Asia where people’s interest in motorcycle racing is growing rapidly, Honda strives to help young riders in this region to realize their dreams of competing in the MotoGP class. For the 2019 season, Honda will continue to support Honda Team Asia, which will compete in the Moto2 and Moto3 classes of MotoGP. Moreover, as an opportunity for young riders to step up, Honda will continue supporting riders competing in the FIM CEV Repsol Moto3 Junior World Championship. In addition, Honda will continue to utilize IDEMITSU Asia Talent Cup (IATC) as a program designed to foster young riders to discover and foster more riders who can compete in world-class races.

In motocross racing, Honda will continue to host training sessions in Japan for team riders competing in the MFJ All-Japan Motocross Championship. Moreover, Honda also will continue its talent fostering programs which include providing opportunities for young riders with future potential to join training camps around the world and compete in MXGP races.

For automobile racing, Honda has been operating the Honda Formula Dream Project (HFDP), a program designed to discover talented young drivers and help them step up to play active roles in the world of motorsports. In the 2019 season, Shinji Matsushita will compete in FIA-F2 for the first time in two years with CARLINE. Yuki Tsunoda and Teppei Natori will advance from the FIA-F4 and compete in FIA-F3.

In Japan, to promote the step up of young and talented drivers who play active roles in the world of motorsports, Honda will continue supporting drivers who compete in the All-Japan Formula3 Championship and the FIA-F4 Japanese Championship^*6, which is a formula race intended for junior drivers.

*6 The 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.

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◆FIM Road Racing World Championship (MotoGP)

◆FIM CEV Repsol Moto3 Junior World Championship

◆European Motocross Championship（EMX）

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◆FIA Formula2 Championship (F2)

◆FIA Formula3 Championship (F3)

◆Japanese Formula3 Championship

◆FIA-F4 Japanese Championship

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 (SRS-Junior) for motorcycle riders since 1992, Suzuka Circuit Racing School-Kart (SRS-Kart) since 1993 and the Suzuka Circuit Racing School-Formula (SRS-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 who have been competing their respective motorcycle and automobile racing categories inside and outside Japan.

In the area of motorcycle racing, in 2016, SRS-Junior was renamed as SRS-Moto, and its rider development system and curriculum as well as the 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.

In the area of automobile racing, the operational structure of SRS-Kart and SRS-Formula will be changed this year and Takuma Sato and Shinji Nakano will be appointed as Principal and Vice Principal, respectively, to further strengthen the environment to foster young drivers.

■Honda initiatives to expand the 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.

HRC is hosting more than 400 one-make races a year at approximately 30 circuits throughout Japan under two categories of races with different purposes — to simply enjoy motorsports and to foster future MotoGP riders.

The one-make race series hosted by HRC include HRC GROM Cup, CBR250R Dream Cup and CBR250RR Dream Cup, which features mass-market models, as well as the NSF100 HRC Trophy, which features the NSF100 a mass-market road racer of HRC and the HRC NSF250R Challenge which is designed to foster future MotoGP riders.

The one-make race series are being held at a number of circuits throughout Japan. In addition, HRC has been hosting some Japan-wide races (at Suzuka or Motegi) for riders who fulfill certain conditions and offering support for riders to step up through training classes. In other words, the HRC one-make race series have been a stage where participants can enjoy the races and/or strive to realize their dreams.

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.

As with last year, the FIT 1.5 Challenge Cup operated by Mobilityland Corporation, Okayama International Circuit Co., Ltd. and SUGO Co., Ltd., will be held at the Suzuka/Okayama Touring Car Championship and Motegi/Sugo Touring Car Championship this year as a quasi-domestic rank race approved by the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF).

N-ONE OWNERS’ CUP is a participatory motorsports program that utilizes the N-ONE mini-vehicle. 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 eight circuits spread around Japan: Suzuka Circuit, Twin Ring Motegi, Okayama International Circuit, Fuji Speedway, Autopolis International Racing Course, Sportsland SUGO, Tokachi Speedway and Tsukuba Circuit. For these races, Honda will further enhance support provided to racing beginners.

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 39th year in 2019, 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 2019: Schedule in Japan

Jointly with Toyota Motor Corporation and Mobilityland Corporation, Honda will host the MO-SPO Festival 2019 Suzuka – Motorsports Fan Thanks Day – on Saturday, March 2 and Sunday, March 3, 2019 at Suzuka Circuit. Some machines, drivers and riders of TOYOTA GAZOO Racing^*7 and Honda who are competing in World Championships and other categories of racing inside and outside Japan will come together at this festival at Suzuka Circuit, which has been hosting a number of international motorcycle and automobile races. The event will offer content which enables all visitors – not only motorsports fans, but also visitors with no previous experience of seeing races and rallies – to experience the dynamism and attractiveness of motorsports.

*7 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing is a collective term for motorsports activities and other related activities conducted by Toyota Motor Corporation.

To show its appreciation to motorsports fans, Honda will again host Honda Racing THANKS DAY 2019 at Twin Ring Motegi. The date and program details will be posted on the website as soon as they are available.

With the aim of providing more opportunities for people to watch, participate in and enjoy activities related to Honda motorcycles, automobiles and power products, Honda has been hosting the Enjoy Honda program at a number of venues throughout Japan^*8. In 2019, Enjoy Honda events will be held at ten venues: In addition to venues in Kumamoto, Mie, Miyagi, Niigata, Tochigi and Okayama, the event also will be held for the first time at three venues, namely Ishikawa Industrial Exhibition Hall in Ishikawa Prefecture, Rainbow Hamanako in Shizuoka Prefecture and Expo’70 Commemorative Park in Osaka Prefecture. At Suzuka Circuit and Twin Ring Motegi, Enjoy Honda will be held on the same day as the Suzuka 2&4 Races and Motegi 2&4 Races, respectively.

*8 The actual program will differ according to venue. For more details, visit the official Enjoy Honda website at https://www.honda.co.jp/enjoyhonda/ (Japanese only).

Enjoy Honda 2019 Schedule

* Schedule as of January 11, 2019

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. In 2018, the circuit hosted its 30th F1 Grand Prix. The circuit will host a multitude of events again in 2019, including the F1 Japanese Grand Prix as well as the Suzuka 8 hours Endurance Road Race, which will be held as the final round of the FIM Endurance World Championship. Other races to be hosted by Suzuka Circuit include the Suzuka 10 hours Endurance Race, which was held for the fist time last year as a global unified race of the FIA-GT3 machines.

Twin Ring Motegi will continue hosting various races throughout the year including the FIM Grand Prix World Championship race, 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.

Main international races to be hosted by Mobilityland

*9 Intercontinental GT Challenge