12/14/2012 - SANTA CLARITA, Calif.
Honda Performance Development, the racing arm of American Honda Motor Co., Inc., has announced an expanded contingency program for grassroots and entry-level professional racing in 2013. Significant additions to the program include the new Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) Majors series, which will debut in 2013 as an eventual replacement for SCCA National race weekends; and support for 250cc shifter karts, where a new HPD-developed package will be available for one of the quickest categories in karting.
In professional Touring Car racing, HPD will continue its support for teams taking part in the SCCA Pirelli World Challenge and Grand-Am's Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge series. Contingency awards will be offered to competitors racing the Honda Civic Si (2012 and newer model year) in both championships, and for racers campaigning Honda Fits in the B-Spec category of the Pirelli World Challenge. HPD will also award contingency for the NASA US Touring Car Championship for competitors racing the 2006 or newer Honda Civic Si.
Contingency awards will be offered in all four North American professional-level Formula F championships for racers utilizing the Honda Fit-based FF engine, including the F1600 Formula F Championship Series in the eastern United States; the West Coast-based Formula F Super Series; and the Canadian Formula Tour F1600 Series in Quebec and Ontario Formula F Championship. The contingency program for Honda Formula F racers in SCCA Club Racing also continues. HPD's popular club-racing programs continue for both SCCA and National Auto Sport Association (NASA) events. Support will be offered for Honda and Acura racers in both SCCA National and new Majors events; the NASA Honda Challenge; the SCCA National Championship Runoffs and divisional/conference championships; and the NASA National and Regional championships.
The Spec Race Atom Series at Virginia International Raceway will be presented by Honda Racing/HPD in 2013 as this popular series continues to grow. In karting, HPD will now offer support for 250cc shifter karts, a new HPD karting package for 2013, and will continue support for the WKA, Rock Island Grand Prix and a variety of SKUSA events, including the SuperNats, Pro Tour, ProKart and Texas rounds. Quarter Midget racers will be eligible for HPD contingency awards in the United States Auto Club (USAC) Next Gen series and Battle of the Brickyard, as well as in Quarter Midget Association (QMA) events. HPD will provide contingency awards to autocross competitors in both SCCA Pro Solo and the Solo National Championships; and in both individual SCCA Rallycross events and the Rallycross National Championships.
To be eligible for the HPD Contingency Program, competitors must be registered members of the Honda Racing Line program. To register, visit http://hpd.honda.com/racing-line/become-a-member/.
Launched in July 2009, the Honda Racing Line is a program targeted at licensed participants in sanctioned amateur and entry-level professional racing. The Honda Racing Line was formed to provide its members with a direct connection to Honda Performance Development and its unparalleled record of success at the highest levels of motorsport. Competitors may register for the Honda Racing Line through HondaRacingLine.com. Honda Performance Development (HPD) is the Honda racing company within North America. Located in Santa Clarita, Calif., HPD is the technical operations center for high-performance Honda racing cars and engines. As one of three engine suppliers to the IZOD IndyCar Series, Honda won this year's Indianapolis 500 with driver Dario Franchitti; and competes in prototype sports-car racing under the HPD banner in the American Le Mans Series and the FIA World Endurance Championship, where it again took a P2 class win at this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans and swept all manufacturer, engine, team and driver awards in the ALMS LMP1 and LMP2 categories. HPD offers a variety of race engines for track applications from prototype sports cars to karting; and showcases "fun-to-drive" products for professional, amateur and entry-level racers.
2013 Honda Performance Developments Contingency Program Highlights:
| Pirelli World Challenge: | TC class Honda Civic Si (2012 and newer model year) B-Spec Honda Fit |
| Continental Tire: | ST class Honda Civic Si (2012 and newer model year) |
| Formula F: | F1600 Formula F Championship Series; Pacific Formula F Super Series; Ontario FF Championship; Canadian Formula Tour 1600; SCCA Club Racing |
| NASA: | Honda Challenge events, National and Regional Championships; US Touring Car Championship (2006 and newer Honda Civic Si) |
| SCCA: | National Championship Runoffs, Division and Conference Championships; National and Majors events |
| Spec Race Atom: | Honda-powered Atom racers |
| Karting: | SKUSA SuperNats, Pro Tour, ProKart and Texas; WKA 250cc Shifter; Rock Island Grand Prix |
| Quarter Midgets: | USAC Battle of the Brickyard, Next Gen; QMA |
| Autocross: | SCCA Pro Solo, Solo National Championships |
| Rallycross: | SCCA Rallycross season, National Championships |