Honda Performance Development news 2010-05-25

HPD to Sponsor NASA Honda Challenge Series

SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (May 25, 2010) - Honda Performance Development (HPD) has reached agreement with the National Auto Sport Association (NASA) to become title sponsor of NASA's Honda Challenge Series, a multi-class championship open to Honda racers competing in cars ranging from Civics and CRXs to S2000s and Acura NSXs. In addition, HPD will for the first time be offering Honda Challenge participants $500 to start the 2010 NASA National Championships.

As an additional component of its NASA support, HPD will also be offering contingency awards to top-three finishers in Honda Challenge races at the 2010 NASA National Championships, marking the first time Honda has provided such support for NASA racers.

To qualify for the start payout and contingency awards at the national championships, Honda Challenge racers must merely be members of the Honda Racing Line, HPD's support program for club and entry-level professional racers, and must feature the required HPD/Honda Racing Line graphics on their cars. This year's NASA National Championships will be held Sept. 16- 19 at Miller Motorsports Park in Utah.

Founded in 2002 by the Virginia chapter of NASA, the Honda Challenge has been a success from its inception, with fields of 30 or more cars in its first season. It became a national NASA category in 2003 and is currently featured in both east- and west-coast NASA championships.

"Through the Honda Challenge Series, NASA has provided a great opportunity for Honda racers to compete throughout the country. At Honda Performance Development, we're pleased and excited to be able to support those racers and reward their loyalty and performance," said Marc Sours, Production Division Manager for HPD.

The Honda Challenge is divided into five performance-based classes, ranging from H1 to H5, with individual vehicles assigned specific minimum weights to equalize competition among various models. H1 includes the Honda S2000 and Acura NSX; H2 models include the 2006 Honda Civic Si, Integra Type R and Honda Prelude VTEC; the Acura Integra GS-R and other Honda Prelude models are included in H3; while various Civic, CRX and Integra models are included in H4 and H5.

Individual championships are contested for Honda Challenge racers in seven NASA geographic regions; as well as at the NASA National Championships.

HPD's three-year sponsorship of the NASA Honda Challenge, continuing through 2012, will include television coverage of the Honda Challenge events at the NASA National Championships. The contingency awards program will provide cash payments for Honda Challenge Series participants at the National Championships, and prize-money awards for the first-, second- and third-place finishers in each Honda Challenge Series National Championship race.

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

-source: hpd