Press Release: Honda's 2000 Challenger
Honda stepping up to the challenge
Honda president Hirouki Yoshino's predecessor Nobuhiko Kawamoto, who stepped down in April, pulled Honda out of Formula One racing in 1992 after an illustrious decade as an engine supplier. But the world-renowed car and motorcycle maker, celebrating its 50th anniversary, announced in March it would come back to F1 as a full constructor and team. Honda last had its own racing team from 1964 to 1968, a painful induction that produced just two wins out of 35 races. At the 1968 French Grand Prix, Frenchman Jo Schlesser was burned to death when his untried V8 Honda overturned and burst into flames, with magnesium in the chassis feeding the fire. The company, under founder Soichiro Honda, came back as an engine supplier in 1984 and powered Williams and McLaren to constructors titles from 1987 to 1991, in the process helping star racers including the late Brazilian Ayrton Senna and Frenchman Alain Prost to the driver's championship.
But, faced with slumping sales and the need to put resources into clean and safe cars, Honda ended its 100-million-dollar a year F1 commitment six years ago.
Honda Motor Co. Ltd. announced the development of a secret new engine for its return to F1 season with the British American Racing team. Honda signed a deal in May with the BAR for its long-awaited comeback to F1next year and has been developing and making engines to supply them to the BAR.
The new "RA000E" engine is "small, light, high rotation and high efficiency, with a V10 configuration and maximum power of over 800 horsepower," said Honda Racing Development Ltd. (HRD) managing director Takefumi Hosaka.
But Hosaka would not reveal specifications such as the weight, size and gas valve. "I cannot give you the details except it is over 800 horsepower, because it is the very basis of its racing ability. Please imagine by looking at it," he told at a press conference. Takeo Fukui, who heads HRD's factory in Tochigi, north of Tokyo, said it would continue to supply engines for Honda's domestic Mugen racing car, but they would be completely different from the "RA000E".
"The overriding aim remains to be full competitive in the shortest possible time," said BAR chairman Craig Pollock, who attended with vice chairman Dr Adrian Reynard, technical director Malcolm Oastler and rider Ricard Zonta.
"In negotiations with Honda on this project, we have agreed that we must score a Grand Prix victory in the first year of the partnership and the aim is to win the championship within three years. We may be the newest team in the Grand Prix racing, but all of us, the British American Racing, are very mindful of the tremendous heritage of Honda," he added.
"We are looking forward to the start of the new F1 season with the highest hopes and the greatest anticipation." he concluded.
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