Honda today announced that the Honda Civic will race in the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC).
鈥淲e have made a decision鈥� said Honda CEO, Takanobu Ito 鈥渢o enter into the WTCC with the European Civic. We will develop a totally new engine for this project and we are all excited about starting this new challenge.鈥�
For this project, Honda has formed a joint partnership with Mugen and J.A.S. Motorsport. Honda R&D is developing a bespoke racing engine, while Mugen will manufacture and maintain it. J.A.S. Motorsport will develop the race car, using the new Honda Civic 5 door produced in Honda鈥檚 manufacturing plant located in Swindon (UK).
The racing engine is a 1.6 litre 4 cylinder direct injection turbo-charged petrol engine, developed in accordance with FIA鈥檚 Super 2000 regulations.
Honda鈥檚 ambition is to join the WTCC as early as this season, with a string of 鈥渋naugural rounds鈥�. Discussions are currently being held with the FIA, but these rounds would include Japan (held on 21 October 2012 at Honda鈥檚 Suzuka circuit), followed by China and Macau. Honda will then enter a two car team, managed by J.A.S. Motorsport, into every race in the 2013 championship season.
This activity is being run independently to the Honda Racing British Touring Car Championship winning team. Three-times BTCC Champion, Matt Neal and Gordon 鈥楩lash鈥� Shedden will be behind the wheel of the race-prepared Team Dynamics version of the new Civic and lining up on the grid at Brands Hatch on 1 April for the first race of the 2012 season.
Racing has always been a fundamental element of Honda鈥檚 DNA. In the late 1950s Honda first entered the Isle of man T.T and then Formula 1 in the 1960s. The FIA WTCC is the next chapter in Honda鈥檚 on-going commitment to world motor sport and provides a perfect platform to demonstrate its racing spirit to Honda鈥檚 numerous fans around the world.
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