Honda 2016 Motorsports Program Overview

[totalmotorcycle]

@Honda 2016 #Motorsports Program Overview





February 12, 2016 - Honda Motor Co., Ltd. announced plans for its motorsports activities for the 2016 season and initiatives to expand the popularity of motorsports.

Since the days of its founding, Honda has always been engaged in motorsports activities in pursuit of being the best in the world. While taking on continuous challenges toward victories and attaining high goals, Honda strives to share joys with its customers all around the world under the corporate slogan of “The Power of Dreams”. Honda will continue conducting motorsports activities throughout 2016 in a way that will bring fun and excitement to its fans and customers.



《2016 Motorsports Activities and Teams》



【Motorcycle activities】
In the MotoGP, the premier class of the FIM*1 Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix Series, Marc Márquez, who won the championship for two consecutive seasons (2013 and 2014) and Dani Pedrosa, a11-year veteran in this class, will continue to race for Repsol Honda Team, a Honda factory team*2, riding the 2016 model of the RC213V works machine, with a target to regain the championship title in the 2016 season. In addition, three more riders will compete in the MotoGP class this year, namely Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda), Jack Miller (Marc VDS Racing Team) and Tito Rabat (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS). With these four teams and 5 riders, Honda will strive to regain the MotoGP “Triple Crown” – rider, constructor and team championships. In the Moto3 class, where Honda won the championship title last season, Honda will supply 11 units of its 2016 model of the NSF250RW works machine and vie for the riders’ championship for the third consecutive year.

In the FIM Trial World Championship Series (WCT), as with last year, Toni Bou, the reigning champion for the last nine seasons, Takahisa Fujinami, a 21-year veteran in WCT who will celebrate his 300th race this year, and Jaime Busto who made excellent progress last season will race for Repsol Honda Team, a Honda factory team, riding the COTA4RT works machine, while aiming to win the riders’ championship and the constructors’ title for the 11th consecutive year.

In the MXGP (450cc) class, the premier class of the FIM Motocross World Championship, Gautier Paulin and Evgeny Bobryshev, who ranked second and third for the 2015 season, respectively, will race for Team HRC, Honda’s factory team. In addition, Tim Gajser who won the MX2 class championship last season will also race in MXGP class this year for Team Honda Gariboldi Racing. All three riders will ride the 2016 model of the CRF450RW works machine and vie for the 2016 championship title. Moreover, Kei Yamamoto, a contract rider of HRC, will also race in the MXGP class for Team Honda Redmoto Assomotor riding CRF450R. In the MX2 (250cc) class, where Honda won the championship title last season, 19-year-old Jorge Zaragoza will race for Honda Gariboldi, the 2015 MX2 champion team, riding CRF250RW works machine.

In the 450SX (450cc) class of the AMA*3 Supercross, an FIM World Championship, Cole Seely who won one race in the 2015 season, despite the fact that it was his first year competing in this class, and Trey Canard who won two races but struggled with an injury last season will race with the CRF450R for Team Honda HRC, Honda’s factory team operated by American Honda Motor Co., Inc., a Honda subsidiary in the U.S.

In the FIM Superbike World Championship Series (WSB), Nicky Hayden, 2006 MotoGP champion, and Michael van der Mark will race with the CBR1000RR for Honda World Superbike Team supported by Honda Motor Europe Ltd., a Honda subsidiary in the U.K. Moreover, in the FIM Supersport World Championship Series (WSS), Kyle Smith, Luke Stapleford, Hikari Okubo, Stefan Hill will race for CIA Landlord Insurance Honda, Patrick Jacobsen will race for Honda World Supersport Team and Federico Caricasulo will race for Bardahl Evan Bros Honda riding the CBR600RR.

In the 2016 Suzuka 8hours Endurance Road Race, FIM Endurance World Championship 3rd Round, Honda will strive to regain the victory by selecting riders from among Honda riders who compete in the world and regional championships. (Details will be announced as soon as determined.)

In the JSB1000 class of the MFJ*4 All-Japan Road Race Championship Series, Takumi Takahashi and Kosuke Akiyoshi, HRC’s contract test riders, will race for their respective team, namely MuSASHi RT HARC-PRO and au&Teluru Kohara RT. In addition, Tatsuya Yamaguchi (TOHO Racing) and Kazuma Watanabe (FCC TSR Teluru) will continue competing in this class this year, and Yuki Takahashi (MORIWAKI RACING) who won the J-GP2 championship last year will enter into this class this year. All these riders will be riding the CBR1000RR.

In the IA1 (450cc) class of the MFJ All-Japan Motocross Championship Series, Akira Narita, 10-time champion in this class, will race for Team HRC, Honda’s factory team, riding the CRF450RW works machine and strive to win back the championship title. In the IA2 (250cc) class, where Toshiki Tomita from Team HRC won the championship last season, Chihiro Notsuka who ranked second last season and will join Honda this year and vie for two consecutive wins for Honda, riding the CRF250RW works machine.

In the IAS class of the MFJ All-Japan Trial Championship Series, Tomoyuki Ogawa, a HRC contract test rider who won his fifth championship title last year, will race for HRC CLUB MITANI riding the RTL300R and vie for his sixth and fourth consecutive championship title.


*1 FIM: Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme
*2 Factory team (also known as “works team”): a team managed directly by the manufacturer that creates the racing machine. For Honda, teams operated by Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) are factory teams of Honda.
*3 AMA: American Motorcyclist Association
*4 MFJ: Motorcycle Federation of Japan



【Automobile activities】
Honda will continue competing in the FIA*5 Formula One World Championship (F1) as a power unit supplier for the McLaren-Honda, which will again enter two machines driven by Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button.

In the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC), Honda will continue providing the Civic WTCC equipped with a 1.6-liter direct injection turbo engine. Rob Huff, the 2012 WTCC champion, will join Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team, a Honda factory team, as well as Tiago Monteiro and Norbert Michelisz.


In the GT500 class of the SUPER GT Series, as with last year, Honda will compete with 5 teams/5 machines. Honda will modify the powertrain concept of the NSX CONCEPT-GT and strive to capture the title with its 2.0-liter, direct-injected and turbocharged inline 4-cylinder engine without a hybrid system.

For the Japanese SUPER FORMULA Championship, Honda will continue supplying the HR-414E, a 2.0-liter, inline, 4-cylinder, direct injection turbo engine with enhanced thermal efficiency. With the addition of Stoffel Vandoorne, the third driver of McLaren-Honda, to DOCOMO TEAM DANDELION RACING, Honda will strive to capture the dual titles of drivers’ and team championships with its 5 teams/8 machines.

In the IndyCar® Series in North America, where the 100th running of the Indy 500 will take place this year, Honda Performance Development, Inc. (HPD), a subsidiary of American Honda Motor Co., Inc., will supply HI16TT, 2.2-liter V6 twin turbo engines for the 11 machines raced by 6 teams. As with last year, Takuma Sato, now in his seventh season, will compete for A.J. Foyt Racing.


*5FIA: Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile



《Overview of Honda Participation in Motorcycle Racing》



★on a team name indicates a factory team of Honda, ★on a machine name indicates a works machine of Honda, ★on a rider’s name indicates a HRC contract rider



【Road Races】



◆FIM Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix Series



<MotoGP>



Team No. Machine Rider Age Nationality 2015 result
Repsol Honda Team
★ 93 RC213V
★ Marc Márquez
★ 22 Spain MotoGP
3rd
26 Dani Pedrosa
★ 30 Spain MotoGP
4th
LCR Honda 35 Cal Crutchlow 30 U.K. MotoGP
8th
Marc VDS Racing Team 43 Jack Miller
★ 21 Australia MotoGP
19th
Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS 53 Tito Rabat 26 Spain Moto2
3rd



<Moto3>



Team No. Machine Rider Age Nationality 2015 result
Estrella Galicia 0,0 44 NSF250RW
★ Aròn Canet 16 Spain CEV Moto3
3rd
9 Jorge Navarro 20 Spain Moto3
7th
Ongetta-Rivacold 23 Niccolò Antonelli 19 Italy Moto3
5th
95 Jules Danilo 20 France Moto3
26th
Drive M7 SIC Racing Team 7 Adam Norrodin 17 Malaysia SAATC
8th
84 Jakub Kornfeil 22 Czech Moto3
12th
Gresini Racing Moto3 33 Enea Bastianini 18 Italy Moto3
3rd
4 Fabio Di Giannantonio 17 Italy CIV Moto3
2nd
Honda Team Asia 76 Hiroki Ono 23 Japan Moto3
21st
89 Khairul Idham Pawi 17 Malaysia CEV Moto3
6th
RW Racing GP BV 11 Livio Loi 18 Belgium Moto3
16th



◆FIM Superbike World Championship Series (WSB)



Team No. Machine Rider Age Nationality 2015 result
Honda World Superbike Team 69 CBR1000RR Nicky Hayden 34 U.S.A. MotoGP
20th
60 Michael van der Mark 23 Netherlands WSB
7th



◆FIM Supersport World Championship Series (WSS)



Team No. Machine Rider Age Nationality 2015 result
Honda World Supersport Team 99 CBR600RR Patrik Jacobsen 22 U.S.A. WSS
2nd
CIA Landlords Insurance Honda 111 Kyle Smith 24 U.K. WSS
5th
81 Luke Stapleford 24 U.K. WSS
27th
78 Hikari Okubo 22 Japan JRR ST600
3rd
35 Stefan Hill 17 U.K. EJC
12th
Bardahl Evan Bros Honda 64 Federico Caricasulo 19 Italy ST6
3rd



EJC：European Junior Cup　ST6：FIM Superstock600 European Championship



◆FIM Asia Road Racing Championship Series (ARRC)



Team No. Machine Rider Age Nationality 2015 result
MuSASHi Boon Siew Honda Racing 1 CBR600RR Yuki Takahashi 31 Japan ARRC SS600
Champion
21 Md Zaqhwan Zaidi 20 Malaysia ARRC SS600
10th
A.P. Honda Racing Thailand 59 Ratthapong Wilairot 23 Thailand ARRC SS600
6th
91 Jakkrit Swangswat 24 Thailand ARRC SS600
8th
Astra Honda Racing Team 20 Dimas Ekky Pratama 23 Indonesia ARRC SS600
5th
8 Gerry Salim 18 Indonesia SAATC
6th
T. Pro Yuzy Honda NTS
71 Tomoyoshi Koyama 32 Japan ARRC SS600
2nd
77 Taiga Hada 17 Japan ARRC SS600
22nd



◆MFJ All-Japan Road Race Championship Series(JRR)



<JSB1000> Main teams and riders



Team No. Machine Rider Age Nationality 2015 result
MuSASHi RT HARC-PRO 634 CBR1000RR Takumi Takahashi
* 26 Japan JSB1000
2nd
TOHO Racing 104 Tatsuya Yamaguchi 39 Japan JSB1000
6th
au&Teluru・Kohara RT 090 Kosuke Akiyoshi
* 41 Japan JSB1000
8th
FCC TSR Teluru 49 Kazuma Watanabe 25 Japan JSB1000
14th
MORIWAKI RACING 72 Yuki Takahashi 31 Japan J-GP2
champion



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



<J-GP2> Main teams and riders



Team No. Machine Rider Age Nationality 2015 result
Mistresa With HARC-PRO 44 HP6 Taro Sekiguchi 40 Japan J-GP2
3rd
MORIWAKI RACING 46 MD600 Daijiro Hiura 21 Japan J-GP2
4th
au&Teluru・Kohara RT 090 TSR2 Kokoro Atsumi 20 Japan J-GP2
6th
MOTO BUM HONDA 8 CBR600RR Takayuki Ooki 37 Japan J-GP2
8th
Team Kotake RSC 15 MD600 Kosuke Sakumoto 19 Japan J-GP2
15th
MuSASHi RT HARC-PRO 634 HP6 Ryo Mizuno 17 Japan J-GP3
champion



<J-GP3> Main teams and riders



Team No. Machine Rider Age Nationality 2015 result
MuSASHi RT HARC-PRO 634 NSF250R Keisuke Kurihara 18 Japan J-GP3
3rd



<ST600> Main teams and riders



Team No. Machine Rider Age Nationality 2015 result
Team Kotake RSC 8 CBR600RR Ryosuke Iwato 18 Japan ST600
8th
MOTO BUM HONDA 9 Ikuhiro Enokido 17 Japan ST600
9th



【Motocross】



◆FIM Motocross World Championship Series (MXGP)



<MXGP>



Team No. Machine Rider Age Nationality 2015 result
Team HRC
★ 21 CRF450RW
★ Gautier Paulin
★ 25 France MXGP
2nd
777 Evgeny Bobryshev
★ 28 Russia MXGP
3rd
Team Honda Gariboldi Racing 243 Tim Gajser
★ 19 Slovenia MX2
champion
Team Honda Redmoto Assomotor 400 CRF450R Kei Yamamoto
★ 24 Japan MXGP
27th



<MX2>



Team No. Machine Rider Age Nationality 2015 result
Team Honda Gariboldi Racing 101 CRF250RW
★ Jorge Zaragoza
★ 19 Spain MX2
25th



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



Team No. Machine Rider Age Nationality 2015 result
Team Honda HRC
★ 14 CRF450R Cole Seely 25 U.S.A. 450SX
3rd
41 Trey Canard 25 U.S.A. 450SX
6th



◆MFJ All-Japan Motocross Championship Series (JMX)



<IA1> Main teams and riders



Team No. Machine Rider Age Nationality 2015 result
Team HRC
★ 982 CRF450RW
★ Akira Narita
★ 35 Japan IA1
3rd
Team 887 With Honda
DREAM Kawasaki Miyamae 41 CRF450R Daiki Baba 23 Japan IA2
15th
1WD Team Sakurai
With Waki Shoji 01 Kenichi Nagato 20 Japan IB OP
champion



<IA2> Main teams and riders



Team No. Machine Rider Age Nationality 2015 result
Team HRC
★ 28 CRF250RW
★ Chihiro Notsuka
★ 19 Japan IA2
2nd
TEAM NAKAKI HONDA 113 CRF250R Masami Tanaka 26 Japan IA2
4th
N・R・T 122 Taiki Koga 18 Japan IA2
7th
36 Takumu Yokosawa 18 Japan IA2
10th
T.E.SPORT 34 Gota Otsuka 19 Japan IA2
8th
TEAM HAMMER 02 Eiki Suzumura 16 Japan IB OP
2nd



<Ladies Class (LX)> Main teams and riders



Team No. Machine Rider Age Nationality 2015 result
TEAM HAMMER 2 CRF150R Yuna Takeuchi 18 Japan LX
2nd
T.E.SPORT 3 Yoko Sho 21 Japan LX
3rd
TEAM ITOMO 7 Nanami Katsumata 21 Japan LX
7th



【Trial】



◆FIM Trial World Championship Series (WCT)



Team No. Machine Rider Age Nationality 2015 result
Repsol Honda Team
★ 1 COTA4RT
★ Toni Bou
★ 29 Spain WCT
champion
5 Takahisa Fujinami
★ 36 Japan WCT
5th
6 Jaime Busto
★ 18 Spain WCT
6th



◆All-Japan Trial Championship Series (JTR)



＜IAS＞Main teams and riders



Team No. Machine Rider Age Nationality 2015 result
HRC CLUB MITANI 1 RTL300R Tomoyuki Ogawa
* 39 Japan IAS
champion
HRC CLUB Kanto SW Maruyama 16 Masaya Takei 18 Japan IA
5th



《Overview of Honda Participation in Automobile Racing》



◆FIA Formula One World Championship (F1)



Team No. Driver Age Nationality 2015 result
McLaren-Honda 14 Fernando Alonso 34 Spain F1
17th
22 Jenson Button 36 U.K. F1
16th



◆FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC)



Team No. Driver Age Nationality 2015 result
Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team 18 Tiago Monteiro 39 Portugal WTCC
7th
12 Rob Huff 36 U.K. WTCC
10th
TBD 5 Norbert Michelisz 31 Hungary WTTC
6th



◆SUPER GT Series ＜GT500 class＞



Team No. Driver Age Nationality 2015 result
AUTOBACS RACING TEAM AGURI 8 Kosuke Matsuura 36 Japan GT500
14th
Tomoki Nojiri 26 Japan
Drago Modulo Honda Racing 15 Hideki Mutoh 33 Japan GT500
8th
Oliver Turvey 28 U.K. GT500
12th
KEIHIN REAL RACING 17 Koudai Tsukakoshi 29 Japan GT500
8th
Takashi Kogure 35 Japan GT500
12th
Epson Nakajima Racing 64 Daisuke Nakajima 27 Japan GT500
15th
Bertrand Baguette 29 Belgium
TEAM KUNIMITSU 100 Naoki Yamamoto 27 Japan GT500
3rd
Takuya Izawa 31 Japan



◆Japanese SUPER FORMULA Championship



Team No. Driver Age Nationality 2015 result
REAL RACING 10 Koudai Tsukakoshi 29 Japan SF
17th
11 Takuya Izawa 31 Japan SF
13th
TEAM MUGEN 16 Naoki Yamamoto 27 Japan SF
5th
DRAGO CORSE 34 Takashi Kogure 35 Japan SF
15th
DOCOMO TEAM DANDELION RACING 40 Tomoki Nojiri 26 Japan SF
7th
41 Stoffel Vandoorne 23 Belgium GP2 Series
champion
NAKAJIMA RACING 64 Daisuke Nakajima 27 Japan SF
10th
65 Bertrand Baguette 29 Belgium SF
17th



SF: Super Formula



◆IndyCar® Series



Team No. Driver Age Nationality 2015 result
A.J. Foyt Racing 14 Takuma Sato 39 Japan IndyCar Series
14th



《Fostering World-class Riders and Drivers in Motorsports》



In road racing, in conjunction with Honda’s racing activities in Asia where people’s interest in motorcycle racing is growing rapidly, Honda strives to help young riders in this region to tackle the challenge of competing in the Road Racing World Championship Series and realize their dreams. Toward this end, Honda will continue its active support of the Asia Dream Cup (ADC), a part of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship Series (ARRC), as well as the Shell Advance Asia Talent Cup (SAATC) hosted by Dorna Sports, S.L., which also hosts MotoGP, as these races are designed to identify promising riders and produce future grand prix riders from Asian countries including Japan. Moreover, Honda also supports the FIM CEV Repsol Moto3 Junior World Championship, the destination for riders stepping up from the ADC and SAATC, and IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia which will compete in the Moto2 class of the FIM Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix Series. Furthermore, Honda Team Asia which will begin competing in the Moto3 this year will welcome Hiroki Ono, 2013 ADC champion and second year Moto3 rider, who will be paired with Khairul Idham Pawi, who perform brilliantly in the FIM CEV Repsol Moto3 Junior World Championship.

In motocross racing, Honda continues to host training camps in Japan for team riders competing in the MFJ All-Japan Motocross Championship Series, and also conducts a program for fostering talent by providing opportunities for young riders with future potential to join a training camp in the U.S. and compete in MXGP races. Moreover, Honda will strive to foster another world-class rider by having Toshiki Tomita, one of the HRC contract riders and a MFJ All-Japan Motocross Championship IA2 (250cc class) champion, race in the AMA Motocross Championship Series (MX450).

For auto racing, Honda has been operating Honda Formula Dream Project (HFDP), a program designed to find and foster talented young drivers who will play active roles in the world of motorsports.

In the GP2 Series*6, which is being recognized as a gateway to the F1, Nobuharu Matsushita will compete again this year with ART Grand Prix. In the GP3 Series*7, Nirei Fukuzumi who competed in the All-Japan Formula Three Championship last year will compete for the first time. Honda’s Participation in GP2 Series and GP3 Series is a coordinated project with McLaren Racing, through which Honda will foster Japanese drivers who can compete in the world-class races.

In Japan, Honda will continue supporting drivers who compete in the All-Japan Formula Three Championship and the FIA-F4 Japanese Championship*8, a formula race intended for junior drivers, which are an excellent opportunity to foster young and talented drivers who play active roles in the world of motorsports.


*6The GP2 Series is a category positioned as a gateway to F1. GP2 Series races are held internationally, mostly in Europe, as support races for F1. Past GP2 Series champions have moved on to further success at F1.
*7Most GP3 Series races are held concurrently with GP2 Series races as support race for F1. Regulations and manufacturers of GP2 machines are different from those of GP2 machines.
*8The FIA-F4 is a new category established in 2015 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.



＜For Reference＞
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 for motorcycle riders since 1992, Suzuka Circuit Racing School-Kart since 1993 and the Suzuka Circuit Racing School-Formula since 1995 where top-class riders and drivers provide guidance as instructors.

A new program, SRS-Formula Challenge, was added to the lineup in 2015. Moreover, drivers who demonstrate outstanding results at SRS-Formula receive a scholarship through which they compete in FIA-F4 Japanese Championship, a category for stepping up to higher level competition.

To date, including Takuma Sato, these SRS programs have produced a number of outstanding riders and drivers who are now competing successfully domestically and internationally in their respective categories.

Starting 2016, SRS-Junior will be renamed as SRS-Moto, and its rider development system and curriculum as well as machines used in the program will be renewed so that they are geared toward the development of riders who can compete at the level of world championships such as MotoGP. The SRS-Moto will launch a scholarship program with which selected riders will become a part of TEAM SRS-Moto, a racing team operated by this school, which is planning to compete in the MFJ All-Japan Road Race Championship Series staring 2017 season.



<Motorcycles>
◆FIM Road Racing World Championship



<Moto2>



Team No. Machine Rider Age Nationality 2015 result
IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia 30 Kalex Takaaki Nakagami 24 Japan Moto2
8th
14 Ratthapark Wilairot 27 Thailand WSS
13th



<Moto3>



Team No. Machine Rider Age Nationality 2015 result
Honda Team Asia 76 NSF250RW
★ Hiroki Ono 23 Japan Moto3
21st
89 Khairul Idham Pawi 17 Malaysia CEV Moto3
6th



◆FIM CEV Repsol Moto3 Junior World Championship



Team No. Machine Rider Age Nationality 2015 result
Asia Talent Team TBD NSF250RW
★ Ayumu Sasaki 15 Japan SAATC
champion
TBD Kazuki Masaki 15 Japan SAATC
3rd
AP Honda Racing Thailand TBD Nakarin Atiratphuvapat 20 Thailand SAATC
4th
Astra Honda Racing Team TBD Andi Izdihar 18 Indonesia SAATC
9th



◆FIM CEV Repsol Moto2 European Championship



Team No. Machine Rider Age Nationality 2015 result
Astra Honda Racing Team TBD Kalex Dimas Ekky Pratama 23 Indonesia CEV Moto2
13th
H43 Team Nobby Talasur 81 Sena Yamada 21 Japan CEV Moto3
10th



◆AMA Motocross Championship Series (MX450)




Team No. Machine Rider Age Nationality 2015 result
TBD TBD CRF450R Toshiki Tomita
★ 25 Japan JMX IA2
champion



<Automobiles>
◆GP2 Series



Team No. Driver Age Nationality 2015 result
ART Grand Prix 1 Nobuharu Matsushita 22 Japan GP2
9th



◆GP3 Series



Team No. Driver Age Nationality 2015 result
ART Grand Prix 2 Nirei Fukuzumi 19 Japan Japanese Formula3
4th



◆Japanese Formula 3 Championship



Driver Age Nationality 2015 result
Keishi Ishikawa 21 Japan Japanese Formula3
7th
Hiroki Ohtsu 21 Japan FIA-F4 Japanese Championship
3rd
Tadasuke Makino 18 Japan FIA-F4 Japanese Championship
2nd



◆FIA-F4 Japanese Championship



Driver Age Nationality 2015 result
Yuta Kamimura 20 Japan FIA-F4 Japanese Championship
11th
Mizuki Ishizaka 20 Japan FIA-F4 Japanese Championship
8th
Sena Sakaguchi 16 Japan All Japan Kart KF Class
champion



《Honda initiatives to expand 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.

＜NSF100 HRC Trophy, CBR250R Dream Cup and HRC and NSF250R Challenge＞
The NSF100 HRC Trophy, held since 2006 at over 20 circuits throughout Japan, is a one-make race featuring the NSF100 machine developed exclusively for racing. The race, which marks its 11th season this year, is recognized as a gateway to success for junior riders.

CBR250R Dream Cup is a one-make race featuring the CBR250R, a mass-market Honda motorcycle model, and has been held since 2012 at circuits throughout Japan. In 2014, a new class was added to encourage entrants with no formal racing experience. This new class, together with the original class for experienced riders, now constitutes the two classes of the Dream Cup.

Moreover, since 2015, Honda has been hosting the HRC NSF250R Challenge which features the NSF250R, a mass-market Honda road racer model. The Japanese local championship for this race is held together with the race in the J-GP3 class at each circuit where J-GP3 is held. Modifications to the standard vehicle (HRC factory spec) are not allowed, which helps to curb the running cost, thereby enabling a full-fledged racing experience at a lower cost.

Riders who rank high in regional preliminary races held in local circuits will win admittance to the Grand Championships of respective events held at Suzuka Circuit and Twin Ring Motegi. HRC will continue supporting these programs, while making these racing machines available in the market.

＜Honda Sports & Eco Program＞
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,” while pushing the limits of eco-performance behind the wheel of a Honda CR-Z 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 five-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.

＜The 1.5 Challenge Cup＞
Starting this season, the FIT 1.5 Challenge Cup, a one-make race featuring Fit, hosted by Mobilityland Corporation will be upgraded to a quasi-domestic rank race approved by the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF). As a result, the title of “Suzuka Touring Car Championship” and “Motegi/Sugo Touring Car Championship” will be added to the race name FIT 1.5 Challenge Cup for each event in each respective location.

＜N-ONE OWNERS’ CUP＞
N-ONE OWNERS’ CUP is a participatory motorsports program that utilizes the N-ONE mini-vehicle that has proven popular with a large number of customers. 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 six circuits spread around Japan: Suzuka Circuit, Twin Ring Motegi, Okayama International Circuit, Fuji Speedway, Autopolis International Racing Course, and Sportsland SUGO. A total of 14 races at these circuits are planned for this season, with more extensive support provided to racing beginners.

＜Honda Eco Mileage Challenge 2016＞
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 36th year in 2016, and the cumulative number of teams participated since 1981 has exceeded 13,000 teams. The Honda Eco Mileage Challenge is now held not only in Japan but also in Thailand, China and Vietnam.



Honda Eco Mileage Challenge 2016: Schedule in Japan



Schedule Event name Circuit
May 28 (Sat.) 30th Honda Eco Mileage Challenge 2016 Suzuka East Circuit,
Suzuka Circuit, Mie
June 25 (Sat.) 8th Honda Eco Mileage Challenge 2016, Motegi West Road Course,
Twin Ring Motegi, Tochigi
August 7 (Sun.) 32nd Honda Eco Mileage Challenge 2016, Kyushu Circuit Course,
Honda Safety & Riding PLAZA Kyushu, Kumamoto
October 1-2 (Sat.–Sun.)
Oct.1: Practice runs
Oct 2: Finals 36th Soichiro Honda Cup
Honda Eco Mileage Challenge 2016
National Competition Super Speedway,
Twin Ring Motegi, Tochigi



＜Enjoy Honda 2016＞
With the aim of providing more opportunities for people to watch, participate in and enjoy activities related to Honda motorcycles, automobiles, and power products, the Enjoy Honda program will be held again this year as a fan appreciation event. In 2016, Enjoy Honda events will be held at eight venues: Kumamoto, Mie, Hokkaido, Shizuoka, Tochigi, Miyagi, Hiroshima, plus a new venue in Kagawa Prefecture.

The events in Mie and Tochigi will be held at Suzuka Circuit and Twin Ring Motegi respectively, on the day when the following event will be held: Suzuka 2&4 Races (with concurrent races of Round 2 of the MFJ All-Japan Road Race Championship Series and Round 1 of the Japanese SUPER FORMULA Championship) at Suzuka Circuit, and Motegi 2&4 Races (with concurrent races of Round 6 of the MFJ All-Japan Road Race Championship Series and Round 4 of the Japanese SUPER FORMULA Championship) at Twin Ring Motegi. Furthermore, the Enjoy Honda 2016 also will include the display of Honda motorcycles, automobiles, and power products, as well as various events including parent-and-child motorcycle lessons, live demonstrations of ASIMO and UNI-CUB and a trial bike show*9.


*9The actual program will differ according to venue. For more details, visit the official Enjoy Honda website at http://www.honda.co.jp/enjoyhonda/ (Japanese only).



Enjoy Honda 2016 schedule



Schedule Venue Concurrent races
April 2–3
(Sat. – Sun.) HSR Kyushu
（Kumamoto） MFJ All-Japan Motocross Championship Series
April 23–24
(Sat. – Sun.) Suzuka Circuit
(Mie) MFJ All-Japan Road Race Championship Series
Japanese SUPER FORMULA Championship
May 14–15
(Sat. – Sun.) Sunmesse Kagawa
（Kagawa）
July 9–10
(Sat. – Sun.) Axes Sapporo
（Hokkaido） MFJ All-Japan Motocross Championship Series
July 16–17
(Sat. – Sun.) Fuji International Speedway
(Shizuoka) Japanese SUPER FORMULA Championship
August 20–21
(Sat. – Sun.) Twin Ring Motegi
(Tochigi) MFJ All-Japan Road Race Championship Series
Japanese SUPER FORMULA Championship
September 24–25
(Sat. – Sun.) Sportsland SUGO
(Miyagi) Japanese SUPER FORMULA Championship
November 5-6
(Sat. – Sun.) Hiroshima City Exhibition Hall
（Hiroshima）



*Schedule as of February 12, 2016



<Honda Racing THANKS DAY 2016>



To show its appreciation to motorsports fans, Honda will host Honda Racing THANKS DAY again in 2016.



Honda Racing THANKS DAY 2016 schedule



Schedule Event Venue
December 4, 2016 (Sun.) Honda Racing THANKS DAY 2016 Twin Ring Motegi



＜Honda Motorsports Park＞
For fostering the next generation of Honda fans, Honda will again host the Honda Motorsports Park this year, targeting grade schoolers and soccer fans who come to Todoroki Athletics Stadium to enjoy the game. This event is realized with the cooperation of Kawasaki Frontale, a J League professional soccer (football) team. At this event, test-rides on the CRF50R will be available for kids, racing machines used in MotoGP and the other races will be exhibited, and demonstration runs will be performed inside the stadium, through which Honda will offer first-hand experience for kids and their families to watch, touch, and ride motorcycles and also let them know what Honda has been doing in its motorsports activities.

*Some event details are subject to variation. The date of the event will be announced on the website.

＜For Reference＞
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 racing course in Japan, Suzuka Circuit has hosted a large number and wide variety of racing events during its rich history spanning over 50 years. The circuit will host a multitude of events again in 2016 including the FIA Formula One World Championship (F1), the FIM Endurance World Championship Series (EWC, commonly known as “Suzuka 8hours Endurance Road Race”), and the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship Series (ARRC) races.

Twin Ring Motegi will continue hosting the FIM Road Racing World Championship Series (MotoGP) races, which has been a tradition since the early days of this circuit, and will host many more races and events including the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) for the second time.

In addition to international motorcycle and automobile races the Motorsports Fan Appreciation Day to be held on March 12-13 (Sat.-Sun.) at Suzuka Circuit, Mobilityland continues to offer fans opportunities to watch and experience a wealth of Japanese and international motorsports event.



Main international races to be hosted by Mobilityland



Category Schedule Title Circuit
WCT April 23–24
(Sat. – Sun.) 2016 FIM Trial World Championship Series
2nd Round STRIDER Japanese Grand Prix Twin Ring Motegi,
(Tochigi)
ARRC June 3–5
(Fri. – Sun.) 2016 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship Series
Japan Round Suzuka Circuit,
(Mie)
EWC July 28–31
(Thu. – Sun.) 2016 FIM Endurance World Championship Series
3rd round (The “Coca-Cola Zero” Suzuka 8hours Endurance Road Race) Suzuka Circuit,
(Mie)
WTCC September 2-4
(Fri. – Sun.) 2016 FIA World Touring Car Championship
Race of Japan Twin Ring Motegi,
(Tochigi)
F1 October 7–9
(Fri. – Sun.) 2016 FIA Formula One World Championship
Round 17 Japanese Grand Prix Suzuka Circuit,
(Mie)
MotoGP October 14–16
(Fri. – Sun.) 2016 FIM MotoGP World Championship Series
Round 15, Motul Grand Prix of Japan Twin Ring Motegi,
(Tochigi)