HONDA The Power of Dreams

Honda raced with the RA300, dubbed the “special pinch hitter” for winning its debut race, bringing the company its second GP in the first F1 era, until the opening round of the 1968 season, the South African Grand Prix held on New Year's Day. The RA301, which Honda counted on for that year’s season, made its debut four months later in Round 2, the Spanish GP. John Surtees, who had stated he was aiming for the title, claimed his second podium in the RA301, but midway through the season, development efforts were focused on the RA302, which was equipped with an air-cooled 8-cylinder engine, and the team was unable to maintain its competitiveness, resulting in no wins. Honda ceased its F1 activities after the 1968 season.

Why was it possible for the RA300, which had not reached its required performance, to win the 1967 Italian GP against the Lotus 49 Ford and Brabham BT24 Repco, both of which had superior overall performance? The high speed of the Monza circuit was probably a major factor. Another factor, depending on the viewpoint, was that the car that weighed 610 kg compared to the 500 kg Lotus Ford could be competitive because of its powerful engine.

Conversely, if Honda’s engine power could be coupled with a chassis as light as a Lotus, it would be natural to think that the car would be exceptionally fast. It was not unreasonable to expect “Lola magic” from Honda.

The RA301 introduced in Round 2 of the 1968 season, the Spanish GP, was a completely new design, but shared many similarities with the RA300, and Lola Cars continued to be involved in its production. The RA301 was the most powerful F1 car of the year, including the badly and quickly needed improvements that could not be implemented in the RA300..At least, the specifications of this car showed that it had a level of perfection that was outstanding even among Honda’s F1 cars in its first era.

The RA301’s weight, which had been a concern, was successfully reduced to 530 kg by changing the monocoque material to a magnesium alloy and reexamining the materials used for the structural components, resulting in a significant weight reduction of 120 kg compared to the RA273 and 60 kg compared to the RA300. Of course, in addition to the chassis, a review of engine component materials also contributed to the weight reduction.

Honda newly developed the RA301E engine, based on the 3-liter V12 RA273E engine which powered the RA300. The intake and exhaust directions were altered to an inside bank intake/outside exhaust system, and the power takeoff method and configuration of auxiliary equipment were also changed to a completely new design. In addition, the conventional structure of in effect connecting two V6 engines was changed to an in-line six-cylinder arrangement per bank. The structure was designed for higher speeds, and the maximum output was raised to 440ps.

In 1968 with the dawn of the F1 aerodynamic era, Honda followed the competition in developing aerodynamic devices. A tail spoiler was installed in Round 4, the Belgian GP. A full-scale wing was introduced in Round 7, the British GP, but the wing with a rectifier plate was not rigid enough to be supported by the main strut and auxiliary rods, and the strut broke during the race. Starting from Round 6 in France, various nose fin designs were tried. In the final round, the Mexican GP, a nose fin with a wider tip was installed, with two air outlets on the fairing.

The remaining results were disappointing, with Surtees claiming one pole position and one 2nd, one 3rd, and a 5th place finish in the 11 rounds, retiring from all remaining races. He finished tied for 7th in the drivers’ standings (tied for 4th in the previous year) and Honda tied for 6th in the constructors’ standings (tied for 4th in the previous year). In addition, the #2 RA302 was completed during the season, and was raced once each by David Hobbs and Joakim Bonnier as a wildcard entries, with Bonnier finishing 5th in the final round in Mexico.

Compared to the RA300, the RA301 was the culmination of a successful effort to eliminate the negatives aspects of the previous cars, and its overall performance was undoubtedly improved. However, as the Ford Cosworth DFV engine became widely available and the number of DFV-powered cars increased, its relative competitiveness declined. The car did not achieve its expectations, and as a result, became the car to bring the curtains down on Honda’s first F1 era.