February 13, 2015 - Honda Motor Co., Ltd. announced its 2015 motorsports strategy and initiatives for expanding the popularity of motorsports.

Since the days of its founding, Honda has always tackled the challenge of competing in motorsports events around the world, using the races as a springboard for the company’s growth by testing, refining and proving the worth of its original technologies on the global stage. Under its corporate slogan of “The Power of Dreams,” Honda aims to satisfy the expectations of its customers by putting more power behind its motorsports activities, so that through racing it can bring fun, joy and excitement to people across the globe.

In the MotoGP, the premier class of the FIM^*1 Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix Series, Repsol Honda, a Honda factory team will again put forward the lineup of Marc Márquez, who was the champion for the second year in a row last season, paired with Dani Pedrosa who won 4th place, aiming to win the three titles for the third season running.

Based on our desire to satisfy the expectations of many customers and fans as a manufacturer of motorcycles in all categories, we are determined to raise our commitment to the four categories of road racing, motocross, trials world championships, and the Dakar.

In the premier MXGP (450 cc) class of the FIM Motocross World Championship Series (MXGP), Honda will again compete with its Team HRC factory team. Evgeny Bobryshev will now be joined by Gautier Paulin, who ranked eighth in the MXGP in the 2014 season.

In AMA Supercross, an FIM World Championship held in the U.S., Honda has reinforced its team structure this season through technical support from Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) and the Motorcycle R&D Center of Honda R&D Co., Ltd., with the aim of capturing the title.
In the FIM Trial World Championship Series (WCT), three riders will compete：Toni Bou, crowned as champion for an unprecedented eight years in a row, Takahisa Fujinami, the only Japanese rider in WCT racing, and Jaime Busto, the WCT World Cup Class champion. The Honda team has their eyes on a ninth straight riders’ championship and tenth straight manufacturers’ championship.

Team HRC factory team competed in the Dakar 2015 Argentina-Bolivia-Chile in January. Paulo Goncalves placed second overall, and Laia Sanz came in ninth overall, the highest ranking ever for a female rider in the race.

HRC does not limit its racing activities to ones focusing on the pinnacle races, but also works on sales of commercial racing machines. The RC213V-RS commercial racer will be supplied to four riders in three teams in the Open Category, and the Dakar Rally machine CRF450 Rally has already been put on the market. HRC will continue to launch motorcycles based on factory machines, which will help expand the popularity of these vehicles.

Honda will participate this season in the FIA^*2 Formula One World Championship as a power unit supplier for the McLaren Honda team, which will enter two machines driven by Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button. McLaren Honda aims to win the dual titles of drivers’ and constructors’ championships.

In the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC), Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team, a Honda factory team, will again feature Gabriele Tarquini and Tiago Monteiro as the drivers in this third season of full-year participation. Among private teams, in addition to Zengő Motorsport, competing in its third season, Nika Racing will be supplied with Honda cars for the first time. Honda aims to capture the dual titles of drivers’ and manufacturers’ championships.

In the GT500 class of the SUPER GT Series, Honda will compete with its NSX CONCEPT-GT equipped with a 2.0-liter inline 4-cylinder direct injection turbo engine and a racing hybrid system, in its attempt to recapture the dual title of drivers’ and team championships with its five teams and five machines. In the GT300 class, Honda will continue its support for AUTOBACS RACING TEAM AGURI, supplying them with a racing hybrid system, in cooperation with M-TEC Co., Ltd.

In the Japanese Championship SUPER FORMULA Series, Honda will supply the HR-414E, a 2.0-liter, inline, 4-cylinder direct injection turbo engine, to nine machines raced by five teams. Using this engine with greater power, Honda aims for the dual titles of drivers’ and team championships. 
In the IndyCar^® Series, Takuma Sato, now in his sixth season, will again compete for A.J. Foyt Racing.

Honda is proactively working on various programs to foster racers who can be active worldwide. 
Through a wide range of programs, Honda has actively taken on the challenge of fostering racing talent who can compete at the global level.

In road racing, Honda aims to help young riders tackle the challenge of competing in the Road Racing World Championship Series races and realize their dreams, through links with Honda’s racing endeavors in the Asian region that has seen a rapid rise in enthusiasm for motorcycle racing. With the aim of fostering future GP race rider talent, Honda continues its active support of the Asia Dream Cup (ADC), part of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship Series (ARRC) for selecting riders from countries in the Asian region including Japan, and of the Shell Advance Asia Talent Cup (SAATC) hosted by Dorna Sports, S.L., which also hosts MotoGP. Honda also supports the FIM CEV Repsol Moto3 Junior World Championship, the destination for riders stepping up from the ADC and SAATC, and the team activities of IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia towards competition in the Moto2 class of the FIM Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix.

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.

Beginning this season, Nobuharu Matsushita, the champion in the 2014 Japanese Formula 3 Championship Series, will compete for the racing team ART Grand Prix in the GP2 Series^*3, recognized as a gateway to the F1. Honda’s participation in the GP2 Series is a part of the company’s project for turning out more Japanese F1 drivers. Through collaboration with McLaren Racing, Honda will create more opportunities to encourage Japanese drivers to succeed on a global scale.

Honda has actively developed programs to expand the popularity of motorsports, including a diversity of activities undertaken to communicate the appeal of motorsports to a broad spectrum of fans around the world. These activities complement the company’s programs for developing motorcycle and automobile racing talent with a variety of events that can be enjoyed in a casual setting.

To offer riders with no prior experience in racing an opportunity to casually take part in races to enjoy the fun and excitement, HRC holds one-make races such as the CBR250R Dream Cup and the NSF100 HRC Trophy. Starting this year, the HRC NSF250R Challenge races will be held using the NSF250R, a road racing model widely available on the market.

As for automobile activities, Honda will hold a participatory motorsports program called the N-ONE OWNERS’ CUP in its second year, which is a one-make race using a mini vehicle, N-ONE. A total of ten races will be held in six locations across Japan.

Honda Eco Mileage Challenge^*4, an event for competing in how far the participants can travel on one liter of gasoline, will mark its 35th year in 2015. These fuel-efficiency competition events have been held not only in Japan but in other countries such as Thailand, China and Vietnam as well.

Honda will compete in the “Factory Option^*5,” aiming to take home the three titles of the riders’, constructors’ and team championships for the third season in a row. This year, Honda will field a 2015 version of the RC213V with maximum output and controllability further enhanced.

As Honda’s factory team^*6, Repsol Honda Team will again feature the duo of Marc Márquez, who emerged as MotoGP champion for the second year in a row last season, and Dani Pedrosa, who ranked fourth in the 2014 racing season. Racing for Honda’s satellite teams^*7 will be Cal Crutchlow of CWM LCR Honda and Scott Redding of Estrella Galicia Marc VDS.

In the Open category^*5, Honda will compete using the RC213V-RS, which uses the pneumatic valves installed on the RC213V and produces higher output, instead of the commercially available RCV1000R racing machine. The riders competing on this machine will be Nicky Hayden, Karel Abraham, Eugene Laverty, all of whom competed in the FIM Superbike World Championship Series last season, and Jack Miller, who is moving up from Moto3.

Established in 2010, the Moto2 class has been supported by Honda as the sole official engine supplier starting with that first year. The machines ridden by each team have been powered by an engine developed exclusively for the Moto2 class and based on the inline 4-cylinder engine of the commercially available CBR600RR supersports model. It has also been decided that Honda will continue supplying the engine to all teams through the 2016-2018 seasons.

Honda will provide the NSF250RW and technical support to twelve riders in six teams in the Moto3 class. One of those riders, Hiroki Ono, was the champion in the 2013 Asia Dream Cup and ranked third after racing in the 2014 FIM CEV Repsol International Championship Moto3 class for Honda Team Asia. Stepping up to Moto3 class this season, Ono will compete for Leopard Racing.

For the 38^th Suzuka 8hours Endurance Road Race, Honda will enter Takumi Takahashi of MuSASHi RT HARC-PRO. Takahashi is vying for the championship title for the third year in a row. F.C.C. TSR Honda will enter Josh Hook (Australia) who placed seventh in the Suzuka 8hours Endurance Road Race.
To heighten the attraction of the race, Honda plans to enter riders who have been turning in strong performances in Japan and around the world, such as the FIM Superbike World Championship Series. The riders from Honda Team Asia, who have been turning in strong showings in races throughout Asia, will also take on the Suzuka 8hours for the third time. (Details will be announced as soon as they are determined.)

The Pata Honda World Superbike Team, supported by Honda Motor Europe Ltd., Honda’s local affiliate in Europe, will vie for victory in the Superbike World Championship Series (WBS) by riding the CBR1000RR. The team will feature the two riders of Sylvain Guintoli, the WSB champion last season, and Michael van der Mark, the champion in the Supersport World Championship (WSS) who also claimed victory two years in a row at the Suzuka 8hours Endurance Road Race.

A team from Boon Siew Honda SDN. BHD., Honda’s local affiliate in Malaysia; teams from A.P. Honda Co., Ltd. and Thai Honda Manufacturing Co., Ltd., Honda affiliates in Thailand; and a team from P.T. Astra Honda Motor, Honda’s local affiliate in Indonesia, will race in the SS600 class of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship Series (ARRC). Boon Siew Honda, joined by Yuki Takahashi, the champion in last year’s All-Japan Championship J-GP2 class, will vie to capture the championship title for the fourth consecutive season.

In the MXGP class, the premier class of the FIM Motocross World Championship Series, Honda has entered Team HRC as its factory team since 2014. The team features the two riders of Evgeny Bobryshev and Gautier Paulin, who will now join the team after placing eighth in MXGP in the 2014 season, and will vie for podium finishes and the championship.

In the MX2 class, Honda will support the Honda Gariboldi team featuring Tim Gajser and Jorge Zaragoza as its riders.

2-stroke: 175cc-250cc; 4-stroke: 290cc-450cc

2-stroke: 100cc-175cc; 4-stroke: 175cc-250cc
EMX: Europe Motocross Championship

In the premier 450 class (450SX) of the AMA^*8 Supercross, an FIM World Championship, the two teams of Team Honda HRC operated by American Honda (AH), Honda’s local subsidiary in the U.S., and GEICO Honda, supported by AH, will compete, featuring a total of three riders.

Starting this season, HRC and Honda R&D Co., Ltd. will provide technical support to reinforce the teams and to vie for the title.

2-stroke: 175cc-250cc; 4-stroke: 290cc-450cc

Team HRC will again compete as Honda’s factory team in the MFJ^*9 All-Japan Motocross Championship Series. In the top IA1 class^*10, Akira Narita, who won the championship for the third consecutive year for Team HRC, and Makoto Ogata, who ranked second, will compete for victory in the fourth consecutive year. In the IA2 class^*11, Toshiki Toyama, who ranked second last year, will attempt to recapture the championship.

Starting in the 2014 season, Honda has competed in the FIM Trial World Championship Series (WCT) by fielding the Repsol Honda Team as the Honda factory team, which will again compete in WCT by featuring the three riders of Toni Bou, the reigning champion for an unprecedented eight years in a row, Takahisa Fujinami who ranked fifth last season and will be competing in WCT for his 20th year this season, and Jaime Busto, the WCT World Cup Class champion from last season. These members of the Honda team have their eyes on a ninth straight riders’ championship and tenth straight constructors’ championship.

Team HRC factory team competed in the Dakar 2015 Argentina-Bolivia-Chile in January, where Paulo Goncalves came in second overall, and Laia Sanz placed ninth overall, the highest ranking ever for a female rider. Four of the team’s five riders lasted the entire distance, with Helder Rodrigues in 12th and Joan Barreda in 17th place, as Team HRC won 6 of 13 stages overall. Honda’s racing strategy including its riders will be announced for the 2016 rally as soon as it is determined.

In collaboration with Honda, HRC and the Motorcycle R&D Center of Honda R&D Co., Ltd., Honda Motorcycle Japan Co., Ltd. will support the racing activities of all riders who choose to compete on a Honda at each circuit where the MFJ All-Japan Road Race Champions Series and Motocross Championship Series races are held, by making available the Honda Racing Circuit Service for advice on riding techniques and the tuning of machines for their best performance.
In collaboration with the Motorcycle Federation of Japan (MFJ) and industry associations, Honda will continue working towards revitalizing motorcycle racing in Japan to bring even greater fun to motorsports.

Honda will support a team belonging to HRC Service Shop for competition in the All-Japan Trial Championship Series.

Honda will compete in the F1 as part of the McLaren Honda team, with two cars driven by Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button, who aim to win the dual titles of the drivers’ and constructors’ championships.

Honda will again feature Gabriele Tarquini and Tiago Monteiro as drivers for Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team, a factory team.

Honda will also continue to supply machines to private teams this season. Norbert Michelisz will race for Zengő Motorsport in its third season of competition, who will be joined by Rickard Rydell racing for Nika Racing. Honda aims to capture both the drivers and manufacturers titles this season.

Honda, with its further refined NSX CONCEPT-GT and with newly added riders Tomoki Nojiri, Oliver Turvey and Takuya Izawa, will compete with five teams racing five machines again this year.
With an aim to recapture the dual titles of drivers’ and team championships, the machine is being developed again this year under the auspices of the Honda GT Project by Honda R&D Co., Ltd., in cooperation with M-TEC Co., Ltd.

Under the CR-Z GT project this season, Honda will provide the racing hybrid system and also support the participation of AUTOBACS RACING TEAM AGURI in cooperation with M-TEC., Ltd.

In response to the change in regulations last season, Honda has developed the HR-414E, a 2.0-liter, inline, 4-cylinder, direct injection turbo engine, which will be supplied via Japan Race Promotion Inc. to nine machines raced by five teams. The team of Drago Corse, which participated in the latter half of the races last year, will fully participate in the 2015 series. Honda’s goal is to have racing teams powered by Honda engines make 2015 a dual title season by capturing both the drivers’ and team titles.

SF: Japanese Championship Super Formula Series

In the IndyCar^® Series this year, Honda Performance Development, Inc. (HPD), an affiliate of American Honda Motor Co., Inc., will supply the new 2.2-liter V6 HI15R twin turbo engines for the 12 machines^*12 of 6 teams, as it gears up for capturing both the drivers’ and engine manufacturers’ titles.

Takuma Sato will again drive for A.J. Foyt Racing this season.

＜Moto2＞
IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia will be in its third season competing in the Moto2 class. Led by team manager Tadayuki Okada, a former rider in the Honda factory team, the team aims to help young riders tackle the challenge of competing in the Road Racing World Championship Series races and realize their dreams, through links with Honda’s racing endeavors in countries throughout Asia. This season, the team will again feature the two riders of Takaaki Nakagami and Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman.

＜Moto3＞
In the Moto3 class, Hiroki Ono, who is the champion of the 2013 Asia5 Dream Cup and ranked third while racing in the 2014 FIM CEV Repsol International Championship Moto3 class for the team of Honda Team Asia, has stepped up to compete for Leopard Racing.

Honda will continue supporting Kei Yamamoto, a Japanese rider who had his first season of full competition in the FIM Motocross World Championship Series by taking part in the MX2 class last season. Yamamoto will now move up to the MXGP class in the 2015 season, competing for Team Assomotor Honda.

This championship is renamed this season from the FIM CEV Repsol International Championship Moto3 class and is now positioned as a world championship. A total of eight races will be held, starting in Portugal and followed by races in Spain and France.

Competing in the series will be Khairul Idham Pawi of Malaysia, who was ranked No. 1 in the Asia Dream Cup series last season; Kaito Toba and Yuta Date, ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in Asia Talent Cup last year; and Sena Yamada, the champion of the All Japan Road Race Championship J-GP3 for two years in a row.

The rapid rise in enthusiasm across Asia for motorcycle racing led to the introduction in 2012 of the Asia Dream Cup, a program for helping develop rider talent and a part of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship Series. Honda continues its active support of this project, which will select riders from various countries in the Asian region including Japan, with the aim of fostering future GP race rider talent. 
Honda also continues to use the CBR 250R-based race spec machine. Japanese riders for this season will be Yusuke Nakamura and Daiki Nakamura, both of whom turned in good performances in races in Japan last year while riding in the CBR250R Dream Cup.

Starting this season, Dorna Sports which oversees the MotoGP races will stage the Shell Advance Asia Talent Cup program for fostering next-generation rider talent in the Asia region. HRC will continue to support this program by supplying the NSF250R as the racing machines.

For developing racing talent, Honda directs the Honda Formula Dream Project (HFDP), which focuses on discovering and cultivating young drivers to be active in motorsports. Participation in the GP2 series which started last year will be continued this year, to further strengthen the work of developing F1 drivers. Enhanced collaboration with McLaren Racing will create more opportunities for the Japanese drivers to be active worldwide. For this season, Honda will support three drivers competing in the Japanese Formula 3 Championship Series (F3) and three drivers competing in the F4 Japanese Championship (FIA-F4)^*13, a junior formula car race.

Nobuharu Matsushita, who won the championship in Japanese Formula 3 Championship Series (F3) last season, will begin competing this season for the France-based racing team ART Grand Prix in the GP2 Series, which is seen as a gateway to the FIA Formula One World Championship (F1).

Honda will support the three drivers competing in the Japanese Formula 3 Championship.

The key stage for Honda’s focus on discovering and cultivating young, skilled drivers to be active in motorsports has shifted to the new FIA-F4 this season, with race support provided to three drivers.

Seeking to develop riders and drivers who will become formidable contenders on the global motorsports stage, Mobilityland Corporation opened the Suzuka Circuit Racing School Junior (SRS-J) for motorcycles in 1992, the Suzuka Circuit Racing School Kart (SRS-K) for Kart in 1993, and the Suzuka Circuit Racing School Formula (SRS-F) for automobiles in 1995, and has continued to operate these schools. Top-class riders and drivers provide guidance at these schools as instructors. Also a new program “SRS-F Challenge” will be offered starting in 2015.

The Suzuka Circuit Racing School has produced competitive racers for the MotoGP and Formula One Grand Prix. Many graduates have been active in numerous motorcycle and automobile racing categories both in Japan and overseas. Racers in training who demonstrate outstanding results at SRS-F will receive training scholarships for their participation in FIA-F4, a category for stepping up to higher level competition.

Honda has actively developed programs to expand the popularity of motorsports, including a diversity of activities undertaken to communicate the appeal of motorsports to a broad spectrum of fans around the world. These activities complement the company’s programs for developing motorcycle and automobile racing talent with a variety of events that can be enjoyed in a casual setting.

The NSF100 HRC Trophy, held since 2006 at over 20 circuits throughout Japan, is a one-make race featuring the NSF100 machine made exclusively for racing. The race, which marks its tenth 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 commercially available motorcycle, and has been held since 2012 at circuits throughout Japan. In 2014, a new class has been added to encourage entrants with no formal racing experience. This new class together with the current class for experienced riders will constitute the two classes of the Dream Cup.

Starting this year, riders will compete in the HRC NSF250R Challenge on the NSF250R, a commercially available motorcycle. 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. Using standard vehicles (HRC factory spec) helps to curb running cost, thereby enabling race participation at lower cost.

Riders who rank high in individual local races will win admittance to the Grand Championships held at Suzuka Circuit and Twin Ring Motegi. HRC will support these programs, while putting on sale the machines used in these races.

Honda will continue its support for the Honda Sports & Eco Program, where anyone can take part. Run jointly by Mobilityland Corporation and M-TEC Co., Ltd., the program was started in 2012 under the theme of “eco-friendly sports driving.” This motor recreation program enables all participants to freely enjoy the fun of “maneuvering, polishing their driving skills, and competing,” while pushing the limits of eco-friendly performance behind the wheel of a rented Honda CR-Z with racing specifications, towards the ultimate goal of promoting coexistence of the environment and sports driving. A four-step school program and a racing program held four times a year will again be offered to let motorsports beginners feel at ease as they aim for their racing debut. A new price structure is offered to allow more people including beginners and skilled sports drivers alike to casually experience motorsports, making the program even more attractive to everyone.

The Motegi 1.5 Challenge Cup hosted by Mobilityland Corporation since 2012, and which is a race competed in by Japan Automobile Federation (JAF) registered cars, will renew its name to the FIT 1.5 Challenge Cup from this season, where a one-make race using the Fit will be held. Honda will proactively support this race as well as the FIT1.5 Challenge Cup (Suzuka) held since 2014.

Honda supports the N-ONE OWNERS’ CUP, a participatory motorsports program utilizing 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 concept that has proven popular intact, the 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 10 races at these circuits is planned for this season, with more extensive support provided to racing beginners.

Since 1981, Honda has hosted Honda Eco Mileage Challenge, an event focused on the environment. Participants combine their creativity, free imagination 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 35th year in 2015, and a total of 13,000 teams have participated through the years. These events have been held not only in Japan but also in other countries such as Thailand, China and Vietnam.

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. Honda will now hold these events at eight venues: Kumamoto, Mie, Hokkaido, Shizuoka, Tochigi, Miyagi, Hiroshima, plus a new venue in Ehime Prefecture. The events in Mie and Tochigi will be held at Suzuka Circuit and Twin Ring Motegi  respectively, on the day when the following concurrent races of motorcycle and automobile will be held: Round 1 of the MFJ All-Japan Road Race Championship Series and Round 1 of Japanese Championship SUPER FORMULA Series at Suzuka Circuit, and Round 5 of the MFJ All-Japan Road Race Championship Series and Round 4 of Japanese Championship SUPER FORMULA Series at Twin Ring Motegi.

The Enjoy Honda program includes the display of Honda motorcycles, automobiles, and power products, parent-and-child motorcycle lessons, live demonstrations of trial bike and Honda’s humanoid robot, ASIMO^*14.

To show its appreciation to motorsports fans, Honda will host Honda Racing THANKS DAY again in 2015.

For developing 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. In the event, test-rides on the CRF50R are provided for children, racing machines used in MotoGP and the other races are exhibited, and demonstration runs are 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.

Mobilityland Corporation will continue to provide the venues along with a multitude of opportunities for racing fans to watch, participate in, and enjoy racing together with other mobility-oriented events. By hosting these racing events, Mobilityland will extend its contribution toward further growth of Japan’s motorsports culture.

Since 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 2015 including the FIA Formula One World Championship (F1), FIM Endurance World Championship Series (Suzuka 8hours Endurance Road Race), and FIM Asia Road Racing Championship Series (ARRC) races.

Twin Ring Motegi will host the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) for the first time and also the FIM Road Racing World Championship Series (MotoGP) races　and FIM Trial World Championship Series (WCT) . Starting with the Motorsports Fan Appreciation Day to be held on March 7-8 (Sat.-Sun.), Mobilityland continues to offer fans the opportunity to watch and experience a wealth of Japanese and international motorsports events, including the following world top-class motorcycle and automobile races.