February 13, 2017 - Honda Motor Co., Ltd. announced plans for its motorsports activities for the 2017 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. Last year, the 50th anniversary since Honda began racing in the premier classes of the FIM^*1 Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix , Honda became the first in the world to win championships in all three premier classes, namely the FIM Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix (MotoGP^™), the FIM Motocross World Championship (MXGP) and the FIM Trial World Championship (WCT). In the area of automobile racing, Honda won the commemorative 100th running of the Indy 500.

In 2017, under the corporate slogan of “The Power of Dreams,” Honda will take on continuous challenges toward victories and conduct motorsports activities with the goal of sharing joys with its fans and customers all around the world.

In MotoGP, the premier class of the FIM Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix, where Honda won the championship last year, Marc Márquez, the 2016 champion and Dani Pedrosa, a 12-year veteran in this class, will continue to race for Repsol Honda Team, a Honda factory team^*2, riding the 2017 model of the RC213V factory machine.

In addition, three more riders will compete in the MotoGP class this year, namely Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda), Jack Miller and Tito Rabat (Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS). As with last year, with five riders, Honda will strive to win the MotoGP “Triple Crown” – rider, constructor and team championships. In the Moto3 class, Honda will supply 15 units of its 2017 model of the NSF250RW factory machine to eight teams and strive to regain the championship.

In the MXGP (450cc) class, the premier class of the FIM Motocross World Championship, Tim Gajser who won the 2016 championship in his rookie year and Evgeny Bobryshev who ranked fifth will race for Team HRC, Honda’s factory team. Both riders will ride the 2017 model of the CRF450RW factory machine and vie for the 2017 championship title. Moreover, in the MX2 (250cc) class, Chihiro Notsuka who won the 2016 championship in IA2 (250cc) class of the All-Japan Motocross Championship and Michele Cervellin will race for Team HRC, riding CRF250RW works machine.

In the FIM Trial World Championship (WCT), as with last year, Toni Bou, the reigning champion for the last 10 seasons, Takahisa Fujinami, a 22-year veteran in WCT who celebrated his 300th race last year, and Jaime Busto who ranked sixth last season will race for Repsol Honda, a Honda factory team, riding the COTA4RT factory machine. Toni Bou will strive to win the riders’ championship for the 11th consecutive year.

In the 450SX (450cc) class of the AMA^*3 Supercross, an FIM World Championship, Ken Roczen, a new addition to the team, will join Cole Seely for his second-year racing with the 2017 model of 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 (WSB), Nicky Hayden, 2006 MotoGP champion, and Stefan Bradl will race with the new CBR1000RR SP2 based racing machine for Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team supported by Honda Motor Europe Ltd., a Honda subsidiary in the U.K.

In the Suzuka 8 hours Endurance Road Race, which will be the final round of the FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC) starting in the 2017 season and coming to 40th anniversary, Honda will vie for 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 SS600 class of the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC), Md Zaqhwan Zaidi and Teppei Nagoe will race for MuSASHi Boon Siew Honda Racing, a team vying for both the team and rider titles for six consecutive seasons. In AP250 class, Gerry Salim,　 Rheza Danica Ahrens and Awhin Sanjaya will race with the all-new CBR250RR for the Astra Honda Racing Team.

In the JSB1000 class of the MFJ^*4 All-Japan Road Race Championship, Takumi Takahashi, an HRC contract test rider, and Kosuke Akiyoshi will race with the new CBR1000RR SP2 based racing machine  for their respective teams, namely MuSASHi RT HARC-PRO and au&Teluru Kohara RT. In addition, Tatsuya Yamaguchi will race for Honda Dream Racing and TOHO Racing. Moreover, Ryuichi Kiyonari who has the experience of winning the Suzuka 8 hours Endurance Road Race will join Yuki Takahashi and race for MORIWAKI MOTUL RACING.

In the IA1 (450cc) class of the MFJ All-Japan Motocross Championship, Akira Narita, the 2016 champion who has won 11 championships in this class, and Kei Yamamoto, the 2012 IA2 (250cc) class champion who also competed in the MXGP class of the FIM Motocross World Championship in 2016 season, will race for Team HRC, Honda’s factory team, riding the CRF450RW factory machine and Honda will strive to win a second consecutive championship title in this class.

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

Honda will continue competing in the FIA^*5 Formula One World Championship (F1^™) as a power unit supplier for the McLaren-Honda with two drivers, Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne.

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. In addition to Tiago Monteiro and Norbert Michelisz who will race for the Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team, Ryo Michigami will race for Honda Racing Team J.A.S., thus Honda will vie for titles with its two factory teams / three drivers. As for private teams, Honda will supply machines to Zengő Motorsport, for which 2017 will be the fifth year competing with Civic. With both factory teams and a private team, Honda will vie for the dual titles of drivers’ and manufacturers’ championships

In the GT500 class of the SUPER GT, as with last year, Honda will compete with five teams / five machines. For 2017 season, along with the introduction of the NSX-GT developed based on the NSX super car model announced in August 2016 in Japan, Honda has made significant improvement in the development system and capability so that it can vie for titles.

For the Japanese SUPER FORMULA Championship (SF), Honda will introduce the HR-417E, a 2.0-liter, inline, 4-cylinder, direct injection turbo engine with enhanced thermal efficiency. With the new addition of Pierre Gasly, the 2016 GP2 Series^*6 champion, to TEAM MUGEN, Honda will strive to capture the dual titles of drivers’ and team championships with its five teams / eight machines.

In the IndyCar^® Series in North America, Honda Performance Development, Inc. (HPD), a subsidiary of American Honda Motor Co., Inc., is planning to supply the HI17TT, 2.2-liter V6 twin turbo engines for 14 machines raced by six teams.

Takuma Sato, now in his eighth season, will compete for a new team, Andretti Autosport.

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

(This is the list of the main teams. More details will be announced as soon as they are determined.)

*on a rider’s name indicates HRC contract test rider
◎Tatsuya Yamaguchi will race in 2nd and 3rd rounds of JSB 1000 for Honda Dream Racing, and 4th round forward for TOHO Racing

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

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 FIM Road Racing World Championship and realize their dreams.

Honda will utilize the IDEMITSU Asia Talent Cup (IATC) hosted by Dorna Sports, S.L., which also hosts MotoGP, to foster the development of more riders for the future. For the IATC, NSF250R developed exclusively for racing will be used. The IATC will be held six rounds in this year concurrently with MotoGP, FIM Superbike World Championship and the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship in Asia. And Honda will support Honda Team Asia competing in the FIM CEV Repsol Junior World Championship, Moto2 and Moto3.
In the Moto2 class, Takaaki Nakagami who won his first victory and ranked sixth last season will race for IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia. And Khairul Idham Pawi who won two races in Moto3 class last year will join the team.
Moreover, Honda Team Asia will welcome Kaito Toba who came in fourth in Moto3 class of the FIM CEV Repsol Junior World Championship in 2016 as well as Nakarin Atiratphuvapat who came in 17th in the class.

In motocross racing, Honda continues to host training camps in Japan for team riders competing in the MFJ All-Japan Motocross Championship, 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 more world-class riders by having Chihiro Notsuka, one of the HRC contract riders and a MFJ All-Japan Motocross Championship IA2 (250cc class) champion, race in the MX2 class of the FIM Motocross World Championship and also by having Toshiki Tomita, one of the HRC contract riders, continue racing in the AMA Motocross Championship (450MX).

For auto racing, Honda has been operating the 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.

Nobuharu Matsushita and Nirei Fukuzumi will continue competing in the GP2 Series, which is being recognized as a gateway to F1, and in the GP3 Series^*7, respectively. Both drivers will compete for the ART Grand Prix. Moreover, Tadasuke Makino who competed in the All-Japan Formula3 Championship last year will take on challenges in competing in the FIA Formula3 European Championship^*8 for HITECH GP for the first time. By supporting these drivers, Honda will enhance its efforts to foster drivers who can compete in world-class races.

In Japan, Honda will continue supporting drivers who compete in the All-Japan Formula3 Championship and the FIA-F4 Japanese Championship^*9, 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.

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

In the area of motorcycle racing, starting in 2016, SRS-Junior was renamed as SRS-Moto, and its rider development system and curriculum as well as machines used in the program were 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 in the 2017 season.

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.

The NSF100 HRC Trophy, held since 2006 at over 20 circuits throughout Japan, is a one-make race featuring the NSF100 a mass-market road racer of HRC. The race, marks its 12th season this year, is recognized as a gateway to success for junior riders. Since 2016, the HRC GROM Cup featuring the mass-market GROM was added as a class that is easier for riders to participate in even for those who never raced before.

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, making it a motorcycle race with the largest number of entrants in Japan.

Moreover, 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.

Honda has been hosting some Japan-wide races for riders who rank high in races held in local circuits throughout Japan and that fulfill a certain condition. HRC will continue supporting these programs, while making these racing machines available in the market.

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,”  behind the wheel of a rental Honda car 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 four-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 FIT 1.5 Challenge Cup, a one-make race featuring Fit, hosted by Mobilityland Corporation and SUGO Co., Ltd. is held as to a quasi-domestic rank race approved by the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF). The title of “Suzuka Touring Car Championship” and “Motegi / Sugo Touring Car Championship” was added to the race name FIT 1.5 Challenge Cup for each event in each respective location. A total of six races at each circuit are planned for this season.

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 seven circuits spread around Japan: Suzuka Circuit, Twin Ring Motegi, Okayama International Circuit, Fuji Speedway, Autopolis International Racing Course, Sportsland SUGO and the new addition of Tokachi Speedway in Hokkaido. A total of 14 races at these circuits are planned for this season, with more extensive support provided to racing beginners.

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 37th year in 2017, and the cumulative number of teams participated since 1981 has exceeded 14,000 teams. The Honda Eco Mileage Challenge is now held not only in Japan but also in 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. In 2017, Enjoy Honda events will be held at nine venues: Kumamoto, Mie, Shizuoka, Hokkaido, Tochigi, Miyagi, plus new venues in Okayama and Niigata Prefectures.

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 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 and Round 4 of the Japanese SUPER FORMULA Championship) at Twin Ring Motegi. Furthermore, the Enjoy Honda 2016 also will include various displays and events which enable participants to feel Honda more closely, including the display of Honda motorcycles, automobiles, and power products as well as parent-and-child motorcycle lessons, the opportunity to experience the UNI-CUBβ and a trial bike show, etc.^*10.

* Schedule as of February 13, 2017

To show its appreciation to motorsports fans, Honda will host Honda Racing THANKS DAY again in 2017.

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 race 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 2017. The Suzuka 8 hours Endurance Road Race which will be held as the final round of the FIM Endurance World Championship will be celebrating its 40th race this year. In addition, Mobilityland will host various races and events including the FIA Formula One World Championship and the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship races.

Twin Ring Motegi will be celebrating its 20th anniversary this year and continue hosting the FIM Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix races, which has been a tradition since the early days of this circuit, and will host many more races and events including the FIM Trial World Championship and the FIA World Touring Car Championship.

In addition to international motorcycle and automobile races, the Motorsports Fan Appreciation Day to be held on March 4-5 (Sat.-Sun.) at Suzuka Circuit, both circuits continue to offer fans the opportunity to watch and experience a wealth of Japanese and international motorsports event.