Honda 2019 Motorsports Program Overview

January 11, 2019, Japan

News Release

January 11, 2019 - Honda Motor Co., Ltd. announced its motorsports activities for the 2019 season and initiatives to expand the popularity of motorsports.

Since the days of its founding, Honda has been engaged in various motorsports activities in pursuit of being the best in the world, and 2019 marks Honda's 60th anniversary of first racing at the Isle of Man T.T. Race. By competing in various races, Honda has been refining its technologies and human resources, and sharing the fun, joy and inspirational experiences with many fans and customers.

In 2019, Honda will continue to compete in the most prestigious motorcycle and automobile races in the world and is planning to compete in various races in different categories in Japan and in other regions around the world. Everyone involved in Honda’s motorsports activities including riders, drivers, engineers, mechanics and other team members will work as one “Team Honda” and compete with full force.

Motorcycle activities

In the MotoGPTM class of the FIM*1 Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix, Marc Márquez, the five-time World Champion who won the championship in 2018 for the third consecutive year will welcome Jorge Lorenzo, the three-time MotoGP World Champion, to the Repsol Honda Team and work together to capture the MotoGP “Triple Crown” for the team for the third consecutive year.

In the FIM Superbike World Championship (WSBK), Honda will strengthen its competitive structure by having Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) support Moriwaki Althea Racing.

In the MFJ*2 All-Japan Championship, Honda will compete at the top class of the three categories, namely Road Race Championship (JRR), Motocross Championship (JMX) and Trial Championship (JTR) and strive to win consecutive championship titles in Motocross and Trial and regain the Road Race championship title to capture all three MFJ All-Japan Championship titles for the first time since 2017.

Automobile activities

In the FIA*3 Formula One World Championship (F1TM) where Honda competes as a power unit supplier, Honda will begin supplying the power unit to Red Bull Racing in addition to Scuderia Toro Rosso. Honda will strive to further advance its power unit by supplying the power unit with the same specifications to two teams. In addition, Honda will continue to support drivers who take on challenges to move up to the F1 class, which includes young drivers who compete in the FIA Formula 2 Championship (F2) and the FIA Formula 3 Championship (F3).

In Japan, Honda will make changes to the respective team structures and strive for second consecutive titles in SUPER GT GT500 class and Japanese SUPER FORMULA Championship (SF), where Honda captured double championships in the 2018 season.

In North America, Takuma Sato will continue to race for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing and compete in the IndyCar® Series.

*1 FIM: Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme
*2 MFJ: Motorcycle Federation of Japan
*3 FIA: Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile

■Overview of Honda Teams          As of January 11, 2019

<<Overview of Honda Participation in Motorcycle Racing>>

★ 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

【Road Races】

◆FIM Grand Prix World Championship (MotoGP)

<MotoGP>

Team

Machine

No.

Rider

Age

Nationality

2018 result

Repsol Honda Team

RC213V

93

Marc Márquez

25

Spain

MotoGP
Champion

99

Jorge Lorenzo

31

Spain

MotoGP
9th

LCR Honda CASTROL

35

Cal Crutchlow

33

U.K.

MotoGP
7th

LCR Honda IDEMITSU

30

Takaaki Nakagami

26

Japan

MotoGP
20th

<Moto3>

Team

Machine

No.

Rider

Age

Nationality

2018 result

Team Estrella Galicia 0,0

NSF250RW

11

Sergio García

15

Spain

CEV Moto3
2nd

72

Alonso López

17

Spain

Moto3
23rd

Leopard Racing

42

Marcos Ramirez

21

Spain

Moto3
10th

48

Lorenzo Dalla Porta

21

Italy

Moto3
5th

Team KÖMMERLING Gresini Moto3

19

Gabriel Rodrigo

22

Argentina

Moto3
7th

54

Riccardo Rossi

16

Italy

CEV Moto3
15th

Marinelli Snipers Team

14

Tony Arbolino

18

Italy

Moto3
18th

76

Makar Yurchenko

20

Kazakhstan

Moto3
30th

PETRONAS Sprinta Racing

71

Ayumu Sasaki

18

Japan

Moto3
20th

17

John McPhee

24

U.K.

Moto3
12th

Honda Team Asia

27

Kaito Toba

18

Japan

Moto3
22nd

79

Ai Ogura

17

Japan

CEV Moto3
5th

SIC58 Squadra Corse

23

Niccolò Antonelli

22

Italy

Moto3
15th

24

Tatsuki Suzuki

21

Japan

Moto3
14th

FIM Superbike World Championship (WSBK)

Team

Machine

No.

Rider

Age

Nationality

2018 result

Moriwaki Althea Racing

CBR1000RR
SP2

TBA

Leon Camier

32

U.K.

WSBK
12th

TBA

Ryuichi Kiyonari

36

Japan

JRR*4JSB1000
8th

*4 JRR: All Japan Road Race Championship 

FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC)

Team

Machine

No.

Rider

Age

Nationality

2018 result

F.C.C. TSR Honda France

CBR1000RR
SP2

1

Freddy Foray

34

France

EWC
Champion

Josh Hook

26

Australia

EWC
Champion

Mike Di Meglio

30

France

EWC
2nd

Honda Endurance Racing

111

TBA

-

-

-

EWC Suzuka 8 hours Endurance Road Race

*Honda will make an announcement about the team competing in the EWC Suzuka 8 hours Endurance Road Race as soon as the details are decided.

FIM Asia Road Racing Championship (ARRC)

*In the ASB1000 Class, new addition this year, Honda will compete with one unit of CBR1000RR SP-based racing machines raced by Honda Asia-Dream Racing. In the SS600 class, Honda will compete with three teams – namely Astra Honda Racing Team, A.P. Honda Racing Thailand and MuSASHi Boon Siew Honda Racing – and six machines. In AP250 class, Astra Honda Racing Team and A.P. Honda Racing Thailand will race five machines. Honda will make an announcement as soon as the details are decided.                               

MFJ All-Japan Road Race Championship (JRR)

<JSB1000>

Team

Machine

No.

Rider

Age

Nationality

2018 result

Team HRC

CBR1000RRW

13

Takumi Takahashi★

29

Japan

JSB1000
2nd

KYB MORIWAKI RACING

CBR1000RR
SP2

TBA

Yuki Takahashi

34

Japan

JSB1000
5th

Teluru MotoUP Racing Team

090

Kosuke Akiyoshi

43

Japan

JSB1000
9th

080

Taiga Hada

20

Japan

ARRC SS600
11th

MuSASHi RT HARC-PRO.Honda

634

Ryo Mizuno

20

Japan

JSB1000
11th

Honda Dream RT Sakurai Honda

22

Sodo Hamahara

23

Japan

JSB1000
22nd

Team ATJ

TBA

Taro Sekiguchi

43

Japan

J-GP2
2nd

<J-GP2>

Team

Machine

No.

Rider

Age

Nationality

2018 result

MuSASHi RT HARC-PRO.

HP6-q

634

Teppei Nagoe

21

Japan

J-GP2
3rd

Team Kotake RSC

MD600

4

Kosuke Sakumoto

22

Japan

J-GP2
4th

SDG Mistresa RT HARC-PRO.

HP6-q

71

Ikuhiro Enokido

20

Japan

J-GP2
7th

<ST600>

Team

Machine

No.

Rider

Age

Nationality

2018 result

Japan Post Honda Dream

CBR600RR

23

Tomoyoshi Koyama

35

Japan

ST600
2nd

55

Takuma Kunimine

20

Japan

ST600
4th

420

Shun Kamei

20

Japan

ST600
25th

BATTLE FACTORY

97

Yuto Sano

22

Japan

ST600
5th

64

Yuta Date

20

Japna

J-GP2
8th

SDG Mistresa RT HARC-PRO.

71

Daiki Uehara

21

Japan

ST600
11th

MOTO BUM HONDA

13

Yuki Sugiyama

20

Japan

ST600
13th

TBA

Kota Arakawa

16

Japan

Tsukuba Road Racing NAT ST 600 Class Champion and Suzuka Sunday Road Racing NAT
ST600 class
Champion

Teluru MotoUP Racing Team

090

Kai Saito

18

Japan

JP250 NAT
5th

【Motocross】

FIM Motocross World Championship (MXGP)

<MXGP: 450cc class>

Team

Machine

No.

Rider

Age

Nationality

2018 result

Team HRC

CRF450RW

243

Tim Gajser

22

Slovenia

MXGP
4th

189

Brian Bogers

22

Netherlands

MXGP
37th

<MX2: 250cc class>

Team

Machine

No.

Rider

Age

Nationality

2018 result

Team HRC

CRF250RW

10

Calvin Vlaanderen

22

South Africa

MX2
6th

AMA*5 Supercross, An FIM World Championship (450SX)

Team

Machine

No.

Rider

Age

Nationality

2018 result

Team Honda HRC

CRF450R

94

Ken Roczen

24

Germany

450SX
18th

14

Cole Seely

28

U.S.A.

450SX
17th

AMA Motocross Championship (450MX)

Team

Machine

No.

Rider

Age

Nationality

2018 result

Team Honda HRC

CRF450R

94

Ken Roczen

24

Germany

450MX
3rd

14

Cole Seely

28

U.S.A.

-

718

Toshiki Tomita

28

Japan

450MX
14th

MFJ All-Japan Motocross Championship (JMX)

<IA1>

Team

Machine

No.

Rider

Age

Nationality

2018 result

Team HRC

CRF450RW

114

Akira Narita

38

Japan

IA1
Champion

400

Kei Yamamoto

27

Japan

IA1
2nd

TEAM HAMMER

CRF450R

6

Yutaka Hoshino

32

Japan

IA1
6th

Bells Racing MORIWAKI
SoCal MXTF

44

Yohei Kojima

33

Japan

IA1
7th

T.E. SPORT

155

Gott Otsuka

22

Japan

IA1
10th

TBA

Kazunori Ono

19

Japan

IA1
17th

Team Sakurai

TBA

Kenichi Nagato

23

Japan

IA1
23rd

Team TARGET

322

Takumu Yokosawa

20

Japan

IA2
8th

<IA2>

Team

Machine

No.

Rider

Age

Nationality

2018 result

Bells Racing MORIWAKI
SoCal MXTF

CRF250R

40

Kainosuke Oshiro

19

Japan

IA2
9th

TEAM KOHSAKA

TBA

Ukyo Michiwaki

24

Japan

IA2
12th

TEAM HAMMER

TBA

Eiki Suzumura

19

Japan

IA2
27th

Team ITOMO

TBA

Yusuke Mori

20

Japan

IA2
23rd

TBA

Kai Okamura

20

Japan

IA2
41st

TES with SEIBU TOSOKOGYO

010

Ryo Kuramochi

20

Japan

IBOP
10th

<Ladies Class (LMX)>

Team

Machine

No.

Rider

Age

Nationality

2018 result

T.E. SPORT

CRF150RⅡ

2

Manaka Kawai

16

Japan

LMX
2nd

10

Iroha Ono

16

Japan

LMX
10th

TEAM HAMMER

4

Yuna Takeuchi

21

Japan

LMX
4th

Team ITOMO

7

Nanami Katsumata

24

Japan

LMX
7th

Trial

FIM Trial World Championship (TrialGP)

Team

Machine

No.

Rider

Age

Nationality

2018 result

Repsol Honda Team

COTA4RT

1

Toni Bou

32

Spain

TrialGP
Champion

6

Takahisa Fujinami

38

Japan

TrialGP
6th

All-Japan Trial Championship (JTR)

Team

Machine

No.

Rider

Age

Nationality

2018 result

TEAM MITANI Honda

RTL300R

1

Tomoyuki Ogawa

42

Japan

IAS
Champion

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

Dakar Rally 2019

Team

Machine

No.

Rider

Age

Nationality

2018 result

Monster Energy Honda Team

CRF450
RALLY

47

Kevin Benavides

30

Argentina

Dakar Rally
2nd

5

Joan Barreda

35

Spain

Competed
in Dakar Rally

2

Paulo Goncalves

39

Portugal

Cross-Country Rally World Championship
4th

15

Ricky Brabec

27

U.S.A.

Competed
in Dakar Rally

10

José Ignacio Cornejo

24

Chile

Dakar Rally
10th

<<Overview of Honda Participation in Automobile Racing>>

FIA Formula One World Championship (F1)

Team

No.

Driver

Age

Nationality

2018 result

Aston Martin Red Bull Racing

10

Pierre Gasly

22

France

F1
15th

33

Max Verstappen

21

Netherlands

F1
4th

Red Bull Toro Rosso Honda

23

Alexander Albon

22

Thailand

F2
3rd

26

Daniil Kvyat

24

Russia

-

SUPER GT <GT500 class>

Team

No.

Driver

Age

Nationality

2018 result

TEAM KUNIMITSU

1

Naoki Yamamoto

30

Japan

GT500
Champion

Jenson Button

38

U.K.

AUTOBACS RACING TEAM AGURI

8

Tomoki Nojiri

29

Japan

GT500
3rd

Takuya Izawa

34

Japan

TEAM MUGEN

16

Hideki Muto

36

Japan

GT500
15th

Daisuke Nakajima

29

Japan

KEIHIN REAL RACING

17

Kodai Tsukakoshi

32

Japan

GT500
7th

Bertrand Baguette

32

Belgium

GT500
19th

Modulo Nakajima Racing

64

Narain Karthikeyan

41

India

SF
16th

Tadasuke Makino

21

Japan

F2
13th

Japanese SUPER FORMULA Championship (SF)

Team

No.

Driver

Age

Nationality

2018 result

DOCOMO TEAM DANDELION RACING

1

Naoki Yamamoto

30

Japan

SF
Champion

5

Nirei Fukuzumi

21

Japan

F2
17th

TEAM MUGEN

15

Daniel Ticktum

19

U.K.

FIA Formula 3 European Championship
2nd

16

Tomoki Nojiri

29

Japan

SF
7th

REAL RACING

17

Tristan Charpentier

18

France

British F3
12th

B-Max Racing team

50

Lucas Auer

24

Austria

DTM
7th

TBA

Harrison Newey

20

U.K.

European Le Mans Series LMP2
12th

TCS NAKAJIMA RACING

64

Alex Palou

21

Spain

FIA Formula 3 European Championship
7th

65

Tadasuke Makino

21

Japan

F2
13th

IndyCar Series

Team

No.

Driver

Age

Nationality

2018 result

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing

TBA

Takuma Sato

41

Japan

IndyCar Series
12th

Customer Race

In the race categories which feature machines based on mass-market models, Honda will take on challenges with each team by not only supplying machines, but also strengthening its support for the team so that each team can race more competitively. Honda will supply CIVIC Type R-based racing machine, CIVIC TCR, for the FIA World Touring Car Cup (WTCR) which started in 2018 and the TCR series endurance races, which have been popular all around the world. Moreover, for GT championships and endurance races held in North America, Europe, Japan and rest of the world, Honda will supply the NSX GT3.

◆FIA World Touring Car Cup (WTCR)

*Honda will make an announcement about the team competing in the series as soon as the details are decided.

SUPER GT <GT300 class>

Team

No.

Driver

Age

Nationality

2018 result

TEAM UPGARAGE

18

Takashi Kobayashi

31

Japan

GT300
12th

Kosuke Matsuura

39

Japan

GT500
19th

Modulo Drago CORSE

34

Ryo Michigami

45

Japan

GT300
14th

Hiroki Otsu

24

Japan

AUTOBACS RACING
TEAM AGURI

55

Shinichi Takagi

48

Japan

GT300
2nd

Nirei Fukuzumi

21

Japan

F2
17th

* Contiguous participation of CARGUY Racing is still under discussion.

IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship <GTD class>

Team

No.

Driver

Age

Nationality

2018 result

Heinricher Racing LLC with Meyer Shank Racing

57

Katherine Legge

38

U.K.

GTD
2nd

Jackie Heinricher

57

U.S.A.

-

Simona De Silvestro

30

Switzerland

-

Bia Figueiredo

33

Brazil

-

Christina Nielsen

26

Denmark

GTD
7th

Meyer Shank Racing

86

Trent Hindman

23

U.S.A.

GTD
25th

Mario Farnbacher

26

Germany

GTD
13th

Justin Marks

37

U.S.A.

GTD
9th

AJ Allmendinger

37

U.S.A.

GTD
47th

Supporting Young Riders and Drivers in Moving Up Toward the Top Category

In road racing, in conjunction with Honda racing activities in Asia where people’s interest in motorcycle racing is growing rapidly, Honda strives to help young riders in this region to realize their dreams of competing in the MotoGP class. For the 2019 season, Honda will continue to support Honda Team Asia, which will compete in the Moto2 and Moto3 classes of MotoGP. Moreover, as an opportunity for young riders to step up, Honda will continue supporting riders competing in the FIM CEV Repsol Moto3 Junior World Championship. In addition, Honda will continue to utilize IDEMITSU Asia Talent Cup (IATC) as a program designed to foster young riders to discover and foster more riders who can compete in world-class races.

In motocross racing, Honda will continue to host training sessions in Japan for team riders competing in the MFJ All-Japan Motocross Championship. Moreover, Honda also will continue its talent fostering programs which include providing opportunities for young riders with future potential to join training camps around the world and compete in MXGP races.

For automobile racing, Honda has been operating the Honda Formula Dream Project (HFDP), a program designed to discover talented young drivers and help them step up to play active roles in the world of motorsports. In the 2019 season, Shinji Matsushita will compete in FIA-F2 for the first time in two years with CARLINE. Yuki Tsunoda and Teppei Natori will advance from the FIA-F4 and compete in FIA-F3.

In Japan, to promote the step up of young and talented drivers who play active roles in the world of motorsports, Honda will continue supporting drivers who compete in the All-Japan Formula3 Championship and the FIA-F4 Japanese Championship*6, which is a formula race intended for junior drivers.

*6 The FIA-F4 is a category established 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.

<<Motorcycles>>


FIM Road Racing World Championship (MotoGP)

<Moto2>

Team

Machine

No.

Rider

Age

Nationality

2018 result

IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia

KALEX

20

Dimas Ekky Pratama

26

Indonesia

CEV Moto2
5th

35

Somkiat Chantra

20

Thailand

CEV Moto3
9th

<Moto3>

Team

Machine

No.

Rider

Age

Nationality

2018 result

Honda Team Asia

NSF250RW

27

Kaito Toba

18

Japan

Moto3
22nd

79

Ai Ogura

17

Japan

CEV Moto3
5th

FIM CEV Repsol Moto3 Junior World Championship

Team

Machine

No.

Rider

Age

Nationality

2018 result

 AsiaTalent Team

NSF250RW

TBA

Yuki Kuni

15

Japan

CEV Moto3
6th

TBA

Haruki Noguchi

16

Japan

IATC
2nd

TBA

Bill Van Eerde

16

Australia

IATC
Champion

Astra Honda Racing Team

TBA

Mario Aji

14

Indonesia

IATC
5th

European Motocross Championship(EMX)

Team

Machine

No.

Rider

Age

Nationality

2018 result

Honda 114 Motorsports

CRF250R

341

Chihiro Notsuka

22

Japan

JMX
2nd

<<Automobiles>>


FIA Formula2 Championship (F2)

Team

No.

Driver

Age

Nationality

2018 result

Carlin

TBA

Nobuharu Matsushita

25

Japan

SF
10th

FIA Formula3 Championship (F3)

Team

No.

Driver

Age

Nationality

2018 result

Jenzer Motorsport

TBA

Yuki Tsunoda

18

Japan

FIA-F4
Champion

Carlin Buzz Racing

TBA

Teppei Natori

18

Japan

FIA-F4
2nd

Japanese Formula3 Championship

Team

No.

Driver

Age

Nationality

2018 result

TODA RACING

TBA

Toshiki Oyu

20

Japan

Japanese F3
6th

FIA-F4 Japanese Championship

Team

No.

Driver

Age

Nationality

2018 result

HFDP/SRS/Kochira Racing

TBA

Atsushi Miyake

19

Japan

SRS-Formula
Scholarship

<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 (SRS-Junior) for motorcycle riders since 1992, Suzuka Circuit Racing School-Kart (SRS-Kart) since 1993 and the Suzuka Circuit Racing School-Formula (SRS-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 who have been competing their respective motorcycle and automobile racing categories inside and outside Japan.

In the area of motorcycle racing, in 2016, SRS-Junior was renamed as SRS-Moto, and its rider development system and curriculum as well as the 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.

In the area of automobile racing, the operational structure of SRS-Kart and SRS-Formula will be changed this year and Takuma Sato and Shinji Nakano will be appointed as Principal and Vice Principal, respectively, to further strengthen the environment to foster young drivers.

■Honda initiatives to expand the 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.

<One-make race series sponsored by Honda Racing Corporation (HRC)>

HRC is hosting more than 400 one-make races a year at approximately 30 circuits throughout Japan under two categories of races with different purposes -- to simply enjoy motorsports and to foster future MotoGP riders.

The one-make race series hosted by HRC include HRC GROM Cup, CBR250R Dream Cup and CBR250RR Dream Cup, which features mass-market models, as well as the NSF100 HRC Trophy, which features the NSF100 a mass-market road racer of HRC and the HRC NSF250R Challenge which is designed to foster future MotoGP riders.

The one-make race series are being held at a number of circuits throughout Japan. In addition, HRC has been hosting some Japan-wide races (at Suzuka or Motegi) for riders who fulfill certain conditions and offering support for riders to step up through training classes. In other words, the HRC one-make race series have been a stage where participants can enjoy the races and/or strive to realize their dreams.

<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,” 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.

<FIT 1.5 Challenge Cup>

As with last year, the FIT 1.5 Challenge Cup operated by Mobilityland Corporation, Okayama International Circuit Co., Ltd. and SUGO Co., Ltd., will be held at the Suzuka/Okayama Touring Car Championship and Motegi/Sugo Touring Car Championship this year as a quasi-domestic rank race approved by the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF).

<N-ONE OWNERS’ CUP>

N-ONE OWNERS’ CUP is a participatory motorsports program that utilizes the N-ONE mini-vehicle. 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 eight circuits spread around Japan: Suzuka Circuit, Twin Ring Motegi, Okayama International Circuit, Fuji Speedway, Autopolis International Racing Course, Sportsland SUGO, Tokachi Speedway and Tsukuba Circuit. For these races, Honda will further enhance support provided to racing beginners.

<Honda Eco Mileage Challenge 2019>

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 39th year in 2019, 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.

Honda Eco Mileage Challenge 2019: Schedule in Japan

Schedule

Event name

Circuit

June 15 (Sat.)

33rd Honda Eco Mileage Challenge 2019 Suzuka

East Course,
Suzuka Circuit (Mie)

June 22 (Sat.)

11th Honda Eco Mileage Challenge 2019, Motegi

West Course,
Twin Ring Motegi (Tochigi)

Aug. 3 (Sat.): Practice runs
Aug. 4 (Sun.): Finals

35th Honda Eco Mileage Challenge 2019, Kyushu

Circuit Course,
HSR Kyushu (Kumamoto)

Sept. 28 (Sat.): Practice runs
Sept. 29 (Sun.): Finals

39th Soichiro Honda Cup
Honda Eco Mileage Challenge 2019
National Competition

Super Speedway,
Twin Ring Motegi (Tochigi)

<MO-SPO Festival 2019 Suzuka – Motorsports Fan Thanks Day – >

Jointly with Toyota Motor Corporation and Mobilityland Corporation, Honda will host the MO-SPO Festival 2019 Suzuka – Motorsports Fan Thanks Day – on Saturday, March 2 and Sunday, March 3, 2019 at Suzuka Circuit. Some machines, drivers and riders of TOYOTA GAZOO Racing*7 and Honda who are competing in World Championships and other categories of racing inside and outside Japan will come together at this festival at Suzuka Circuit, which has been hosting a number of international motorcycle and automobile races. The event will offer content which enables all visitors – not only motorsports fans, but also visitors with no previous experience of seeing races and rallies – to experience the dynamism and attractiveness of motorsports.

*7 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing is a collective term for motorsports activities and other related activities conducted by Toyota Motor Corporation.

<Honda Racing THANKS DAY 2019>

To show its appreciation to motorsports fans, Honda will again host Honda Racing THANKS DAY 2019 at Twin Ring Motegi. The date and program details will be posted on the website as soon as they are available.

<Enjoy Honda 2019>

With the aim of providing more opportunities for people to watch, participate in and enjoy activities related to Honda motorcycles, automobiles and power products, Honda has been hosting the Enjoy Honda program at a number of venues throughout Japan*8. In 2019, Enjoy Honda events will be held at ten venues: In addition to venues in Kumamoto, Mie, Miyagi, Niigata, Tochigi and Okayama, the event also will be held for the first time at three venues, namely Ishikawa Industrial Exhibition Hall in Ishikawa Prefecture, Rainbow Hamanako in Shizuoka Prefecture and Expo’70 Commemorative Park in Osaka Prefecture. At Suzuka Circuit and Twin Ring Motegi, Enjoy Honda will be held on the same day as the Suzuka 2&4 Races and Motegi 2&4 Races, respectively.

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

Enjoy Honda 2019 Schedule

Schedule

Venue

Concurrent races

April 6 – April 7
(Sat. – Sun.)

HSR Kyushu
(Kumamoto)

 

April 20 – April 21
(Sat. – Sun.)

Suzuka Circuit
(Mie)

MFJ All-Japan Road Race Championship
Japanese SUPER FORMULA Championship

May 11 – 12
(Sat. – Sun.)

Item Ehime
(Ehime)

 

May 25 – 26
(Sat. – Sun.)

Ishikawa Industrial Exhibition Hall
(Ishikawa)

 

June 22 – 23
(Sat. – Sun.)

Sportsland SUGO
(Miyagi)

Japanese SUPER FORMULA Championship

July 13 – 14
(Sat. – Sun.)

Convention Center Hive Nagaoka
(Niigata)

 

July 20 – 21
(Sat. – Sun.)

Rainbow Hamanako
(Shizuoka)

 

Aug. 17 – 18
(Sat. – Sun.)

Twin Ring Motegi
(Tochigi)

MFJ All-Japan Road Race Championship
Japanese SUPER FORMULA Championship

Sept. 15 – 16
(Sun. – Mon.)

Expo’70 Commemorative Park
(Osaka)

 

Sept. 28 – 29
(Sat. – Sun.)

Okayama International Circuit
(Okayama)

Japanese SUPER FORMULA Championship

* Schedule as of January 11, 2019

<For Reference: Main international races hosted by Mobilityland Corporation>

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. In 2018, the circuit hosted its 30th F1 Grand Prix. The circuit will host a multitude of events again in 2019, including the F1 Japanese Grand Prix as well as the Suzuka 8 hours Endurance Road Race, which will be held as the final round of the FIM Endurance World Championship. Other races to be hosted by Suzuka Circuit include the Suzuka 10 hours Endurance Race, which was held for the fist time last year as a global unified race of the FIA-GT3 machines.

Twin Ring Motegi will continue hosting various races throughout the year including the FIM Grand Prix World Championship race, 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.

Main international races to be hosted by Mobilityland

Category

Schedule

Title

Circuit

TrialGP

June 8-9
(Sat. – Sun.)

2019 FIM Trial World Championship
Round 2 STRIDER Japanese Grand Prix

Twin Ring Motegi
(Tochigi)

ARRC

June 28-30
(Fri. – Sun.)

2019 FIM Asia Road Racing Championship
Japan Round

Suzuka Circuit
(Mie)

EWC

July 25-28
(Thu. – Sun.)

2018-2019 FIM Endurance World Championship
Final Round The 42nd “Coca-Cola” Suzuka 8 hours Endurance Road Race

Suzuka Circuit
(Mie)

IGTC*9

August 23-25
(Fri.-Sun)

The 48th Summer Endurance
Suzuka 10 hours Endurance Race

Suzuka Circuit
(Mie)

F1

October 11-13
(Fri. – Sun.)

2019 FIA Formula One World Championship
Round 17 Japanese Grand Prix

Suzuka Circuit
(Mie)

MotoGP

October 18-20
(Fri. – Sun.)

2018 FIM MotoGPTM World Championship
Round 16, Grand Prix of Japan

Twin Ring Motegi
(Tochigi)

WTCR

October 25-27
(Fri. – Sun.)

FIA World Touring Car Cup
presented by Oscaro Race of Japan

Suzuka Circuit
(Mie)

*9 Intercontinental GT Challenge