Honda’s two distinct racing divisions will cooperate as one worldwide organization, pooling their respective resources and expertise to improve Honda’s overall motorsports capabilities, beginning with the 2024 racing season.
Honda Performance Development (HPD) in Santa Clarita, California, and Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) in Sakura, Japan, jointly said today that HPD will formally change its name to Honda Racing Corporation USA (HRC US), as HRC US becomes a crucial part in Honda’s international motorsports endeavors, including its F1 program.
“Our goal is to increase the HRC brand and sustain the success of our racing activities and we believe that uniting Honda motorsports globally as one racing organization will help achieve that,” said Koji Watanabe, the president of HRC Japan. “Our race engineers in the U.S. and Japan will be stronger together and I am so happy to welcome our U.S. associates to the HRC team.”
Honda’s American racing arm
In order to participate in the IndyCar series, American Honda Motor Co., Inc. created HPD as a separate racing division in 1993. IndyCar, IMSA, Baja Off-Road, Touring Cars, and Formula Regional America are just a few of the racing categories that HPD has participated in during the past three decades.
Through HPD, Honda has achieved 280 victories in 510 IndyCar races, including 15 Indianapolis 500 victories, 13 Drivers’ Championships and 10 Manufacturers’ Championships. Not to be left out, Acura achieved three consecutive wins in the Rolex 24 at Daytona, and three IMSA Manufacturers’, Drivers’ and Teams’ Championships since 2018.
“Honda’s racing heritage is unparalleled and over the last 30 years and the talented men and women of HPD have contributed to that success in the U.S.,” said David Salters, president of HPD, who will become president of the new HRC U.S. “We are thrilled and very proud to join forces with our friends and colleagues in HRC Japan and represent Honda Racing as a global racing organization.”
Honda’s Japanese racing arm
As the motorcycle racing division of Honda, HRC was founded in Japan in 1982. With more than 40 years of championship racing history, its participated in international racing events like the Paris Dakar rally, Superbike, Motocross, and WGP/MotoGP. Honda’s F1 program and auto racing were added to HRC’s responsibilities in 2022, with the automaker’s Sakura Center devoted to vehicle racing and the Asaka Center concentrating on motorcycle racing.
The new HRC US will compete for the first time at the 2024 Rolex 24 at Daytona, slated for January 27–28. The defending champion Acura ARX–06 prototypes will display HRC logos on their racing liveries.
