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Honda captures world title in style

Victory for Gabriele Tarquini in the second race at the Sonoma Speedway in California (6September) has won Honda the FIA World Touring Car Championship Manufacturers'Championship title in its first full season back in the series.

Although there are still three meetings and six races remaining, Honda has amassed enough points that it mathematically can't be overhauled.

It was a memorable weekend in the US for the entire Castrol Honda World Touring Car Team with Tiago Monteiro finishing second in the opening encounter and backing that podium up with a fighting fourth in the following showdown.

After bringing his Honda Civic WTCC home sixth in the first race, Tarquini then dominated the second, grabbing the lead at the second corner to post his second victory of the campaign. Maximum points have also moved the experienced Italian up into second place in the Drivers' Championship behind defending champion Yvan Muller.

William de Braekeleer, Motorsport Manager Honda Motor Europe commented: "The Manufacturers' title is a great reward for everyone who has worked so hard on this programme, whether at the tracks or in Japan, Italy and Hungary. We are really happy in this first year we could get already two victories, two pole positions and 12 other podium results. This title is a nice present to be offered to Honda when we visit Japan in two weeks."

Daisuke Horiuchi, Large Project leader for WTCC development from Honda R & D who received a champagne bath on the podium added: "This has been a perfect weekend for us. The drivers and the team have done a perfect job. These good results will thrill the many Japanese race fans who will attend the next WTCC event at Suzuka."

The WTCC will resume in two weeks for rounds 19 and 20 in Japan on 22 September.

HONDA CREW EXTEND LEAD IN FIA EUROPEAN RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP
Zoltan Bessenyey and co-driver Julianna Nyirfas have moved a step closer to clinching the 2WD category in this year's FIA European Rally Championship.

The Hungarian pair overcame fierce competition as well as challenging conditions in the recent Barum Czech Rally Zlin to bring their Honda Civic Type R home in a fine third position.

The result means that Bessenyey has increased his lead at the top of the 2WD Drivers' Championship, and is now 53 points clear of compatriot Lukacs Kornel, who crashed his Renault Clio out of contention on the final special stage.

Theirs wasn't the only Honda success on the Barum Rally, though. Class 9 featured no fewer than seven crews in Honda Civics with local rally star Daniel Vladyka taking top honours from fellow Civic driving Czech, Josef Vojacek.

MORE SUCCESS FOR HONDA AS SUPER GT HEADLINES AT FUJI
Honda leads both classes in the highly competitive Japanese-based Super GT racing series after Sunday's (8 September) Fuji GT 300kms.
After victory in the previous round, Naoki Yamamoto and Frederic Makowiecki brought their V8-engined Honda HSV-010 GT home fifth to move to the top of the tightly packed GT500 points table with two of the eight rounds remaining.

The similar HSV-010 GT coupe of Koudai Tsukakoshi and Toshihiro Kaneishi overcame the difficult conditions, which saw drizzle falling on and off throughout the 66 lap showdown at the Fuji Speedway, to keep their title hopes alive with a strong second place finish.

In the second tier GT300 class, the hybrid powered Honda CR-Z of Hideki Mutoh and Yuhki Nakayama maintained its sizable championship lead with a solid eighth place performance at Fuji.

Next stop on the Super GT calendar is Autopolis on Sunday 6 October with what's likely to be the title decider four weeks later at Twin Ring Motegi in early November.