Honda Civic Enters FIA World Touring Car Championship

Honda Civic Enters FIA World Touring Car Championship

Honda today announced that the Honda Civic will race in the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC).

“We have made a decision” said Honda CEO, Takanobu Ito “to enter into the WTCC with the European Civic. We will develop a totally new engine for this project and we are all excited about starting this new challenge.”

For this project, Honda has formed a joint partnership with Mugen and J.A.S. Motorsport. Honda R&D is developing a bespoke racing engine, while Mugen will manufacture and maintain it. J.A.S. Motorsport will develop the race car, using the new Honda Civic 5 door produced in Honda’s manufacturing plant located in Swindon (UK).

Honda Civic Enters FIA World Touring Car Championship

The racing engine is a 1.6 litre 4 cylinder direct injection turbo-charged petrol engine, developed in accordance with FIA’s Super 2000 regulations.

Honda’s ambition is to join the WTCC as early as this season, with a string of “inaugural rounds”. Discussions are currently being held with the FIA, but these rounds would include Japan (held on 21 October 2012 at Honda’s Suzuka circuit), followed by China and Macau. Honda will then enter a two car team, managed by J.A.S. Motorsport, into every race in the 2013 championship season.

This activity is being run independently to the Honda Racing British Touring Car Championship winning team. Three-times BTCC Champion, Matt Neal and Gordon ‘Flash’ Shedden will be behind the wheel of the race-prepared Team Dynamics version of the new Civic and lining up on the grid at Brands Hatch on 1 April for the first race of the 2012 season.

Honda Civic Enters FIA World Touring Car Championship

Racing has always been a fundamental element of Honda’s DNA. In the late 1950s Honda first entered the Isle of man T.T and then Formula 1 in the 1960s. The FIA WTCC is the next chapter in Honda’s on-going commitment to world motor sport and provides a perfect platform to demonstrate its racing spirit to Honda’s numerous fans around the world.

Related Articles

Acura To Bring Back The RSX… Sort Of Acura To Bring Back The RSX… Sort Of
When the news dropped recently that Acura, Honda’s luxury and performance brand, was bringing the RSX back, it was exciting. After all, it’s a well-...
Ioniq 5 N Drift King Edition Makes Debut Ioniq 5 N Drift King Edition Makes Debut
If you ever wondered about the drift potential of a 600+ horsepower EV, Hyundai’s high-performance N division has the answer with its Ioniq 5 N Drift...
Sixth Gen Honda Prelude Moves Closer To Production Sixth Gen Honda Prelude Moves Closer To Production
As Honda prepares to bring its iconic coupe back into production, some news about the sixth-gen Prelude is starting to dribble out. While we eagerly...
TAS 2025: JDM Dreams and Wild Builds TAS 2025: JDM Dreams and Wild Builds
The Tokyo Auto Salon (TAS) is the kind of event that every JDM enthusiast dreams of attending—myself included. From the “basic” yet iconic R34 GT-Rs...
Air Lift Performance... Coilover Kits??!! Air Lift Performance... Coilover Kits??!!
LANSING, MI – Air Lift Performance, a major player for aftermarket air suspension systems, is diversifying their product portfolio with the...
Formula DRIFT 2025 Season: Bigger, Better, and Full of Smoke Formula DRIFT 2025 Season: Bigger, Better, and Full of Smoke
As the 2024 Formula DRIFT season comes to a close, anticipation is already building for 2025, with new faces, exciting venue changes, and an action-...