The biggest field of racing Hondas ever assembled in New Zealand is set to open the action at the most exciting race meeting in New Zealand for years.
Then Honda Cup is the opening act at the new V8 SuperTourer series inaugural weekend at Hampton Downs on February 17, 18 and 19 and again at Round 3 of the series at Manfeild in April.
The Motul Honda Cup has been running in New Zealand for three seasons, but 2011-2012 is the first time it has run a summer series instead of a one day format winter championship. Interest has been huge, with racing drivers aged from their early twenties to their late 60s trying their hand in powerful VTEC Honda chassis that represent the whole spectrum of the iconic Type R genre.
The field will include all vintages of Civic, Integra and CRX models, and some of the tuning on the cars represents the latest thinking in club Honda racing globally – with several cars boasting in excess of 250bhp.
“Hondas make great racing cars simply because they are strong, exceptionally reliable and easy to tune whether you are an amateur or professional outfit,” explained series director and founder Alan Stewart.
“Even with a stock engine you can be competitive in our series and as we control costs as best as we can, we have seen a significant influx of new drivers who would have otherwise probably not have committed to circuit motor racing. There’s a strong community developing and to be on the bill at the V8 SuperTourer round is exciting for everyone concerned in the series.
“We will be aiming to put on a great show, as well as showcasing the driving and engineering skills that can be seen at every level of the series.”
