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Acura Sponsors Prestigious Regatta Competition

1 March 2000

Acura Sponsors Prestigious Regatta Competition

    TORRANCE, Calif., Feb. 29 -- Acura announces its corporate
sponsorship of the 59th annual Southern Ocean Racing Conference (Acura/SORC)
competition, set to take place off the coast of Miami's South Beach and
Biscayne Bay today, February 29, 2000 through Sunday, March 5, 2000.  This is
the second year for Acura as the title sponsor.
    The Acura SORC Race is considered to be one of the elite sailing regattas
in the world.  The race annually attracts close to the 200 national and
international boats with more than 2,500 sailors, many of which have America's
Cup and Whitbread Race experience.
    "Acura's sponsorship of yacht racing event is a natural," said Dick
Colliver, executive vice president of sales, American Honda.  "Because it has
traditionally attracted people similar to the Acura buyer profile, very
upscale, competitive, and technically-oriented.  The Acura/SORC Regatta is a
great opportunity for us to interact with potential customers and reinforce
the Acura name as the leading marque in the luxury performance category."
    In its 59 year history, the regatta has evolved from a series of distance
races and local racing spread over a six-week period to the present format of
five days of intense round-the-buoy racing in Miami.
    The Acura SORC race kicks off a month-long series of Acura-Honda events
taking place in South Florida, including the Honda Golf Classic on March 9-12,
and the CART Grand Prix of Miami, March 26.
    Also on display at the event will be several Acura luxury performance
automobiles including the exotic NSX sports car, and the soon to be introduced
all new 260hp 3.2CL luxury performance coupe.