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HONDA'S TWO-TEAM ASSAULT BEGINS IN AUSTRALIA Final preparations for season opener; Honda aims to repeat 2000 success

Honda's 2001 challenge begins in earnest next weekend as the new Formula One season gets underway with the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne (March 2-4). The start of an exciting new era will see Honda, the world's largest engine manufacturer, supply two teams with identical specification 'works' engines.

Honda is the only Formula 1 engine manufacturer to focus its efforts on two teams. With BAR Honda and Jordan Honda benefiting from Honda Power in 2001, Honda has underlined its avowed intention once again to achieve success at the pinnacle of world motorsport. Four top drivers will benefit from 'Honda Power' this season, doubling the company's opportunities to capitalise on the high performance of its latest breed of F1 engine.

After the company's stunning return to F1 competition last year, when it powered BAR Honda to fifth place in the Constructors' Championship, the Honda engineers have spent the close season modifying and developing the powerful 3-litre V10 unit. The result is the even more advanced RA001E that has completed over 9,000 kilometres of pre-season testing.

"We are really looking forward to the new season," says Kazutoshi Nishizawa, Technical Director of Honda Racing Development. "We have enjoyed a very productive and intensive programme of testing, but now the real action begins. We are well prepared for the first race and can go to Australia with confidence."

This week Both Honda-powered teams made their final preparations for the coming season this week. Jordan Honda spent two days at Silverstone, shaking down its third new chassis and completing systems checks before Melbourne. Meanwhile, BAR Honda travelled to the nearby Santa Pod raceway to undertake straight-line work and pitstop practices.

Seven tonnes of equipment to Australia The extension of Honda's engine supply to two teams, necessitates not only more personnel attending the races. In addition to the 40 engineers and support staff travelling to Australia, Honda has sent more than seven tonnes of equipment on a six-week round-trip that takes in Australia, Malaysia and Brazil. And this does not even include the engines!

The level of resources needed by the modern Formula 1 operations is usually transported in the official race trucks during the European season. But for the Inter-Continental 'fly-away' races, computer stacks, toolboxes, radios and antennae, TVs, electronics, all IT equipment and communications materials are loaded aboard a fleet of Boeing 747s. Honda's freight left the UK today and should arrive in the pitlane in Melbourne on Monday.

Honda is well prepared for the coming season; the teams are ready, the drivers are ready. As the lights go out for the first time in Melbourne next Sunday, a new era will begin in Honda's glorious motorsport history.

Race Details Grand Prix Australia Circuit Albert Park, Melbourne Circuit Length 5.303km Race start time 14:00 local (04:00 CET) Race length 58 laps 2000 winner Michael Schumacher, Ferrari BAR Honda 2000 Villeneuve 4th, Zonta 6th

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