Honda Michelin Series Champions Honoured at Annual Banquet

STEVEN LAPORTE HONOURED AS SERIES CHAMPION AT THE ANNUAL HONDA /
MICHELIN CHALLENGE SERIES AWARD BANQUET

Kingston, Ontario (October 16, 2004) - Steven Laporte, from St.
Sauveur (QC), was honoured as the 2004 Driver Champion during the
first Annual Honda / Michelin Challenge Series Award Banquet of the
21st Century, held Saturday night in Kingston, Ontario. The series
champion drove his Team Lombardi Honda Civic DX Coupe three times to
the winner's circle, and totaled 234 points at season end. With only
a four-point lead going into the 10th and final round at Mosport
International Raceway, Laporte won the hard fought race to secure the
title.

''Honda Canada and all of its associate sponsors are so proud to hold
the first Annual Driver Award Banquet of the millennium,'' said Ralph
Luciw, Series Director for Honda Canada Inc. ''This year's
championship has been one of the most hotly disputed battles since
the series' 1976 inaugural season. All the drivers - rookies,
newcomers and veterans of the previous series - came out to win on
every race weekend. So much that the championship came down to the
wire. Four drivers were still in the hunt for the top spot in the
standings before the start of the last race at Mosport. First, I
would like to congratulate the 2004 Series Champion, Steven Laporte,
on his fine achievement, as well as all the other award recipients in
tonight's award ceremony. I would also like to thank everyone that
participated in or made this exiting championship series possible.''

Laporte beat runner-up Nick Wittmer of Hudson (QC) by 12 points in
the final standings. The Honda Ste. Rose pilot also drove a
magnificent final race to cross the finish line second, and move from
fourth to second place in the final standings. Wittmer won one race
during the season but he did it in style. He lead all the race laps
from the pole position in the Trois-Rivières event to become the only
driver to win from the pole during the 2004 season. Also honoured was
third-place finisher Didier Schraenen of Mont St. Hilaire (QC), who
totaled 221 points. Only one point separated the Énergie/ NAPA/RDS
driver from second place in the final standings. Schraenen also
picked-up the Honda / Michelin Challenge Series Master Championship
Award presented to the driver over 40 years of age with the most
championship points at the end of the season.

The Honda / Michelin Challenge Series Rookie of the Year Award was
presented to Alex Penfold of Georgetown (ON) who topped the rookie
standings with 257 points. The 19-year old finished only one point
ahead of Emmanuel Boivin-Moreau of Longueuil (QC). In the overall
standings, Penfold finished sixth. He won in St. Eustache, leading
all 25 laps with his Pfaff Leasing Honda Civic. He also stood on the
podium three more times. The rookie of the year winner also won the
pole in round three at Mosport and set race fastest lap in the
penultimate race at Mont-Tremblant.

Ralph Luciw, Honda / Michelin Series Director, also presented the
Series Builder Award to Daniel Courtney, from Kendal (ON), for his
outstanding work in the community and corporate sector in promoting
Canada's professional series with his Positive Influence Racing
group. He worked in partnership with the Durham Regional Police
Service and Mother Against Drunk Driving (MADD). Courtney, who
entered nine of the ten events on the schedule, promoted the series
and its image in major and regional Ontario newspapers, radio shows,
television programs, corporate events and local fairs. His, and all
of his Positive Influence Racing (PIR) sponsors', message was clear:
Promote the series through safe driving - no drugs, no alcohol when
you drive.

Silvia Mammone,  Michelin Canada High Performance Product Manager,
presented the 2004 Honda / Michelin Series Team Spirit Award  to
Patrick Wittmer, Managing Director for the Honda de Sigi / Honda Ste.
Rose Team. The team showed a consistent display of the highest level
of teamwork throughout the season in the area of presentation,
preparation and results. The two-car team was constant runner with
one win, six podium finishes, four poles and four fastest race laps.

During the 2004 season, the Honda / Michelin drivers completed 2,785
race laps out of a possible total of 2,850 laps for an average
completion of 97.7%. Six different drivers won races and 12 different
drivers stepped on the podium. The first season series averaged 18
entrants per race, and a total of 32 drivers, including one-off
participation by members of the media, competed in the 10-race
championship series.

The stock Honda Civic DX Coupes are equipped with Michelin Pilot
Sport Cup tires, and provide a truly low-cost form of motor racing.
The series was re-introduced in 2004 to encourage young drivers to
enter the sport, but it has also attracted several veterans. The
single-make Championship Series gives drivers the opportunity to
showcase their talents in identical cars. The Honda/Michelin
Challenge Series reinforces the fun-to-drive aspects of the Civic,
the top-selling passenger car in Canada for the past six years, and
will be further supported by its reputation for quality, reliability
and durability.

The road racing series was originally launched in 1976 with the Honda
Civic Hatchback.  During its 17-year run, the series attracted more
than 400 racers, including Richard Spénard, Tony Morris, Frank
Allers, Marc Dancose and Jacques Villeneuve, brother of the late
Formula 1 driver Gilles Villeneuve.

Sanctioned by ASN Canada FIA, the series is sponsored by Honda Canada
Inc., and co-sponsored by Michelin North America (Canada) Inc.,
Alpine, Bosal, CSC, Goodridge and NGK.

-HMCS-