Honda Marks 100 Open-Wheel Victories at Richmond

TORRANCE, Calif. June 22, 2006 The debut was inauspicious: an 8th-place run in Surfers Paradise, Australia. The first win - Andre Ribeiro at New Hampshire International Speedway's one-mile oval - didn't come until almost 18 months later. But Honda's North American open-wheel racing program was established that day, leading to nine seasons of Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) competition; and another four in the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series, since 2003.

Since then, the victories have come fast and furious for Honda's North American open-wheel racing effort, and this weekend's Suntrust Challenge at Richmond International Raceway will mark Honda's 100th North American open-wheel race victory.

"Thinking back to 1995, when we won our first race after two years of testing, development and racing -- and knowing the effort and hardship that went into achieving that milestone -- it seems incredible that we're about to mark our 100th win," said Robert Clarke, President of Honda Performance Development (HPD). "In New Hampshire in 1995 at the time of that first win, 100 wins would have seemed like a pure fantasy to us."

Win Number 10 came less than a year later, as Ribeiro posted his third career CART win at Michigan International Speedway. The 25th victory was a thrilling come-from-behind effort from eventual two-time CART champion Alex Zanardi at Cleveland; while the 50th win, at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, also marked the arrival of future two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves.

One of Honda's most successful drivers, Dario Franchitti with 14 wins, scored Honda's 75th open-wheel race win at The Milwaukee Mile in 2004.

"I have personally been in attendance at every one of those 100 wins, and I remember each as if it were yesterday," remembers Clarke. "I remember the joy and excitement of Andre, Alex, Helio, Dario and their teammates after those milestone victories, and I remember sharing cake and ice cream [a Honda tradition] with our HPD associates the following Monday. We've truly been blessed with some outstanding talents throughout our open-wheel racing program.

A wholly-owned subsidiary of American Honda, HPD coordinates Honda's participation in the IndyCar Series, and is the technical operations center for Honda's high-performance engines. Headquartered north of Los Angeles in Santa Clarita, California, HPD has grown from a handful of associates working out of a 43,500-square-foot building to a growing staff of 125-plus managing multiple racing programs in a new, two-story, 123,000-square-foot facility.

"I'd like to congratulate all of our associates at HPD, who have worked hard, made personal sacrifices and have made the success of our racing programs their top priority. I'd also like to thank Honda R&D for the continued assistance and support throughout our CART and IRL programs and our technical partners at Ilmor for their contributions to our IRL program."

Honda Open-Wheel Fast Stats
(CART 1994-2002; IRL 2003-2006)

220 Races, 164 in CART, 56 in IRL IndyCar Series competition (through Richmond 2006)

100 Race Wins, 65 in CART 1994-2002, 35 in IndyCar 2003 (through Richmond 2006)

12 Honda Race Engines designed, produced and raced since 1994

6 Manufacturers' Championships in CART (1996, 1998-99, 2001) and the IRL (2004-05)

8 Drivers' Championships: Jimmy Vasser (1996); Alex Zanardi (1997-98); Juan Pablo Montoya (1999); Gil de Ferran (2000-01); Tony Kanaan (2004); and Dan Wheldon (2005)

6 Rookie titles: Alex Zanardi (1996); Tony Kanaan (1998); Juan Pablo Montoya (1999);
Dan Wheldon (2003); Kosuke Matsuura (2004); and Danica Patrick (2005)

17 Race Winning Drivers: Alex Zanardi-15; Dario Franchitti-14; Dan Wheldon-10; Helio Castroneves-10; Jimmy Vasser-8; Tony Kanaan-7; Paul Tracy-6; Juan Pablo Montoya-6; Gil de Ferran-6; Adrian Fernandez-4; Andre Ribeiro-3; Buddy Rice-3; Michael Andretti-2; Bryan Herta-2; Scott Sharp-1; Sam Hornish Jr.-1; Scott Dixon-1

8 Race Winning Teams: Team KOOL Green/Andretti Green Racing-39; Target Chip Ganassi Racing-31; Marlboro Team Penski-15;Tasman Motorsports/McDonald's Championship Racing-5; Fernandez Racing-4; Rahal Letterman Racing-3; Walker Racing-1; Jim Hall Racing-1

95 Pole Qualifying Runs; 65 in CART and 30 in the IRL (INCLUDING Richmond 2006)

Manufacturer
Year	Races	Wins	Poles	Standings	Honda Engine
1994	16	0	0	N/A*	Honda HRX Indy V-8
1995	17	1	2	3rd	Honda HRX through Nazareth
					Honda HRH starting at the Indianapolis 500
1996	16	11	12	1st	Honda HRH Indy V-8
1997	17	6	6	2nd	Honda HRR Turbo V-8
1998	19	13	7	1st	Honda HRK Turbo V-8
1999	20	14	13	1st	Honda HRS Turbo V-8
2000	20	8	11	2nd	Honda HR-0 Turbo V-8
2001	20	7	9	1st	Honda HR-1 Turbo V-8
2002	19	5	5	2nd	Honda HR-2 Turbo V-8
2003	16	2	3	2nd	Honda HI3R Indy V-8
2004	16	14	11	1st	Honda HI4R Indy V-8 (3.5 liter capacity)
					Honda HI4R-A starting at the Indianapolis 500
2005	17	12	9	1st	Honda HI5R Indy V-8
2006**	7	7	7	N/A*	Honda HI6R Indy V-8

* CART Manufacturers' Championship originated in 1995; Honda is sole IRL engine supplier in 2006
** Statistics complete through Richmond International Raceway, 7th race in the 2006 season