American Honda Adds Support To RRDC Evening With Roger Penske

HILLIARD, March 23, 2011: American Honda Motor Co., Inc., will support the RRDC Evening with Roger Penske presented by Firestone by hosting the cocktail reception on April 14 at the Road Racing Drivers Club's third annual West Coast banquet, held prior to the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach (Calif.)

"American Honda is pleased and honored to support the Road Racing Drivers Club and its salute to 'The Captain,' Roger Penske," said John Mendel, executive vice president, auto sales, American Honda Motor Co., Inc. "No one has done more to raise the profile and increase the professionalism of motorsports in North America. We at American Honda are proud to have been associated with Team Penske in its 2000 and 2001 CART championships; the establishment of a new world closed-course speed record in 2000; Indianapolis 500 victories in 2006 and 2008; and numerous race victories in both CART and INDYCAR.

"We congratulate Roger on a remarkable career. He has the true heart of a racer, and I can think of no higher compliment that Honda, a company founded by and made up of fellow racers, can bestow."

"It's a privilege to have American Honda come on board to host the reception at the RRDC's third annual West Coast banquet," said RRDC president Bobby Rahal. "Honda's presence and success in North American racing competition is outstanding, and we're proud to have them join us in celebrating Roger Penske's contributions to the sport."

The RRDC Evening with Roger Penske will be held at the Hilton Hotel, 701 West Ocean Blvd, Long Beach, Calif., with cocktails at 6 p.m., and dinner at 7:15 p.m. Tickets are $150 per person and must be purchased in advance. Space is limited and tickets are selling out fast, so reservations should be made as soon as possible at rrdc2@cox.net.

The dinner's proceeds will help support the Team USA Scholarship, which the RRDC has backed since 1997. Previous banquets have honored Dan Gurney and Parnelli Jones, drawing fans and luminaries from all forms of motorsports.

About American Honda:

American Honda Motor Co., Inc., was founded in 1959 as the U.S. sales and marketing subsidiary of Honda Motor Co., Ltd. Honda currently produces automobiles, motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles, lawn mowers and engines at its nine major U.S. manufacturing operations, using domestic and globally sourced parts.

About the RRDC:

The Road Racing Drivers Club was formed in 1952 as a way to give champion drivers a say in their sport, particularly in the areas of safety, and has evolved to serve the future of road racing by mentoring new drivers on both amateur and professional levels. The Club’s membership includes leading industry professionals, race officials and motorsports journalists, in addition to prominent racing names.

President Bobby Rahal is the 1986 Indy 500 winner and is co-owner, with David Letterman, of the 2004 Indianapolis 500 winning Rahal Letterman Racing team. Six-time SCCA National champion John Fergus is the Club’s Vice President/Treasurer, and five-time SCCA National champion Tom Davey is the Secretary.

In addition to RRDC members lending their expertise to up-and-coming drivers, the Club presents three annual awards: the Phil Hill Award for rendering outstanding service to road racing; the Mark Donohue Award for personal spirit and performance at the SCCA National Championship Runoffs; and the Bob Akin Award – the top award presented to amateur and semi-professional racers - for speed with style, passion, sportsmanship and contribution to motorsports.

The RRDC also supports the Team USA Scholarship, which has been assisting young Americans in the early stages of their careers since 1990.

Membership in the RRDC is by invitation only. Additional information on the organization may be found at www.rrdc.org .