Honda And Evans Chase Wins In '11

TULLAMARINE, AUSTRALIA – April 6, 2011: Honda Australia and Evans Motorsport will continue to campaign the Honda Civic Type R in the 2011 Bosch Australian Rally Championship.

The team had a successful 2010, taking a podium in South Australia, placing third outright and winning the two-wheel drive category in Queensland and capping off a fantastic debut, winning the two-wheel drive championship overall.

The Honda was the crowd favourite, with its distinct engine scream and Eli Evans’ press-on driving style. The team punched well above their weight against the four-wheel drive turbo cars.

Evans commented on his first season in the Honda; “Last year was tough for me. The Honda Civic Type R is like no other car I have driven before. For the first time I feel like I’m driving a full-on race car and I’m really excited about the upcoming season.”

Although the turbo-charged cars will produce roughly 25 percent more power this year due to a rule change, Evans remains upbeat. “I’m confident we can get more speed from the Honda Civic Type R. I have a full year of rallying behind me now. We’ve gathered some good data on what does and doesn’t work, this year will be a better gauge of how fast the Civic Type R can go.”

Co-driver Glen Weston is also ready go. “I can’t wait to get back in the car and see what we can do this year. We’ve had two rallies already to shake-down the Civic after it was rebuilt over Christmas. We really want to hit the ground running at the first round of the Bosch ARC in WA this month.”

The 2011 rally season kicks off in Busselton Western Australia from April 15 to 17, with subsequent rounds in Queensland in May, South Australia in July, Coffs Harbour in September and Victoria in November.