Club Time Attack is delighted to announce the launch of a brand-new race championship created specifically for Honda cars: the Racing Hondas Championship.
Running on the same programme as the highly successful Time Attack Championship, this innovative addition to the club’s motorsport line-up has been created to provide a high profile, and competitive home for drivers and teams who are passionate about their Hondas, enabling them to race in an environment that offers excellent value-for-money, fair competition, close racing and large audiences, backed up by a credible platform for commercial opportunities.
The Racing Hondas Championship is supported by market-leading Honda specialists and existing Time Attack partners, Tegiwa Imports. Other sponsors and commercial partners are to be announced in the coming months.
The Championship will feature 16 rounds over six weekends at five different circuits, with each meeting featuring a large and well-attended car show. Therefore, spectators are guaranteed! Meetings comprise a Free Practice session, Qualifying and two races – all 15 minutes in duration.
All models from all eras of Hondas are eligible, with grids split into three main classes: two based on power-to-weight, plus an open class with no restrictions on modification. Technical regulations will be created to accommodate existing Hondas that are racing in other championships, so that drivers can switch in confidence, without having to carry out any modifications or incur extra costs. Classes are as follows:
- Pro: Unlimited modifications, using slick and racing-wet tyres
- Club: 195bhp/ton, using semi-slick tyres
- Clubman: 176bhp/ton, using semi-slick tyres
Organisers have confirmed that a control tyre will be introduced and, while regulated components will be a feature of the Championship on the grounds of fairness and close racing, the championship will not be the supplier of parts or service items. Consequently, there will be no supply arrangements forced upon teams.
Instead, as is the ‘norm’ for Club Time Attack, to assist in the reduction of running costs, organisers will create a range of discounted parts opportunities for teams via its strong tuning industry links.
Helping enable the Racing Hondas Championship to hit the ground running, the Civic Challenge series formerly run by Jon Peerless and Matt Stenning of MJ Motorsport, has been acquired in full by Club Time Attack.
Time Attack Managing Director Andy Barnes is excited about the prospect of the Club creating its own, stand-alone race championship:
“I’m thrilled to announce our plans that will provide a new home for Honda racers. As a driver, I have competed in the UK, Europe and Japan in various high profile Honda models including Civic, Integra, S2000 and Jazz models, for which I have great affection and understanding.
“Over the past two seasons, other race championships have thrived having run on our calendar and under our administration. We are delighted the association was a successful one and they leave us in great shape.
“Their presence demonstrated that our Time Attack audiences enjoy the added attraction of racing. So, being a creative organisation, when we were contacted by Civic Challenge to provide them with new home, we spotted a significant opportunity to take things further.
“The new Championship will benefit from our experience, professional strength, financial stability and fan-based know-how that time-and-again, enables us to fill a race venue with spectators. As such, teams can have every confidence in our mission to provide with a fantastic championship.
“My brief to our team is to make the Championship more accessible, offer great value for money and include more track time than any other series of its kind, as well as remove any counterproductive supply provisions. As far as we’re concerned, everything is about the competitors. We are focused on the spectacle of big grids and exciting racing to complement our events that are already successful in their own right. Consequently, we can be liberal with our ideas and generous in our support to the teams.
With over 30-years’ involvement with a variety of championships and one-make series’ as both a competitor and organiser, Simon Slade has been appointed as Championship Coordinator:
“Single-make series’ have been a passion of mine since the 1990s, first as a competitor and then, working with manufacturers to establish and coordinate a number of race and rally championships. The Racing Hondas Championship will make a great addition to the Time Attack programme, retaining the racing element for our fans.
“As coordinator of the Time Attack Championship and its events, we have the resources, experience and infrastructure amongst our organising team that are used to looking after a paddock full of competitors and putting on a show for thousands of spectators at our events.”
Civic specialist Jon Peerless has been appointed as driver representative and comments:
“Having been involved with racing Civics for a long time and responsible for many of the cars that are already out there, I know that with the correct support sprinkled with the proven Club Time Attack magic, the series has found a great new home having seen first-hand what they are capable of during the 2021 and 2022 seasons. “In fact, what has transpired is something even more exciting. With the opportunity to hand over the running of the Civic Challenge to people who can take it to the next level, Matt and I can get back to what we love – and that’s racing Civics!
“The plans that Andy has in place sound amazing. While the Civic Challenge name will disappear, the support for existing drivers remains and I would like to thank those who have been with us over the years. I’m confident that exciting times and great racing lies ahead!” Further details about the will be announced in the coming weeks. In the meantime, information regarding entry fees, event formats and classes can be found on the holding page: www.racinghondas.uk
