Petaling Jaya, 25 June 2007 - The Honda NSX-GT Teams showed its mettle once again when the Autobacs Racing team Aguri, Dome Racing Team, Nakajima Racing Team, Team Kunimitsu and Rolling Stone Real Racing raced the tracks at round 4 of the Autobacs Super GT International series that started on July 22nd and ended yesterday at the Sepang International Circuit.
Team Kunimitsu of drivers, Dominik Shwager and Shinya Hosokawa emerged as the first runner up at the championship, proving once again the Honda spirit of challenge and competition. The team clocked 11 seconds of 54 laps after winning time of 1 hour 49 minutes & 13 seconds to cross the finish line amid the cheers of the considerably huge supporters around the circuit.
The teams made good time during the race that was held in the blazing heat and high humidity. The Autobacs Racing Team Aguri clocked 32 seconds after winning time while Nakajima Racing Team & Rolling Stone Real Racing clocked 1 lap behind.
The race was a visible demonstration of the unfettered spirit of Honda racing from the beginning to the end, with members of the Honda NSX-GT Teams displaying true grit, focus, teamwork and a passionate drive to excel. From the action-filled pit area to the deafening cheers in the grandstand, the large fan turnout fuelled the Honda's Challenging Spirit for the teams to continue striving to win the race.
This year, Honda worked in co-operation with M'TEC Co Ltd and Dome Co Ltd to field their racing teams. These teams benefited from the V6, 3.5liter NA (natural aspiration) engines which had been further refined, using the newly-developed chassis with improved stiffness and aerodynamic performance.
"The Super GT was an excellent platform to showcase the new engines and bring them to the test. This race has again proven that the drive, focus and efforts of the Honda NSX-GT Teams brought in desired results, and reflects the challenging spirit which has marked Honda's identity since the beginning," said Mr. Atsushi Fuijimoto, Managing Director and CEO of Honda Malaysia.
It is through motorsports that Honda is able to test its engine developments to greatest heights and translates the R&D into technologically advanced and breakthrough innovatory products for its consumers. "The technology used to reduce friction in the NSX-GT cars is very important to achieve higher speed and power for the purpose of racing. This technology that is constantly pushed and challenged can be applied to Honda's products in helping to reduce fuel consumption," said Mr. Hiromasa Tanaka, Chief Engineer of Honda R&D Company Limited, Automobile.
Racing is Honda's reason to exist. Its passion for racing stems from its rich heritage of involvement in motorsports, drawing from its racing DNA to compete at the different levels of motoring and racing technology.