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Having claimed its first podium at Monza and then first pole position in Marrakech, the Castrol Honda team went one better in round three of the 2013 FIA World Touring Car Championship held at the Slovakia Ring (Sunday 28 April).

As he had in Morocco, Gabriele Tarquini claimed pole position for the opening race after clocking the fastest lap time in Saturday’s qualifying session. This time, though, the experienced Italian ace converted his front row starting position into a convincing victory. The win was even sweeter for the Castrol Honda outfit as team-mate Tiago Monteiro finished in second place. To cap a stunning 1-2-3 result for the Honda Civic WTCC cars, Hungarian star Norbert Michelisz joined Tarquini and Monteiro on the podium after finishing third in his privately entered Civic.

The WTCC format sees the top ten in qualifying start in reverse order for the second race, so the two Castrol Honda cars were placed on row five, right in the middle of the packed 23-car grid. Undaunted Tarquini battled his way through to claim third spot by the chequered flag with Monteiro fighting back to claim seventh place after being pushed wide by another competitor during the fiercely-fought early laps.

The results strengthen Honda’s lead in the Manufacturers’ Championship and take Tarquini up to second place in the Drivers’ standings. There’s little time for celebrations, however, as the teams are now heading to Hungary for the next event on the WTCC calendar scheduled for the Hungaroring on Sunday 5 May.

Honda confirms record Pikes Peak line-up
Honda has confirmed that it is making a major commitment to the 91st running of the legendary Pikes Peak International Hill Climb scheduled for 30 June 2013 in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

With support from Honda’s North American R&D and motor sports companies – Honda R&D Americas, Inc. and Honda Performance Development, Inc. – the company will campaign a broad range of Honda and Acura vehicles, as well as motorcycles and ATVs.

Showcasing its diverse range, Honda will field no fewer than an unprecedented ten products in nine race classes, the most ever for a single race participant… including an as yet unannounced vehicle for IndyCar racer Simon Pagenaud.

Honda has competed at Pikes Peak on a less ambitious scale in the recent past. In 2011, it campaigned a Fit hatchback that was built and piloted by Honda engineers from North America. In 2012, the company fielded an Acura NSX powered by an ALMS P2 twin-turbo V-6 engine supplied by Honda Performance Development (HPD), and outfitted with an ex-Le Mans body and wide body kit, with support from members of the Ohio-based Honda of America Race Team (HART).

As a further extension of Honda’s role as the official Partnering Sponsor, Honda Power Equipment will be supporting race operations, with Honda generators providing electricity and light to the pits and staging area.

Civic Type R takes dramatic European Rally Championship victory
The Honda Civic Type R of Zoltan Bessenyey and co-driver Yulianna Nyirfas displayed remarkable speed and stamina to score a dramatic last gasp victory in round four of the FIA European Rally 2WD Championship.

The win on last weekend’s Azores Rally (25-27 April) has extended the Hungarian pair’s lead in the title race for top honours in the hugely competitive two-wheel-drive championship.

After two challenging days battling against fog, mud, wet gravel and rain as well as the 15-strong opposition, the Honda started the final day in what appeared to be a safe third position. But first one of those in front crashed then the other stopped just two kilometers from the finish, handing a dramatic win to a delighted Bessenyey and underlining the motor sport maxim: to finish first, first you have to finish!

Honda Hybrid on the Super GT podium
Honda drivers Takuya Izawa and Takashi Koguri continue to lead the Japanese Super GT Championship. After winning the opening round in their Raybrig HSV-010 GT coupe, the Japanese pair had to settle for seventh position in round 2 at Fuji (29 April), a circuit that is known to favour the GT500 cars of rival manufacturers.

There was success for Honda in the GT300 class with Hideki Mutoh and Yuhki Nakayama finishing the three-hour showdown in a strong second place. Their TEAM Mugen-entered Honda CR-Z GT is equipped with a 2.8-litre Honda V6 twin-turbo engine plus an advanced racing hybrid system.