Honda is getting ready to put on its racing suit for the FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC), in which it will participate with the new European Civic hatchback.
“We have made a decision to enter into the WTCC with the European Civic,” said Honda CEO, Takanobu Ito, on the announcement. “We will develop a totally new engine for this project and we are all excited about starting this new challenge.”
The Japanese automaker revealed that its Research and Development division will design a bespoke 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder racing engine with direct-injection in accordance with FIA’s Super 2000 regulations.
Honda’s motorsports partners for this project are Mugen, which will manufacture and maintain the engine, and J.A.S. Motorsport, that will develop the racecar.
The company said that it aspires to join the WTCC as early as this season, with a string of “inaugural rounds” to trial the car and which will likely include Japan (held on 21 October 2012 at Honda’s Suzuka circuit), followed by China and Macau.
Honda then plans to enter a two-car team managed by J.A.S. Motorsport into every race in the 2013 championship season.
The Japanese company noted that its activity in the WTCC is being run independently to the Honda Racing British Touring Car Championship.
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