Honda Indy 200
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio
1:30 p.m. EDT Saturday, August 2, 2015
CNBC Network
IMS Radio Network Live Stream and Broadcast

HONDA AT MID-OHIO

* American Honda has a long history of involvement in central Ohio and at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Honda was the first Japanese company to establish auto manufacturing operations in the United States, opening Honda of America Manufacturing in Marysville, Ohio, in 1982. The company has had an Official Vehicle relationship with Mid-Ohio since 1994.

* Today, Honda operates multiple manufacturing facilities and a major Research & Development center in Ohio. Combined, they employ more than 13,000 associates and have the capacity to produce more than 650,000 vehicles and 1.18 million engines annually.

* Honda-powered drivers and teams have won 12 of 16 races run at Mid-Ohio since the company entered IndyCar racing in 1994; including seven of 11 races run with engine manufacturer competition.

* With four Honda-powered victories at Mid-Ohio, Scott Dixon is the most successful IndyCar Series driver at this track. Dixon won with Honda in 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2012. His Chip Ganassi Racing teammates, Dario Franchitti and Charlie Kimball, won in 2010 and 2013, respectively, giving the team seven total, and five consecutive Honda victories at Mid-Ohio.

* In the Championship Auto Racing Teams era, Honda drivers won five of the nine races from 1994-2002, more than any other manufacturer. Alex Zanardi led a 1-2 finish for Target Chip Ganassi Racing in 1996 with Jimmy Vasser second; and Zanardi won again in 1997. Juan Pablo Montoya led a 1-2-3-4 result for Honda in 1999, being followed to the checkers by Paul Tracy, Franchitti and Vasser. Helio Castroneves and Gil de Ferran finished 1-2 for Honda and Team Penske in both 2000 and 2001.
MARKETING

* Honda has served as title sponsor of the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio since it returned to the IndyCar Series schedule in 2007. Honda is also a major sponsor of The Mid-Ohio School, providing a fleet of Honda and Acura vehicles for the school’s teen safe driving and high-performance driving schools and related programs.

* Approximately 15,000 Honda associates, suppliers, family and friends are expected to attend this weekend’s Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio. American Honda distributed tickets to the event through more than 15 entities in Ohio, Indiana and California.

* The Honda display in the IndyCar Series Fan Village at Mid-Ohio will include examples of the Honda Fit B-Spec racing car and Rally Fit; the new Honda HR-V, Honda IndyCar Safety Car and Civic replica pace car; and an autograph session by racing legend Mario Andretti at 1:30 p.m. Friday, July 31. Fans visiting on Friday and Saturday can also register for Pace Car rides at Mid-Ohio.

* The Honda “Power of Dreams” display in the Mid-Ohio infield also will field drawings for Pace Car rides; an autograph session with Mario Andretti from 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. on Saturday; a variety of Honda and Acura vehicles and Honda powersports products; and a “Lip Synch Challenge” on Saturday to win a ride in the Honda two-seater IndyCar.

* Honda IndyCar Series drivers will make a variety of appearances in connection with the Honda Indy 200, including a photo opportunity “How Many Drivers Can We Fit in a Fit” on Friday at 1 p.m. in the Mid-Ohio paddock. Marco Andretti, Ryan Briscoe, Conor Daly, James Jakes and Graham Rahal are among the Honda drivers expected to participate.

* Dan Bordenkecher from Indianapolis, Ind., is the latest winner of Honda’s Fastest Seat in Sports sweepstakes. He will lead the field prior to the race start Sunday in the two-seat Honda IndyCar at Mid-Ohio, driven by Indianapolis 500 winner and racing legend Mario Andretti. For more information on how you can receive the ride of a lifetime in Honda’s Fastest Seat in Sports, go to www.shophonda.com.
COMPETITION

* Honda drivers have won two of the last three Verizon IndyCar Series races, including Ryan Hunter-Reay’s victory earlier this month at Iowa Speedway. Honda drivers claimed three of the top five finishing positions in Iowa, with Graham Rahal fourth and Carlos Munoz, fifth.

* Late last month, Rahal finished first and Marco Andretti was third at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. Rahal currently stands second in the IndyCar Series Drivers’ Championship with 403 points, 42 behind leader Juan Pablo Montoya. Andretti, seventh in the championship with 358 points, is the only driver who has completed every race lap of the 2015 season, a total of 1,857 laps.

* Other podium finishes for Rahal include second at the Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis and Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama; and third in the second of two races at Detroit. The Rahal Letterman Lanigan driver finished fifth at the Indianapolis 500.

* Bryan Herta Autosport’s Gabby Chaves continues to lead the IndyCar Series Rookie of the Year standings with 197 points, and is 16th in the overall drivers’ championship. Chaves made his short-track racing debut last weekend, finishing fifth in a Honda-powered USAC Midget in the inaugural Tony Stewart Classic at the 1/5th-mile Indianapolis Speedrome. The Herta organization previously took Jack Hawksworth to series Rookie of the Year honors in 2014.

* Drivers and teams using Honda engines have won 215 Indy car races and 10 Indianapolis 500s, both during years of multi-manufacturer competition (1994-2005, 2012-15); and during Honda’s tenure as single engine supplier to the series (2006-11).

* In 22 years, Honda Performance Development, the racing arm of the American Honda Motor Co., Inc., has grown from just a handful of staffers to approximately 150 associates; and from a simple engine-rebuilding facility to a complete motorsports Research & Development organization, engaged in programs ranging from pinnacle racing series including the Verizon IndyCar Series, Pirelli World Challenge, TUDOR United SportsCar Championship and FIA World Endurance Championship; to grassroots and entry-level categories including karting, Quarter Midgets and Formula F competition.
HONDA RACING/HPD VIDEOS

* Video recaps from this weekend’s Honda and Acura activities in Verizon IndyCar Series and Pirelli World Challenge races at Mid-Ohio are being posted on the “Honda Racing/HPD” YouTube channel.

* Produced by the Carolinas Production Group, the video packages can be found in the 2015 HPD Trackside Video Playlist at: https://www.youtube.com/HondaRacingHPDTV