30 Years of IndyCar Racing Being Powered By Honda

Close-up of Scott Dixon's Honda-branded Engine Cover (Chris Nagy/Car FYI Canada)

 

A company maintaining an uninterrupted 30-year association with motorsports is a commitment involving a great deal of mutual appreciation and respect. Back in 1994, the Honda name’s appearance on Indy cars was a new sight for many racing fans. While the auto marker had gained a reputation for winning in Formula 1 through the 1980s and early 1990s, the North American open wheel racing scene presented a much different challenge. Honda Racing’s endeavour into IndyCar immediately demonstrated that some first steps may be uneasy but the capacity to endure these early struggles can amount to greatness.  

Honda had explored involvement with Indy car racing during the early 1980s partnering with Engine Development Limited (a company jointly founded by Jack Brabham and John Judd) to create a competition powerplant. While Honda opted not to officially enter the CART Indy car racing, work on the turbocharged V8 had progressed so far Engine Development Ltd. elected to run it during the 1986 season. As the Japanese automaker had provided several vital components to the powerplant, the cylinder covers wore the name ‘Brabham Honda’. Galles Racing with Jack Brabham’s son Geoff would premiere the engine at the 1986 Portland Indy car race inside a Valvoline-sponsored car. Although the Brabham Honda engine showed promise through two seasons with Galles Racing with Geoff Brabham even logging runner-up finishes at Pocono International Raceway and Road America in 1987, the power unit would not find victory lane. However, when the powerplant was rebadged as a Judd in 1988, Bobby Rahal driving a Truesport team car piloted the engine to a win at Pocono. 

Brabham-Honda engine installed in the Geoff Brabham's Vavoline car owned by Galles Racing
in 1986 (Image from 1986 Valvoline Galles Racing Press Kit)

Seven years after their unofficial presence in Indy car racing ended, Honda made its official entrance into the sport with the turbocharged 2.65-liter V8 HRX engine. Assembling of Honda Performance Development (HPD) in 1993, a plan was set to supply Indy car racing with quality power. The initiative to fully realize the Indy engine program involved Michihiro Asaka, Koich Amemiya and Tom Elliot who pressed it from a concept in the late 1980s to an announcement at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in 1993. By the time of Honda’s entrance, a number of other players entered the engine supplier scene in the CART/Indy Car series through the mid 1990s with Mercedes-Benz and Toyota seeking to beat the existing persisting appearance of Ford-Cosworth. 

For the 1994 season, the new Honda power was installed in the Rahal-Hogan Racing cars. Operating as a part-time team, Comptech Racing arrived in Indy car racing for 1994 with driver Parker Johnstone. Accomplished Indy car star Bobby Rahal and team car driven by American Mike Groff campaigned with Honda’s new HRX engines in all races except for the 1994 Indianapolis 500. 

Acura-sponsored, Honda-powered Comptech Racing Indy car driven by Parker Johnstone in 1994
(American Honda Motor Co., Inc.) 

The reason for Honda’s absence at the 1994 Indy 500 was embarrassing attributed to the new engine. Fighting to make the 33-car field, both Rahal-Hogan Racing cars were off-pace and in danger of not making the prestigious event. Roger Penske would offer Bobby Rahal and Mike Groff older Penske race cars with Ilmor engines allowing both drivers to make the field and compete in the 500-mile event. Rahal-Hogan Racing returned to Honda engines after the Indy 500. Bobby Rahal would achieve a season-best effort at the 1994 Molson Indy Toronto finishing second behind Michael Andretti.

In midst of a disappointing first year campaign, Rahal-Hogan Racing notified HPD in August of 1994 they would be dropping Honda engines in favour for Mercedes-Benz powerplants in 1995. The Japanese auto company wasn’t impressed by their own performance in their debut year prompting the introduction of a re-engineered engine. Introduced during the 1995 season, the Honda HRH power unit was a clear improvement on the previous HRX engine with one enhancement being the use of an aluminum block as opposed to cast iron. A cast iron was chosen for the HRX to ensure reliability but additional development by Honda allowed a lighter material to be used.

The Honda HRK turbocharged V8 introduced during the 1998 CART FedEx Championship Series season. The engine propelled the winners for 13 of the season's 19 races. (Chris Nagy/Car FYI Canada)

Tasman Motorsports committed to Honda for the 1995 season and almost succeeded in capturing the ultimate open wheel racing prize. Canadian Scott Goodyear who drove a second car for Tasman alongside regular Andre Ribeiro for the 1995 Indy 500 had a chance to win the event in the late laps before he accelerated to soon on a restart passing the pace car in the process. Missing out on glory at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Honda secured an Indy car series victory for the first time when Ribeiro took his Tasman Motorsports machine to a win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway from the pole position. Comptech Racing team also captured a high-profile pole in the Marlboro 500 at Michigan International Speedway.

While Honda spent their opening two seasons in Indy car learning on what it took to build a winning performance package, 1996 was a breakout season. In addition to Tasman Motorsports that expanded to two full-time teams, Honda also allied with Target Chip Ganassi Racing who had veteran driver Jimmy Vasser as well as a rookie named Alex Zanardi. Honda engines dominated the 1996 PPG Indy Car World Series collecting 11 wins in 16 races with Jimmy Vasser claiming the drivers’ championship and the powerplant supplier taking its first manufacturers’ cup in the series. The success in 1996 season would not be a fluke as Alex Zanardi, Juan-Pablo Montoya and Gil de Ferran would pilot Honda-powered cars to drivers’ championships from 1997-2001 with the Japanese automaker obtaining three more manufacturer crowns. When Team Penske driver Helio Castroneves took victory at the 2001 Miller Lite 200 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course the engine supplier celebrated its 50th victory in CART.

From 1996 into much of the 2000s, a catastrophic CART/Champ Car versus the Indy Racing League (IRL) battle waged injuring open wheel racing in North America. Following the 2002, Honda would change sides to the IRL as it appeared more financially healthy than CART. The change in series resulted in Honda developing a completely-new, naturally-aspirated 3.5-liter V8 powerplant. Interesting enough, one of the teams that signed up with Honda in their inaugural IRL campaign was Bobby Rahal’s team functioning as Rahal Letterman Racing. Today operating as Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, the race organization has remained loyal the engine supplier with every season they’d competed.

Losing manufacturers’ championship honours to fellow Japanese automaker Toyota who also jumped to the IRL in 2003, Honda’s association with what would become a dominant Andretti Green Racing would net them wins and titles during the next two seasons. In 2004, Buddy Rice driving for Rahal Letterman Racing would claim Honda’s first Indianapolis 500 win. From 2006 to 2011 Honda resided as the sole powerplant for the now-named IndyCar Series touting itself as a reliable supplier of performance. In 2006 at the Suntrust Indy Challenge held on Richmond Raceway, Sam Hornish Jr. drove Honda power to its 100th major open wheel win.   

The prototype Honda HI12RT race engine on display at the 2011 Honda Indy Toronto. This powerplant served as the basis for Honda's IndyCar campaign starting in 2012 and would evolve into the manufacturer's current engine. (Chris Nagy/Car FYI Canada)  

With new cars and engine rules for 2012, Honda restated their intent to the IndyCar Series as Chevrolet and Lotus would join as engine competitors. Chevrolet immediately emerged as a strong foe to the established Japanese company introducing a twin-turbocharged 2.2-liter V6 engine. For 2012, Honda opted to use a single turbocharger with their powerplant resulting in what would be seen as a deficit for both the 2012 and 2013 season. Honda adopted a twin-turbocharged engine layout from 2014 and onward. Collecting four consecutive manufacturer titles from 2018 to 2021, Honda has propelled both Scott Dixon and Alex Palou to two drivers’ championships between 2018 and 2023.

Scott Dixon's #9 Chip Ganassi Racing car undergoing service by crew members at
2023 Honda Indy Toronto with Honda engine exposed (Chris Nagy/Car FYI Canada)

Over the course of 30 years, Honda is part of IndyCar culture. Not only through their supplying engines to race teams but the organization has enhanced the experience for decades at the track through sponsorships of events, presence of pace vehicles and some incredible fan activities.