New Honda Civic Touring Car Wins Brands Hatch

Touring car racing is the mainstay for the Honda Civic, as the hatchback gets its image there. With the arrival of the 2012 Civic, a new touring car has also been developed, and it looks like it’s going to be a top contender this year.

The Honda Yuasa Racing Team kicked off its 2012 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship challenge with victory for its new Civic at the Brands Hatch season opener.

Race one was lost, as a BMW won due to a clash that delayed the Civic. But in race two, reigning champion driver Matt Neal manages to fight off rival Jason Plato.

Race three only saw a seventh place finish for the Civic, but Neal is still second overall now.

“When he hit me the second time I smiled – in a good way!” said Neal. “He was quicker than me at that stage. Once ahead he braked a little early at Druids and I gave him a nudge. Then, at Clearways where he had been strong all day, he ran wide and left the door open.”

“The car is good,” he said. “Honda had a one-two in race two [with Andrew Jordan’s Pirtek Civic following Neal home], which is great, but it’s personally frustrating. I don’t think it’s anything the team is doing or I am doing. Everything electrical was changed and we still had the problem.

When I’ve been running I’ve been fine. To start from the back and finish fourth isn’t a bad effort. The tyres last well and we had a good balance when the car was running well.”

Source;
http://www.autoevolution.com/news/new-honda-civic-touring-car-wins-brands-hatch-43831.html

Mugen VS Mugen

We drive tuned versions of Honda CR-Z and the Ariel Atom back to back in this exclusive videoBy Jack Rix June 2011

Mugen is a company that doesn’t do things by half – and lately Honda’s tuning arm has been extremely busy.

The world’s most skeletal car, the Ariel Atom has been given a power boost without the need for a supercharger. The result is a 270bhp output from its 2.0-litre Honda-sourced engine that makes it just about the fastest thing on four wheels.

Other tweaks to the £50,000 road-legal track car include firmer suspension taken from the Atom V8 and a unique colour scheme for the chassis.

Alongside the Atom Mugen we drove the CR-Z Mugen – currently a one-off tuned version of the hybrid coupe. Now kicking out 200bhp it promises Civic Type R-beating pace with excellent Fuel Economy – and as we discovered its exhaust and styling aren’t for the faint-hearted.

Watch as we take both cars outside their comfort zones – testing the CR-Z on track and unleashing the Atom on public roads.

Source: http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/videos/videoreviews/269185/mugen_vs_mugen_review.html#ixzz1S0GVAUF3