2016.12.04

Many fans visit Honda Racing THANKS DAY 2016 in fine weather at Motegi!

On December 4th under clear skies and unseasonably warm weather the Honda Racing THANKS DAY 2016 fan appreciation event was held at Twin Ring Motegi circuit. Being a Honda event, the program included not only attractions involving 4-wheeled motor sports but also the full range of 2-wheeled motorsport, from road racers to Trial and motocrosss. On hand to make appearances were the NSX CONCEPT-GT cars and drivers that competed this season in SUPER GT, the MotoGP 2016 Champion Rider Marc Márquez, and the McLaren Honda and drivers Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button who competed in the F1 World Championship. They were met by a turnout of some 20,000 Honda-loving fans for an exciting day in celebration of motor sports.

 

The always-popular SUPER GT program featured a talk show with the team managers and drivers that was attended by many fans. There was also a 2&4 super performance event featuring track runs by three NSX CONCEPT-GT SUPER GT machines and the new NSX model, as well as the MotoGP race machine RC213V. There was also a 2&4 0-300m acceleration trial competed by the SUPER GT drivers and managers and a Honda Racing Dream Kart Cup with the SUPER GT drivers participating to the excitement of the fans. In the 2&4 Super Performance event, former F1 world champion driver Jenson Button made a surprise appearance driving the No. 15 Drago Modulo NSX CONCEPT-GT that helped keep the fans thrilled to the very end with the array of Honda motorsport attractions.

 

 

Honda Racing Dream Kart Cup

Kart races featuring drivers and riders were run. This year, two races were held, with F1 driver Fernando Alonso, as well as competitors in the top Japanese and American formula races, Stoffel Vandoorne and Takuma Sato. In all, a star cast of 12 paired in teams to race six cars competing in the race for SUPER GT drivers and team managers. Befitting the Honda Racing THANKS DAY, the role of commentator was served by manager Kunimitsu Takahashi (TEAM KUNIMITSU).

 

Heated battles were seen throughout the races. Vying for the lead in mid-race were Tomoki Nojiri (No. 8 ARTA NSX CONCEPT-GT) and Vandone, racing side-by-side; unfortunately, contact between the vehicles forced Nojiri out of the competition. Vandone handed off the kart to fellow Belgian Bertrand Baguette (No. 64 Epson NSX CONCEPT-GT), who held the lead and went on to win the race. In second and third were the Daisuke Nakajima (No. 64 Epson NSX CONCEPT-GT)/Hideki Mutoh (No. 15 Drago Modulo NSX CONCEPT-GT) team and the Takuma Sato/manager Aguri Suzuki (No.’s 8/55 AUTOBACS RACING TEAM AGURI) team, with Nojiri/Alonso finishing fourth.

 

Honda Racing Managers and Drivers Talk Show

Hosted at the Honda Racing THANKS DAY stage behind the main stands, the Talk Show featured many SUPER GT drivers, making the event a popular success. During the morning portion on the Show, appearances were made by manager Katsutomo Kaneishi, Koudai Tsukakoshi and Takashi Kogure (all from No. 17 KEIHIN NSX CONCEPT-GT); as well as manager Kunimitsu Takahashi and Takuya Izawa (No. 100 RAYBRIG NSX CONCEPT-GT). Manager Aguri Suzuki and Tomoki Nojiri (No. 8 ARTA NSX CONCEPT-GT) and manager Satoru Nakajima, Daisuke Nakajima and Bertrand Baguette (No. 64 Epson NSX CONCEPT-GT) made their appearances in the afternoon portion, sharing behind-the-scenes stories of their teams. The theme for the day was, “managers from the viewpoint of drivers, drivers from the viewpoint of managers.” Laughter could be heard from the audience when Nojiri commented on his relationship with his manager, “I have known manager Aguri for a long time, since elementary school (when Nojiri drove karts),” and Daisuke chimed in, “we (Daisuke and his father, manager Satoru) have known each other even longer.”

 

 

Participatory HSV-010 GT pit crew event

Participatory pit crew events were held by Nakajima Racing and TEAM KUNIMITSU, using their machines from the 2013 season, the Epson HSV-010 and RAYBRIG HSV-010. The event featured jacking up the machines, changing four tires, and a driver change. Teams of seven, including one person in charge of jacking up the machine; those in charge of left and right, front and rear tires (one person for each for a total of four) and two people taking the places of the A and B drivers, competed for the best pit time. Before the actual trials, racing mechanics gave a preliminary explanation of the procedure, and mechanics assisted the driver change, resulting in a fairly accurate re-creation of the actual race conditions, overall. In SUPER GT, 40 seconds is said to constitute a fast pit stop, and while the fueling was replaced by a 10 second count, a number of the teams had times around 50 seconds, and the mechanics present seemed impressed with the results.

 

 

Honda Racing THANKS Ceremony

During the Honda Racing THANKS Ceremony, hosted at a stage set up on the Super Speedway, 2016 Champions including Moto GP’s Marc Márquez and motorcycle World Trials Championship contender Toni Bou made their appearances. They were followed by riders, drivers and managers attending Honda Racing THANKS DAY, and were met on the stage by Honda’s President, CEO and Representative Director Takahiro Hachigo. When all members had reached the stage, President Hachigo gave a closing speech in which he expressed his gratitude toward the audience. This was followed by a few words by Márquez and Alonso, representing motorcycles and four-wheel drivers, respectively, closing this fan-centric ceremony thanking them for their support in the 2016 season. (Featured in the picture at the top of the page.)

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