Honda Challenge

Honda Challenge is a specialty race series sanctioned by the National Auto Sport Association.

[http://www.hondachallenge.com/plugins/p17_image_gallery/images/120.jpg|thumb| Honda Challenge starting grid: BeaveRun Raceway 2005]

Created in 2002, Honda Challenge was founded on the East Coast by Scott Giles and Karl Schultz, as a club racing series specifically for Hondas. The intent of the series was to create a relatively safe racing environment for the large number of Driving School participants and instructors with Hondas who had stayed away from racing due to fear of excessive car to car contact. For its inaugural season, East Coast Honda Challenge included a "13/13" contact rule, that suspended racers who initiated car to car contact during races. After the first year, this rule was dropped and contact during Honda Challenge races is handled by NASA in the same manner as all other racing series.

[http://www.tankslapperautosport.com/cm/displayimage.php?album=4&pos=1|thumb| Matthew Bookler's H1 Civic]

Honda Challenge has 5 classes, ranked H1 - H5, with H1 being the fastest and with each class progressively slower (though results at particular tracks may differ). H1 includes hybrids, which are defined as cars using an engine that did not originally come in the chassis used (under 2.4L), along with S2000s and Honda NSXs. H2 most often features Integra Type Rs and Prelude VTECs. H3 most often features Integra GSRs and Prelude non-VTECs. H4 is similar prep to SCCA ITA, and most often features Honda CRX Sis, and similarly powered Honda Civics. H5 is similar prep to SCCA ITB and ITC, and features CRX non-Sis, and lower HP Civics.

East Coast Honda Challenge debuted on April 21st at Carolina Motorsports Park with a field of over 20 race cars spread relatively evenly through the 5 established classes. The entries for the inaugural race were as follows (bold indicates class winners):

00 DePew Frank H1 Civic Si1 Harris Jack H1 Honda37 Rosen Eric H1 Civic Si20 Jacobs Corey H2 Prelude06 Ratcliffe Alex H2 Integra28 Starnes Jon H2 Integra71 Wang Warren H2 Integra7 Brinson Chris H3 Integra22 Giles Scott H3 Integra78 Shultz Karl H3 Integra2 Muresan T/A H4 CRX50 Rhodes David H4 CRX145 Skultety David H4 Integra42 Richman Adam H4 CRX33 Bookler Matt H5 CRX90 Floyd Richard H5 Integra88 Whitaker John H5 Civic Si

Due to its popularity, Honda Challenge became a national NASA class by 2003, with multiple regions featuring the series at their races. At current time, the following regional Honda Challenge series are run: East Coast (ECHC), West Coast (WCHC), Mid West (MWHC), South East (SEHC), Northwest (NWHC),Texas (THC), and Florida (FLHC).

[http://www.drivenasafl.com/Florida Region Honda Challenge]

2006 marked the beginning of the Honda Challenge in Florida. With 8 competitors in the HC4 class, Florida had an exciting first season in the sunshine state. Florida's HC4 first championship season entries were: Rafael Santoni(1,203 points), Hugo Rodriguez(945 points), Hector Rojas(795 points), Rafael Rosario(450 points), Rodolfo Rodriguez(335 points), Luis Robert Tanon(200 points), Evan Darling(100 points), Matt Lang(90 points), and Ray Cabrera(80 points).

External links

* [http://www.hondachallenge.com/track_records.php Honda Challenge Track Records]
* [http://www.nasaproracing.com/rules/Honda-Challenge.pdf Honda Challenge rule book]