Welcome to the home of the Motul Honda Cup

Hondas are at home on the racetrack with the sophisticated suspension and high tech motors that are delivered from the factory.

Performance and reliability is the true essence of the "Powered by Honda" legend and that is what wins races! Many people have been searching for a place to race Hondas in a unified field and that time has arrived!

The Honda Cup Register recognised the growing demand and in 2008 established the Honda Cup Series to provide a venue for the legions of Honda fans around the country. Some cars are modified, others less so, but our format provides great racing, strong camaraderie and a wider community that is perfect for developing your car and your driving skills.

Now in its third season the Motul-backed series continues to attract strong grids and provide competitive and enjoyable racing for both new and experienced Honda enthusiasts. Many of the country's top Honda tuners have joined the series to support the racers and "competition-prove" their parts, so the battle will be epic for what is quickly becoming the best thing in import racing. If you have a track day Honda, are building a track Honda or want to go racing in the easiest and most exciting way possible, then this is the series for you.

Join Honda Cup today – and live the dream.

Hankook Competition Tyres

The latest Hankook Competition Tyre information, download here.

Annual Honda Cup Awards Dinner

26th May 7pm at the Suncourt, 14 Northcroft Street, Taupo.
It will be an evening of celebration and fun with guest speaker.
The dress code is formal and entry is by ticket only.

For further details, contact Richard Gee.

Honda Cup Challenge Round 1 – North Island

Saturday 26th – Tech, Test and Train – Taupo short track (optional non-points day).

• 2012 Winter Challenge North Round 1 - Taupo Sprint Regulations
• 2012 Winter Challenge North Round 1 - Taupo Sprint Entry Form
  
  

Sunday 27th – Practice, Qualifying and three races – Taupo short track.

• 2012 Winter Challenge North Round 1 - Taupo Race Regulations
• 2012 Winter Challenge North Round 1 - Taupo Race Entry Form
  
  

Entry is $100 per day or $75 per day if you enter both days.

Down To The Wire

Well, it's been a while since the last newsletter so we thought we would make this one a big one. We've had three cracking rounds since the start of the year and with one to go we could not have hoped for a better climax. Not only are our two 'aces' out front - Mark Walters and Shane Parsons - just two points apart and with it all to play for in Feilding, but the 1.6 championship is also going down to the wire, with veteran Gary Wilson and find of the season Warren Nutley all set to slug it out for class honours.

The first round of 2012 saw a handful of new cars and drivers appear including the simply fantastic green EG of David Miller and another protégé of Mr Walters make his debut - James Post in his DC2. The round didn't end well for Trevor Strong, who spun on cold tyres in the first race and was collected by his own mechanic and car, as well as by Gavin Boyne in his DC5. Frantic work got Boyne back out - and it was a good job too, as he went on to take his first win in the handicap race.

Hampton Downs and Round 1 of the V8 SuperTourers gave everyone the chance to be part of something big in motorsport in New Zealand and everyone did pretty well. Some rough calculations suggest Hondas did about 1300 laps of the circuit in total over the weekend and there was really only one serious incident. A late call to change the format of the fourth bonus race was down to numbers of cars, and in the end it proved the correct one, with a superb fourth race to sign off a fantastic weekend of motor racing.

Mark Walters and Shane Parsons were out front all weekend, but spare a thought for guest driver and Squawking Magpie winery owner Gavin Yortt, who rocked up in the ‘Big Al’ DC2 rocket ship and just got quicker and quicker. A DNS in Race 1 prevented him from winning the round, but his drive from the back in the Reverse Top Ten race was an epic.

It was back to Hampton Downs a fortnight later, for a much quieter weekend on the bill at the legends of Speed meeting. A smaller group enjoyed some fantastic action and Shane Parsons took the round win, with Mark Walters’ long time record of finishing coming to an end when his car broke down during the handicap race.

It's been a great season and a testament to everyone who has committed to it to go racing and make it happen - drivers, sponsors and organisers. It's an old cliché but it really wouldn't have happened without everyone's help. All we can say for the final round is be safe out there and may the best man win!

Season 2 almost ready

Motul Honda Cup is already deep into planning Summer Season 2 and is working on some new ideas to make the series even more interesting to existing and new drivers.

One of the major ideas we have had is to introduce an enduro race to the calendar. Not a 24 hour or even six hour challenge, but something a little shorter so we can all sample what it takes. the initial idea is for a one hour or one and half hour race with a fuel stop and a driver change to a driver who must not be a regular in the championship. And if two drivers are not for you, then we will be able to come up with something to make the single driver get out of the car and get back in. Anyway, we’re sure you get the general idea!

It all has to be done properly and to strict rules but our early discussions with race weekend organisers have convinced us it will be possible. What we would probably do is fit it in over a two day meeting - qualify in the morning on Saturday as normal then run the enduro as the last race of the day on the Saturday, with the sprint races for the round running on the Sunday. Most we have spoken to in the series already or considering it love the idea and it certainly does add yet another dimension to the Motul Honda Cup. We are very keen indeed to hear from our racers with their opinions. One thing we can confirm is that the entry fee for the particular weekend we are looking at will not increase as a result of us having a longer race on the programme - which is great news.

Honda Cup South Island

With the Honda cup North Island Summer season nearing an end the series organisers now have time to attend to the request from the many Honda enthusiast based in the South Island and are currently organising the inaugural Motul Honda Cup South Winter Series.

"It's been a challenge" said Honda Cup Race Director Al Stewart. "It's not easy when you are working from a remote base but the level of enthusiasm from the 'mainland' is high and I could not see us going another season without getting something going to keep all the Southern Honda enthusiasts happy. We're not too fussed about numbers at this stage, but we want to get it going and see what we can achieve alongside the North Island programme."

Mark Wederall - whose car is pictured on display at last weekend's V8 SuperTourer round at Ruapuna - has offer his assistance to co ordinate the Winter Series and long time Honda enthusiast Alex Brown has also put his hand up to help get it all underway. Tentative dates have been announced for a pilot mini-series with Round 1 at Timaru on the 5th August and Round 2 at Ruapuna on 19th August.

In addition all South Island competitors are invited to run at the North Island winter round to be held at Manfield on the 8th July. Anyone interested in joining in with the Motul Honda Cup South can check out www.hondacup.co.nz There is a full list of contacts available on the site along with all the rules, regulations and other helpful information.

Racing with the Super Tourers at Hampton

What a monumentous achievement in such a short time. From an idea floated over a few beers a year ago to a full blown 30 car Honda Grid at New Zealand's biggest race meeting of the year.

Everyone involved in the class should give themselves a well deserved pat on the back.

Sure a few things need to be fettled in regards to the running of the meeting but considering that it was the first time for everyone it was a massive achievement and the event organisers deserve a big thumbs up for bringing such a huge undertaking together in such a short time.

The crowds came in droves and the weather could not have been better. Honda Cup got to run at a tier 1 plus level meeting with a full practice and qualifying session, four full length races without paying an exorbitant entry fee or being treated like a poor cousin.

How good was it to be able to finish a race and then walk unhindered around the Super Tourer pits - something that could only happen in NZ!

The feedback the Honda Cup has received from the Hampton organisers, the STV8 teams and the public has been 100% complimentary and can only confirm that Honda Cup are on the right track.

Manfield with its improved track and spectating facilities should see another step up with crowd numbers expected to be as big as Hampton.

Where to from here? There is still room for us to improve our act and we are already working on it so onwards and upwards for rounds five and six.

Hankook dominate at Hampton

A feather in the cap for Honda Cup to see both the V8 super Tourers and the new V8 development series both running Hankook slicks as their spec tyre.

Three years ago Honda Cup Race Director Big Al decided it was time to look for an alternative to the Dunlop that the majority of racers were using. He contacted Hankook NZ with a view to importing a range of Hankook V200 slicks to test.

After a season of testing various compounds and combination Big Al negotiated an agreement with Hankook NZ to supply a mix of sizes and compound of Hankook race slicks to Honda Cup. Hankook agreed to supply fresh tyres direct ex factory made with the same carcass construction as those supplied to the European DTM series.

Honda Cup racers quickly found that the new Hankooks offered significantly advantages in improved levels of grip, reduced lap times and reduced wear. Over 70% of the Honda Cup field is now racing on Hankook race slicks.

Look for more support from Hankook in Honda Cup 2013.

Honda Cup Round 5 - Legends of Speed 3rd and 4th March at Hampton Downs.

It's a two day event with some of our classes running just one day and others over both days for a change. There is also a practice session on the Friday for those wanting to test.

The winner of the last race in each class will win a shield named after one of New Zealand's Legends of Speed. These will be presented at the Motorsport Clubs award night later in the year.

Classes running will be Arrow Wheels, Alfas, AES / TradeZone, Superhistorics and Formula Suzuki, Historics, Production Muscle Cars, Classic Japanese, Honda Cup, Classic Trial, Formula Ford, Formula Junior, Advanced Adhesives Allcomers Saloons, ACES and Arrow Wheels.

This will be a great event and will provide a change of format and size of event, while remaining low key and relaxed. Enter online on at www.motorsportentry.com

Contact Chris Watson, mobile 027 482 7542 or Melissa Morgan for more information.

Biggest Honda racing field ever set for Hampton Downs V8 SuperTourer round.

The biggest field of racing Hondas ever assembled in New Zealand is set to open the action at the most exciting race meeting in New Zealand for years.

Then Honda Cup is the opening act at the new V8 SuperTourer series inaugural weekend at Hampton Downs on February 17, 18 and 19 and again at Round 3 of the series at Manfeild in April.

The Motul Honda Cup has been running in New Zealand for three seasons, but 2011-2012 is the first time it has run a summer series instead of a one day format winter championship. Interest has been huge, with racing drivers aged from their teens to their late 60s trying their hand in powerful VTEC Honda chassis that represent the whole spectrum of the Type-R genre.

The field will include many vintages of Civic, Integra and CRX models from the 80's to the current, and some of the tuning on the cars represents the latest thinking in club Honda racing globally.

"Hondas make great racing cars simply because they are strong, exceptionally reliable and easy to tune whether you are an amateur or professional outfit" explained series director and founder Alan Stewart.

"Even with a stock engine you can be competitive in our series and as we control costs as best as we can, we have seen a significant influx of new drivers who would have otherwise probably not have committed to circuit motor racing. There's a strong community developing and to be on the bill at the V8 SuperTourer round is exciting for everyone concerned in the series".

"We will be aiming to put on a great show, as well as showcasing the driving and engineering skills that can be seen at every level of the series".

Electronic entry now open for Hampton Super Tourer Round.

Enter online for the Hampton Super Tourer round over at the motorsportentry website.

Your username is your last name followed by your initial, and your password is your competition licence number followed by "pwd".

For example, Joe Smith whose competition licence number is 12345 has a user name of smithj and a password of 12345pwd.

If you have not entered one of our events before, click the "Not Registered?" button on the left and follow the instructions.

If you are having any problems email Melissa Morgan.

The Origin

In 2004 long-time Kiwi Honda enthusiast and racer Al Stewart returned from a working holiday in California. While working there for Race Team Special Projects he was lucky enough to gain a drive in one of the team Integras in two Honda Challenge rounds. The idea was implanted in his mind and on his return Al set about setting up a similar Honda Challenge series in New Zealand. To ensure the series got off the ground smoothly Al decided to run the series in conjunction with the existing SS2000 – Under 2 litre Saloon Series.

This made perfect sense. The SS2000 class was a national eight round series that was already enjoying success and had been running for many years. A set of Honda Challenge rules were drafted by Al and presented at the annual SS2000 AGM. The class was taken on board by SS2000 and 2005 saw the first season of Honda Challenge in New Zealand proudly sponsored by beer giant Carlsberg. Both SS2000 and Honda Challenge have continued to enjoy success with large grids and exciting racing.

The numbers of Hondas racing in New Zealand has continued to grow each year with Hondas now being the dominant marque in the series. The marquee has a massive following in New Zealand and has one of the biggest auto forums in the southern hemisphere, NZ Hondas.

But as they say…there is more! Al said he is constantly being asked by new racers how and where they should get started. He will often be heard talking about his early years at clubmans meetings at Manfeild in the 70's and how these were some of the best times he ever had in motorsport. This is also the view of many of the racers of that era.

The result has been the advent of a Clubman style competition for Hondas to bring back some of the fun and affordable entry level racing that is sometimes lacking into today's hectic range of summer series. A mini series to allow new Honda competitors to get out on the track and mix it with some of the more experienced drivers in a low key fun race meet is indeed the perfect step up the ladder for a growing band of talented young drivers and engineers modifying or building cars for the growing NZ track day scene. Our winter rules are simple, the racing is all held over one day and the rounds spread apart to assist the cash flow!