Honda unveils new race-ready Civic Type R

Honda has taken the wraps off the latest iteration of the Civic Type R, the race-ready Civic Type R TC race car from Honda Performance Development (HPD).

The Type R TC is designed as a turn-key solution for professional racers and for skilled Type R enthusiasts who wish to transition from track time in a stock Type R to a fully built race car. Eligible for the Stephane Ratel Organisation (SRO) TC Americas Touring Car competition, the all new Type R TC race car is available to Honda Racing Line members with racing licenses exclusively through HPD.

The specially outfitted Type R joins the TCA-class Civic Si and TCR-class Type R in HPD's portfolio of Civic-based, turn-key racing machines.

The Civic Type R TC was developed and tested in-house by HPD engineers as a modified version of the production Civic Type R designed exclusively for track use, with final assembly done by Gradient Racing in Austin, Texas. HPD engineers developed and tested the Civic Type R, drawing on experience gained from production car and race vehicle engineering including development of the HPD Civic Si TCA race car.

The HPD-developed Civic Type R race car begins life as a body in white from Honda's Swindon plant in England, and uses its road and track-proven 2.0-litre VTEC Turbo engine supplied by the Honda of America's engine plant in Anna, Ohio, producing between 266bhp and 325bhp depending on the series application.

The Type R TC retains the stock vehicle's exterior sheet metal, but adds racing components developed in-house and in partnership with select suppliers to build a ready-to-race vehicle that saves racers the time and money of doing it themselves.

Major modifications to the production Type R include a high-flow front grille, a J's Racing FRP vented hood, and a CSF-designed radiator and oil cooler.

At the rear, the car features an HPD/Borla downpipe and turbo back exhaust. A six-speed manual transmission with high-strength third and fourth gears and an HPD/Cusco limited slip differential add handling prowess on the track, while HPD Girodisk two-piece front brake rotors and HPD brake inlet ducts provide the necessary stopping power.

A HPD/Pyrotect bolt-in FIA 60-litre fuel cell and a welded multi-point racing cage with an OMP racing seat with a six-point harness finishes the race car.

The Civic Type R TC-class race car will be available to registered North American racing customers with racing licenses through HPD's Honda Racing Line program for competition in SRO TC Americas competition. In addition to a fully outfitted race car, HPD supports all of its racing customers with trackside factory engineering and parts support, and an exclusive technical support line that can connect racing customers directly with HPD engineers when they're not at the track.