Honda Racing’s all-new Civic Type-R was revealed at Brands Hatch on Tuesday morning ahead of the squad’s latest assault on the 2015 Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship.
Scheduled to be officially unveiled at the BTCC media day at Donington on Tuesday 24 March, the new car has been designed and built from the ground up in the Team Dynamics workshops in Pershore, Worcestershire, the Independent team working in close conjunction with Honda UK manufacturing in Swindon since September 2014.
BTCC champions Matt Neal and Gordon Shedden will once again be paired together at the Dynamics squad in 2015, entering their sixth consecutive season as team-mates and their eighth in total.
Triple BTCC champion Neal gave the car its first run at Kent’s Brands Hatch circuit in testing on Tuesday, commenting: “This is a car that not just us, but the entire automotive industry has been waiting for.
“We are as excited as anybody to start running the Civic Type R, which is a massive step forward from last year’s Tourer – from the engine to the handling and aerodynamics.”
2012 champion Shedden added: “The Civic Type R is an iconic car. We are chomping at the bit to get this distinctive, aggressive looking car out on the track. It’s going to stand out and cause a real stir on the track. Especially when we clean up in the championship!”
The Japanese marque surrendered their Manufacturers’ crown to MG in 2014, racing a unique Honda Civic Tourer which picked up three wins in the hands of Shedden and a further victory for Neal at Knockhill.
Barry Plowman, Technical Director at Honda Yuasa Racing, commented: “We cannot wait for the new season to start. Our car for 2015 is going to win races. The shape of the new road going Civic Type R has allowed the team to build on the design and take it forward to be a championship winning car.
“2015 is widely being billed as the year Honda is back and we are continuing that in to BTCC. We’ve worked hard over the winter to ensure we have a winning car for 2015.”
Photo: Honda Yuasa Racing
