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| Formerly |
|
|---|---|
| Company type | Subsidiary |
| Industry | Motorsport |
| Founded | 1993; 32 years ago (1993) |
| Headquarters | Santa Clarita, California, U.S. |
Area served | North America |
Key people | David Salters (President) Jon Ikeda (Senior VP) |
| Products | Race cars, racing motors, and racing products |
| Owner | Honda Motor Co., Ltd. |
| Parent | American Honda Motor Co. |
| Website | hondaracing-us |
Honda Racing Corporation USA (HRC US), formerlyHonda Performance Development, Inc. (HPD),[1][2] is asubsidiary ofAmerican Honda Motor Co.[3][4][5][6] which was established in 1993 and is based inSanta Clarita, California. It is the technical operations center for Honda's American motorsports programs and is involved in the design and development of race engines and chassis forauto racing series such as theIndyCar Series,American Le Mans Series (ALMS),European Le Mans Series (ELMS),FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) andIMSA SportsCar Championship.[7]
The company's rename was announced in September 2023, asHonda Racing Corporation and then HPD looked to strengthen their capabilities in motorsport through joined collaboration.[8]
HPD debuted in theCART IndyCar World Series as a works engine manufacturer in 1994. During their first season in 1994, they scored a podium atToronto, while in 1995 they scored their first victory atNew Hampshire. In1996, HPD won its first manufacturers' and drivers' championships after taking 11 wins from 16 races. HPD took six consecutive drivers championships' as it won the drivers' title again in1997,1998,1999,2000 and2001, while it won the manufacturers' title again in 1998, 1999 and 2001.
In 2003, HPD moved to theIRLIndyCar Series. In2004, HPD overwhelmingly dominated the IndyCar Series by winning 14 of 16 races, including theIndianapolis 500, and claiming the manufacturers' and drivers' championship titles. The2005 season was similarly successful as the company took its second Indy 500 victory and won 12 races to win the manufacturers' and drivers' crowns.[9] From2006 to2011, HPD was the sole engine manufacturer of the IndyCar Series, including the Indianapolis 500. During this period, the Indianapolis 500s were run without any engine failures for the first six times in Indy 500 history, while no race failures occurred in the entire2008,2010 and2011 seasons.[10]
Manufacturer competition returned to the series in 2012, and HPD has constructed turbocharged V6 engines for its effort. Since then, HPD has won the Indianapolis 500 in2012,2014,2016,2017,2020,2021, and2022, the drivers' championship in2013,2018,2020,2021,2023, and2024, and the manufacturers' championship in2018,2019,2020,2021, and2025.
In 2006, Honda through itsAcura brand, announced its plans to develop aLe Mans Prototype program for the ALMS, competing in the LMP2 class for the initial year of competition in 2007. The new car, calledAcura ARX-01a, was a homologated development of chassis fromCourage with a new 3.4 liter V8, the maximum size allowed by the rules being developed by HPD. This was the first V8 ever branded as an Acura and the first racing Honda engine built entirely outside Japan. Elements of the Acura V8 dubbed the AL7R, share similar architecture with the Honda engine used in theIndy Racing League although none of the parts are interchangeable. In 2010 Honda dropped the Acura name in favor of HPD and the car is now known as the HPD ARX-01.
In 2007, HPD suppliedVemac RD320R andVemac RD408R for GT300 cars inSuper GT Series with designation C32B.
For the 2012 racing season, HPD decided to forgo having a works team and instead focus on being a chassis and engine provider. 2012 also saw HPD return to the premier class of racing, LMP1, in the Le Mans andFIA World Endurance Championship series.
| Class | Team | Chassis | Engine |
|---|---|---|---|
| LMP1 | Strakka Racing | ARX-03a | HPD LM-V8 |
| LMP1 | JRM Racing | ARX-03a | HPD LM-V8 |
| LMP2 | Starworks Motorsport | ARX-03b | HPD HR28TT V6 |
| Class | Team | Chassis | Engine |
|---|---|---|---|
| LMP1 | Muscle Milk Racing | ARX-03a | HPD LM-V8 |
| LMP2 | Level 5 Motorsports | ARX-03b | HPD HR28TT V6 |
| LMP2 | Black Swan Racing | Lola B11/80 coupe | HPD HR28TT V6 |
| Class | Team | Chassis | Engine |
|---|---|---|---|
| LMP2 | Extreme Speed Motorsports | ARX-03b | HPD HR28TT V6 |
| LMP2 | Extreme Speed Motorsports | ARX-04b | HPD HR28TT V6 |
| LMP2 | Meyer Shank Racing | Ligier JS P2 | HPD HR35TT V6 |
| DPi | Meyer Shank Racing | Acura ARX-05 | HPD AR35TT V6 |
| GTP | Meyer Shank Racing/Wayne Taylor Racing | Acura ARX-06 | Acura AR24e V6 |
For 2017, HPD left the Daytona Prototypes class of theIMSA SportsCar Championship, as theAcura NSX competed at theIMSA SportsCar Championship andPirelli World Challenge with technical support from HPD.[12]
For 2018, HPD returned to the Prototype class of theIMSA SportsCar Championship, as theARX-05 competed at theIMSA SportsCar Championship with technical support from HPD.[13]
