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 The RA300 ofJohn Surtees on display at theHonda Collection Hall in 2013 | |||||||||||
| Category | Formula One | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constructor | Honda R&D | ||||||||||
| Designers | Eric Broadley (Lola Cars) John Surtees (Honda) Yoshio Nakamura (Honda) Shoichi Sano (Honda) | ||||||||||
| Predecessor | RA273 | ||||||||||
| Successor | RA301 | ||||||||||
| Technical specifications | |||||||||||
| Chassis | Aluminiummonocoque | ||||||||||
| Engine | Honda RA273E, 2991ccV12naturally aspirated,mid-engined,longitudinally mounted | ||||||||||
| Transmission | Honda 5-speedmanual | ||||||||||
| Fuel | BP/Shell | ||||||||||
| Tyres | Firestone | ||||||||||
| Competition history | |||||||||||
| Notable entrants | Honda Racing | ||||||||||
| Notable drivers |  John Surtees | ||||||||||
| Debut | 1967 Italian Grand Prix | ||||||||||
| First win | 1967 Italian Grand Prix | ||||||||||
| Last win | 1967 Italian Grand Prix | ||||||||||
| Last event | 1968 South African Grand Prix | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Constructors' Championships | 0 | ||||||||||
| Drivers' Championships | 0 | ||||||||||
Unless otherwise stated, all data refer to Formula One World Championship Grands Prix only. | |||||||||||
TheHonda RA300 was aFormula Oneracing car produced byHonda Racing, and introduced towards the end of the1967 Formula One season. It retained the sameV12 engine as the precedingRA273 car, but the chassis was designed byLola'sEric Broadley thanks to Honda driverJohn Surtees' experiences driving aLola T70 in the Can-Am championship.[1] The new chassis was based on a previous LolaIndianapolis 500 car, theT90. Internally, Lola designated the RA300 the T130. This collaboration resulted in the machine quickly being dubbed the "Hondola" by the motorsports press.[1]
Broadley's chassis was much lighter and sweeter-handling than the in-house RA273. The car initially performed impressively, winning in its first-ever World Championship race, theItalian Grand Prix atMonza. Driver John Surtees took the lead fromJim Clark'sLotus andJack Brabham'sBrabham on the final lap, after Clark ran out of fuel and Brabham ran wide. However, the RA300 flattered to deceive, and this would turn out to be the only lap that the car would lead. It remains the only F1 car ever to take its single victory in its first Grand Prix, and on the only lap it would ever lead.[1]
Honda continued with the RA300 for the remainder of the 1967 season, Surtees finishing fourth at the final race inMexico. The car was then raced one last time at the opening race of the1968 season inSouth Africa, Surtees finishing eighth, before being superseded by theRA301, a design closely based on the RA300.
The 48-valve V12 engine first appeared in the RA273 at the1966 Italian Grand Prix, driven byRichie Ginther. In spite of weighing 740 kg (dry), it was capable of spinning the rear tyres at 100 mph in third gear. With cylinder dimensions of 78.0 x 52.2 mm and a displacement of 2,993.17 cc, a target of 400-440 bhp at 12,000 rpm was quoted. The engine used by Surtees at Monza in 1967 was quoted byMotoring News as developing only 396 bhp, but with improved torque and response. Honda quotes the 1967 RA300 as producing "over 420 PS" (414 bhp) at 11,500rpm.[2] The vehicle weight excess over the 500 kg minimum was more than halved, with Honda quoting a weight of 590 kg (1,301 lb)[3] – some sources state 610 kg (1,345 lb) – whereas the RA273 had been 740 kg (1,631 lb), or nearly fifty percent overweight.[1]
(key) (results inbold indicate pole position; results initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Engine | Tyres | Driver | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Points | WCC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Honda Racing | HondaV12 | F | RSA | MON | NED | BEL | FRA | GBR | GER | CAN | ITA | USA | MEX | 201 | 4th | ||
| John Surtees | 1 | Ret | 4 | |||||||||||||||
| 1968 | Honda Racing | HondaV12 | F | RSA | ESP | MON | BEL | NED | FRA | GBR | GER | ITA | CAN | USA | MEX | 142 | 6th | |
| John Surtees | 8 |
1 Includes 8 points scored using theHonda RA273.
2 All 14 points scored using theHonda RA301.
