Yahoo Autos Honda Makes Racing a Priority, and Customers Get the Benefits
The founder of Honda Motor Company, Soichiro Honda, famously said, "If Honda does not race, there is no Honda." He understood that racing was essential to the competitive spirit of his company and its people. To this day, the Japanese automaker takes this quote very seriously and internalizes it as words to live by. This is one of the many reasons why Honda participates in and is so successful at all levels of motorsports competition; from grassroots karts, to Formula 1 and Moto GP. Racing is in their blood.
Methodical to the core, Honda actually built multiple racetracks before even producing its first automobile. In 1962, they built the Suzuka circuit in Japan without even having a car to race, and just three years later, in 1965, they won their first Formula 1 victory. Since then, Honda has had a very successful run in a plethora of motorsports competitions. A few pinnacle racing stats include 74 race wins in Formula 1 plus six constructors’ championships, 245 race wins in IndyCar and eight manufacturers’ championships, and 307 race wins in MotoGP and 25 constructors’ championships. That's a lot of wins, and it helps allow them to continue competing at a high level. You might be asking yourself, “What does Honda winning and competing in all of these races do for me?” Quite a lot, actually, if you're a person who drives Hondas or uses any of its other products.
They Race What They Build
A look at Honda's history points out what benefits consumers gain from an automaker that's involved in racing. Much of the new technology in use today in Honda’s production cars is derived from their race cars. Racing serves as a test bed for trying out new ideas and technologies that then make their way into more mainstream products and cars like the Civic Type R and the Civic Si. Yes, that means your Honda automobile, motorcycle, or power product has its roots in the company’s racing programs.
Honda believes that if they can deliver podium finishes and wins in racing, this will correlate to delivering the same excellence to their customers. As far as we can tell, they've been able to deliver on that promise time and time again. It’s no wonder that the Honda Accord has appeared on our 10Best list a record 34 times. This doesn't happen by accident, and it’s definitely not a fluke—Honda makes good cars. As long as the company continues to innovate and push the boundaries in racing, consumers will continue to benefit from the excellence that results.
