Japan’s 1981 Honda Civic Cup Was Real Racing

One of my favorite scenes from Asif Kapadia’s 2010 Senna docufilm is when they ask Ayrton about his happiest time in his racing career. By then, he was already a triple Formula 1 world champ and a global star. However, he quickly tells the interviewer that his favorite memories date back to his karting days in the ’70s. “That was real racing,” he says. I recently came across this video of Japan’s Honda Civic Cup, and all I could think was: “That’s real racing.”

The Instagram clip posted by Japanifornia appears to be a highlight reel of the Suzuka round of Japan’s 1981 Honda Civic Cup. I did a little digging and found onboard footage on YouTube of the same race. And boy, it’s an absolute hoot. The driving is phenomenal, the excitement is palpable, and the crashes are, well, pretty crazy.

It turns out that in 1980 Honda decided to create a one-make racing series that was within reach of The People. According to an old bulletin, the series had to be based on “commercially available passenger cars widely enjoyed by everyone from beginners to hobbyists and craftsmen.” The logic? These cars were “inexpensive to maintain and easy to balance performance.” They had it all figured out, didn’t they? It’s nearly the complete opposite of most modern racing series.

This led to the launch of the Honda Civic Cup in 1981, featuring the then-new SR-type Civic, which was based on the second-generation model that had debuted a few years earlier in 1979. The race-prepped compacts were powered by the optional engine offered to street-going cars, dubbed the 1500, though it was technically 1,488cc. I couldn’t find an official source with performance figures for these little racers, but does it really matter? Just look at them go!

Up to 30 Civics would see the green flag and go on to race each other hard. Too hard, in some cases, as the video shows some gnarly crashes where cars are punted straight into the air. In others, they just knock each other out while trying to dive into corners. My guess is that only half the field would finish the race, but who’s counting? Judging by their speed down the straights and their handling prowess through the esses, these must’ve been a joy to pilot around—especially at Suzuka.

And of course, it’s just cool to watch the vintage racing fashion and general flair of dedicated Japanese racing drivers and fans. Such a passionate bunch.

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