After an action-packed week and a dramatic race at the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal, the Honda Racing F1 Team heads to North America today for the next round of the 2007 FIA Formula One World Championship at the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
SHUHEI NAKAMOTO - Senior Technical Director
"After a frustrating race in Canada, we are looking forward to Indianapolis which presents a different set-up challenge with its mix of high speed sections and twisting infield. The circuit also offers good overtaking opportunities. We will be pushing as hard as possible to achieve a better result."
JENSON BUTTON
"I really enjoy racing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. I had never driven on a banked circuit before Formula One went to Indy so the last corner of the F1 circuit configuration is really fun to drive. I know the banking is not much compared to the IndyCar races but it feels banked to us. The circuit is not such a high-speed circuit which I generally prefer, but you can get some great racing as there are some good overtaking opportunities. The key to getting a quick lap around the Speedway is achieving a package which doesn't have too much aerodynamic drag for the long straight. The place has a lot of history and the fans are so passionate about their racing. We always have a lot of support when F1 goes to Indy which makes for a great atmosphere over the race weekend."
RUBENS BARRICHELLO
"The circuit at Indianapolis is quite unique and the venue usually puts on a great show over the race weekend. Although the track is not particularly challenging and actually very slow with the tight in-field section, it is a lot of fun, particularly driving the first corner of the oval banking flat out. It's always a good race for the fans because you can overtake at Indianapolis. It's a long way from the grid down to the first corner so that is a good opportunity or at the end of the back straight."
INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
No of Laps 73 lapsCircuit Length 4.192 kmRace Distance 306.016 km
Built in 1908, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the oldest motor racing circuit still in use today. The original surface was made up of over three million bricks giving the venue the nickname of the Brickyard. The IMS has played host to Formula One since 2000 following the construction of a brand new infield course. The 4.192 km circuit uses part of the fabled Indianapolis oval with the remainder of the lap snaking through the infield.
Tony George, head of the Speedway Corporation and a descendent of the Hulman family that has steered the fortunes of the historic American track, pulled out all the stops to create a world-class racing circuit that could provide a permanent home for the United States Grand Prix. In pursuit of that goal, he made radical changes to the original Speedway by demolishing buildings, erecting a new pit complex and grandstands, and building today's challenging road course.
Overtaking is much easier at Indianapolis than at most tracks, with clear passing opportunities into turns one and eight, both second-gear corners proceeded by long straights. The slowest part of the track is the 40mph turn eight, the first part of an extremely tight S-bend, while the fastest is turn thirteen. This is the first corner of the oval and is taken flat-out at 185mph in an F1 car.
HONDA IN AMERICA
Sales- Both the Honda brand and Honda's premium brand Acura are sold in the US- The two brands sold over 1.5million units in 2006, an increase of 103% on the previous year and a ten-year high- Acura sales accounted for 200,000 units of this total, with the MDX & TL comprising two-thirds of Acura sales- The new Accord will be released in the autumn of this year, with over9.5 million units sold since its debut in 1976
Production- Honda produced 974,380 units in the US in 2006- The company has plants in Ohio, Alabama & Georgia- From Autumn 2008 there will be a new plant in Indiana which will produce the Civic 4-door model
Environment- The new Honda FCX Fuel Cell Vehicle will be leased from 2008 in the US & Japan- From April 2007 Honda began sales of a Compact Household Co-generation system in association with Climate Energy
