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April 29, 2006
1959: Honda racing team takes part in the Isle of Man TT race, placing sixth in the 125cc class.
1961: Honda racing team wins the 125cc and 250cc classes at the Isle of Man TT.
1962: Construction of the Honda-owned Suzuka Circuit in Japan is completed.
 1963: Honda enters Formula One?racing's most competitive circuit?with a liquid-cooled, 1.5 liter, 225-hp V-12, which was developed by one of Honda's top engineers, and eventual president, Tadashi Kume. It becomes the highest performing engine of its class.
 1964: Californian Ronnie Bucknum becomes the first Honda-powered driver. A deal with Lotus and Brabham to construct a chassis for their Honda-powered engines collapses, and Honda is forced to build their racer entirely on their own. Honda enters Formula One Grand Prix racing, placing ninth in the first race.
 1965: Honda adds a second driver, Richie Ginther, who brings F1 experience from Ferrari and BRM. In the final Grand Prix of the 1965 racing season, Honda gets its first win in Mexico City with a 400-hp engine. The win breaks the "motorcycle-racing-only" stigma some had attached to the Honda name, and marks the last running of the 1.5 liter displacement limit in F1 racing. Honda wins the Mexican Grand Prix with driver Richie Ginther, its first Formula One victory.
1966: Honda enters Formula Two racing, drawn not only by its desire to win, but to also accelerate the technical development of a consumer-friendly sized 1.0 liter engine, F2 racing's displacement limit. Jack Brabham wins 11 straight races and becomes the F2 racing champion. That same year, Honda-powered Brabham wins his third F1 Championship. F1 racing's displacement limit becomes three liters, and a water-cooled, 400-hp V-12 engine again marks Honda's dominance in engine power.
 1967: John Surtees, powered by the new Honda motor, wins the Italian Grand Prix, eclipsing established names like Lotus and Brabham. Honda wins the Italian Grand Prix Formula One race with driver John Surtees.
1968: At Indianapolis Motor Speedway, a Honda-powered F1 car reaches a 171-mph lap speed during a test run-enough to earn it a spot in the front row of that year's Indy 500.Honda leaves the sport of racing altogether to focus on consumer automobiles in the United States. As a training ground for engineers, Honda's racing technology is successfully transferred to the production lines with gains in performance, safety and engineering.
1980: Honda returns to racing in the F2 circuit after being away for more than a decade. Development begins on a 2.0 liter, 4-cam V-6 engine.
1981: Geoff Lees wins the F2 Championship with a newly designed Honda engine and Ralt chassis.
1983: Honda returns to Formula One racing after a 15-year absence.
 1984: Williams Racing Team and Honda-powered driver Keke Rosberg are victorious at the United States Grand Prix in Dallas, marking Honda's first F1 win in 17 years. Ralt-Honda Formula Two team wins 12 consecutive races and the championship. In Formula One, Honda wins the Dallas Grand Prix with Keke Rosberg driving. Honda-mounted Fred Merkel wins his first of three consecutive AMA Superbike titles. Johnny O'Mara wins the AMA Supercross title, the third in a row for Honda.
1985: Williams-Honda wins four Grand Prix races.
1986: Williams-Honda wins the Constructor's Championship by crossing the finish line first in 9 of 16 races. Honda teams finish first, second, third, fifth and sixth in the Paris - Dakar Rally.
1987: Japanese Grand Prix is held at Suzuka Circuit for the first time. Williams Honda takes the Formula One World Championship.
 1988: Honda begins its McLaren partnership with Ayrton Senna as their driver. The combination is victorious in 15 of 16 events on the way to winning both the F1 Manufacturer's and Driver's Championships. McLaren Honda posts a record 11 consecutive Formula One race wins, takes both the F-1 Constructors' and Drivers' Championships.
1989: With new regulations banning turbochargers from F1, Honda builds a V-10 that propels the McLaren/Honda team to another Driver's Championship and Manufacturer's Title. McLaren Honda again wins both Formula One world titles.
 1990: The McLaren/Honda combination wins yet another Driver's Championship and Manufacturer's Title. Ayrton Senna is the top driver for 1990. McLaren Honda takes its third consecutive double world championship.
1991: Soichiro Honda dies at age 81. His passing marks a legacy of victory and achievement in the world of racing. McLaren/Honda once again proves a fruitful union, winning another Driver's Championship and Manufacturer's Title. A new 12-cylinder engine, the same weight as the V-10, is introduced. Honda posts its 60th Formula One win at the Brazilian Grand Prix, and McLaren Honda wins its fourth consecutive Grand Prix championship. Honda wins the Isle of Man TT for the 10th time. Comptech Racing and driver Parker Johnstone win the first of three consecutive IMSA Camel Lights championships.
1992: A second generation V-12 engine powers Honda to five wins for the season. Honda leaves F1 to focus on CART/USAC Indy racing. Honda leaves with six Constructor's Championships, five Driver's Titles and 71 Grand Prix victories under its belt.
1993: Honda "Dream" wins the World Solar Challenge.
1994: Honda engineers begin working on a methanol-fueled, turbo-charged, 2.65 liter V-8 engine for Indy-style racing. Honda enters CART Champ Car competition. Mick Doohan wins the first of an unprecedented five consecutive motorcycle Grand Prix championships.
 1995: Andre Ribiero wins first Honda-powered Indy race on a Reynard chassis at the New Hampshire oval. Honda wins its first Champ Car race, the New Hampshire 200, with driver Andre Ribiero.
 1996: A 780-hp, V-8-powered Honda engine outclasses the competition, winning 11 of 16 races that year. Jimmy Vasser of Chip Ganassi Racing is named CART's top driver with four wins, followed by fellow teammate and "Rookie of the Year" recipient Alex Zanardi with three victories and third place in the driver's standings. Honda named Manufacturer's Champion. Honda wins 11 Champ Car races, taking the CART Manufacturers' Championship and driver's title with Jimmy Vasser. Honda wins the Solar Challenge for the second time.
 1997: Honda-powered drivers take top three spots in Driver's competition, with Alex Zanardi leading the way and capturing the PPG Cup. Gil de Ferran and Jimmy Vasser finish in second and third. Honda drivers Alex Zanardi, Gil de Ferran and Jimmy Vasser finish 1-2-3 in CART competition. Honda wins the All Japan Touring Car Championship.
1998: Honda-powered drivers capture 13 of 19 race victories and the top three PPG Cup slots for the second straight season. Alex Zanardi wins a second consecutive PPG Cup, and Tony Kanaan is named "Rookie of the Year." Honda named Manufacturer's Champion for the second time in three years. Honda wins its second CART Manufacturers' Championship and third driver's title with Alex Zanardi. Twin Ring Motegi circuit north of Tokyo hosts Japan's first CART Champ Car race.
1999: Rookie of the Year Juan Montoya wins seven races and finishes the season ranked first in the overall standings. Dario Franchitti and Paul Tracy finish second and third to complete the Honda sweep. Honda is named Manufacturer's Champion for the third time in four years. Honda wins its third CART Manufacturers' Championship in the last four years, and fourth consecutive drivers' title with rookie Juan Montoya. Alex Criville becomes the first-ever Spanish 500GP Motorcycle champion for Honda's sixth consecutive title. Honda returns to Formula One competition with the new British American Racing effort.
2000: For the fifth consecutive year, a Honda-powered driver won the CART driver's championship. Marlboro Team Penske's Gil de Ferran won his first CART Vanderbilt Cup, and set a new closed-course speed record of 241.428 mph at California Speedway. Honda also posted its 50th Champ Car race victory last year ? recorded by Marlboro Team Penske's Helio Castroneves at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Gil de Ferran records Honda's fifth consecutive CART drivers' championship and sets a new world closed-course speed record of 241.428 mph at California Speedway. Helio Castroneves records Honda's 50th Champ Car race win at Mid-Ohio.
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