Honda pulling out all the stops at CarFest South

18/08/15

Honda pulling out all the stops at
CarFest South

Honda (UK) is revved-up to steal the show at Chris Evans’ CarFest South which will take place at Laverstoke Park Farm, Hampshire (28-30 August).

CarFest is the brainchild of popular Radio 2 presenter and new Top Gear host Evans, raising vital funds for BBC Children In Need via a family-orientated, high-octane blend of fast and exotic cars, celebrity cameos and live music from some of the hottest acts around.

Having played a leading role at last year’s events as well as at this year’s CarFest North, which took place at Oulton Park earlier this month, Honda (UK) will return to Laverstoke Park – the home of ex-Formula One World Champion Jody Scheckter– with an array of crowd-pleasing activities and displays.

A full Honda stand will showcase the newest car range in the industry, including the Civic Type R, Civic Sport, Civic Tourer, HR-V, CR-V, Jazz and – straight from the brand’s award-winning Goodwood Festival of Speed stand – the McLaren-Honda MP4-30 in a box, the model driven by F1 World Champions Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button.

Honda's two-wheeled offering has something for everyone, from the newly-launched, learner-legal CB125F, through the legendary VFR800F right up to the race-inspired CBR1000RR Fireblade. The new Forza 125 scooter, with its GT look and exceptional fuel economy will appeal to those wanting a striking but efficient means of transport. Visitors can also learn about Honda's innovative dual clutch transmission which, on bikes such as Honda's NC750X, combines the road presence and agility of a motorbike with the twist-and-go practicality of a scooter.

The ‘King of the Hell’ Xbox roadshow is also roaring into town, offering festival-goers the chance to win a brand new Civic Type R for a year provided they set the fastest time around the notorious Nürburgring Nordschleife in a state-of-the-art simulator.

Nicknamed ‘The Green Hell’ by F1 legend Sir Jackie Stewart, the 12.9-mile Nordschleife is regarded as the most challenging and daunting circuit in the world, with each lap comprising no fewer than 154 corners, large bumps, cambers and surface changes.

The British-built Civic Type R – Honda’s ‘Race Car for the Road’ and the most extreme and high-performing model ever to wear the acclaimed ‘Red H’ badge – set a new front-wheel-drive lap record there last year, and in celebration of its arrival in UK dealerships, fans are invited to test their mettle by getting as close as possible to that impressive benchmark.

Honda Yuasa Racing Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship duo Gordon Shedden and Matt Neal – currently sitting third and sixth in the title standings, with Honda atop the manufacturers’ table – will perform high-speed demonstration runs behind the wheel of the road-going Civic Type R.

Honda’s latest Robot mower – Miimo – will be a working display in the Honda activity centre and will inspire a unique children’s drawing activity, whilst many of last summer’s favourites will make a welcome return, such as My First License, a mini-motorbike taster session that introduces 5-to-11-year-old non-riders to the exciting world of motorcycling. Carried out in a safe, controlled and fully supervised environment on restricted 50cc Honda CRF50 bikes, complete with helmets and kneepads, My First Licence culminates in the presentation of a special licence for the kids.

The ATV Experience on Honda’s TRX420 continues the fun yet educational theme, teaching older teens the inside line on throttle control, slaloming, overcoming obstacles and balance. Meanwhile, the ride-on lawnmowers for 16-year-olds and above is sure to generate hilarious head-to-head racing around a timed garden course, where lane control and garbage-grabbing are orders of the day.

Last but by no means least the innovative and interactive ‘Power of Lean’ demonstration will simulate Superbike-style knee-down riding, replicating the feeling of being at full power whilst almost horizontal to the ground!

Philip Crossman, Managing Director at Honda UK, commented: “CarFest South is fantastic fun for all the family and jam-packed with exciting and interactive things to do for people of all ages. The music line up looks fantastic – as does the food offering, much of which is sourced from Laverstoke Park itself. We aren’t quite sure of the weather yet, so will have both wellies and flipflops on standby!”

For further information, visit: http://www.carfest.org/Content/CarFest-South-Landing-Page

Honda revved-up to steal the show at Chris Evans’ CarFest

21/07/2015, England, Motorsport - Cruising/Displays/Publications, Carfest, Article # 11665215

Honda revved-up to steal the show at Chris Evans’ CarFest

21/07/15

Honda revved-up to steal the show at Chris Evans’ CarFest

Cars, stars and interactive treats galore from Honda at CarFest
Racing fans challenged to prove they can be ‘King of the Hell’
Activities for all ages, from five-year-olds to the young-at-heart

Honda (UK) is pulling out all the stops at Chris Evans’ two charity-focused CarFest events this summer, bringing along stars and cars, two-wheeled thrills and a range of crowd-pleasing entertainment and displays.

CarFest is the brainchild of popular Radio 2 presenter and new Top Gear host Evans, raising vital funds for BBC Children In Need via a family-oriented, high-octane blend of fast and exotic cars, celebrity cameos and live music from some of the hottest acts around.

Honda played a leading role last year and will return in 2015 to both CarFest North at Oulton Park in Cheshire (31 July – 2 August) and CarFest South at ex-Formula One World Champion Jody Scheckter’s Laverstoke Park Farm in Hampshire (28-30 August).

A full Honda stand will showcase the company’s refreshed and exciting product range, including the Civic Type R, Civic Sport, Civic Tourer, HR-V, CR-V, Jazz and – straight from the brand’s award-winning Goodwood Festival of Speed stand – the McLaren-Honda MP4-30 in a box, as driven by F1 World Champions Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button.

Highlighting Honda’s expertise on two wheels as well as four, ten motorcycles will be on display, whilst the ‘King of the Hell’ Xbox roadshow roars into town, offering festival-goers the chance to win a brand new Civic Type R for a year by setting the fastest time around the notorious Nürburgring Nordschleife in a state-of-the-art simulator.

Nicknamed ‘The Green Hell’ by F1 legend Sir Jackie Stewart, the 12.9-mile Nordschleife is regarded as the most challenging and daunting circuit in the world, with each lap comprising no fewer than 154 corners, large bumps, cambers and surface changes.

The British-built Civic Type R – Honda’s ‘Race Car for the Road’ and the most extreme and high-performing model ever to wear the acclaimed ‘Red H’ badge – set a new front-wheel-drive lap record there last year, and in celebration of its arrival in UK dealerships, fans are invited to test their mettle by getting as close as possible to that impressive benchmark.

Honda Yuasa Racing Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship duo Gordon Shedden and Matt Neal – currently sitting first and third in the title standings, with Honda comfortably atop the manufacturers’ table – will perform high-speed demonstration runs behind the wheel of both the BTCC race car and road-going Civic Type R at CarFest North, before returning to the track in the Civic Type R at CarFest South.

Honda’s latest Robot mower – Miimo – will be a working display in the Honda activity centre and will inspire a unique children’s drawing activity, whilst many of last summer’s favourites make a welcome return.

My First Licence is a mini-motorbike taster session that introduces 5-to-11-year-old non-riders to the exciting world of motorcycling on restricted 50cc Honda CRF50 bikes in a safe, controlled and fully supervised environment, complete with helmets and kneepads and culminating in the presentation of their own special licence.

The ATV Experience on Honda’s TRX420 continues the fun yet educational theme, teaching older teens the inside line on throttle control, slaloming, overcoming obstacles and balance. The ride-on lawnmowers for 16-year-olds and above, meanwhile, generated hilarious head-to-head racing last year around a timed garden course, where lane control and garbage-grabbing were the orders of the day.

Last but by no means least, the innovative and interactive ‘Power of Lean’ experience will allow those brave enough to simulate Superbike-style knee-down riding, replicating the feeling of being at full power whilst almost horizontal to the ground!

ENDS

Although most tickets have now sold out, there is still availability for Friday attendance at CarFest North.

For further information, visit: http://carfestnorth.seetickets.com/event/carfest-north-for-bbc-children-in-need/oulton-park/825693

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Honda horsepower revs-up Children In Need fundraising drive at CarFest 2014

29/08/2014, England, Motorsport - Cruising/Displays/Publications, Carfest, Article # 3789276

29/08/14

Honda horsepower revs-up Children In Need fundraising drive at CarFest 2014

Honda’s support of CarFest 2014 raises vital funds for BBC Children In Need
Bruno Senna gets behind the wheel of NSX supercar once driven by his uncle
More than 1000 festival-goers interact with Honda experiences

Honda (UK) played a vital role in raising much-needed funds for BBC Children In Need with its support of CarFest 2014, contributing towards a total sum of £1.5 million through a variety of on-track thrills and off-track pursuits.

Having wowed spectators with fast cars and bikes, famous faces and interactive activities at CarFest North; Honda again featured right at the heart of the high-octane action both on and off-track at the sold-out CarFest South, held at Laverstoke Park Farm, Hampshire.

Tens of thousands of enthralled fans poured through the gates at both Laverstoke and Oulton Park earlier this month, with Honda laying on an array of crowd-pleasing activities, displays and demonstration runs for those of all ages to enjoy.

On-track, former Formula One and sportscar star Bruno Senna captivated onlookers at Laverstoke with a series of demo laps in a 1990 first-generation Honda NSX once driven by his uncle, legendary three-time F1 World Champion Ayrton Senna. Bruno, who was thrilled to be reunited with childhood memories, ran in the ‘Anniversary Seven’ parade and gave a number of passenger rides at the southern event.

“The NSX is special for many reasons”, Bruno explained. “It’s the car that Ayrton helped Honda to develop back when he was racing Honda-powered McLaren cars in F1, so it’s a real pleasure to be driving something that he played such a major role in. It’s also the first fast road car I ever drove, in Portugal sitting on Ayrton’s lap when I was just a kid; he was controlling the pedals and gears while I was steering! It was just great fun and the first time I’d ever had a thrill like that, so the NSX always brings back some fantastic memories. Driving it here for Honda with the connections with the family obviously makes me very happy.”

Bruno continued: “Ayrton had an amazing relationship with Honda throughout his racing career so, even though it’s been a few years, Honda still has a very special place in our hearts – we’ve always had a soft spot for the company. Every time we get the chance to do something with Honda, we always enjoy ourselves.”

Senna was joined by two-time World Superbike Champion and erstwhile MotoGP ace James Toseland. Having driven the NSX himself at CarFest North – an old haunt from his British Superbike Championship days – the Yorkshireman switched to the Synchro Motorsport Racing Jazz at Carfest South, running as part of the ‘Motorsport Seven’.

“When I got here and saw the Racing Jazz, I immediately realised it was a bit special,” confessed James. “These CarFest events are absolutely amazing – I didn’t realise the scale of them. I thought it would be just some car fanatics, but there really is something for everybody. You can go in a monster truck, learn to make ice cream, take a fairground ride… and Honda is even teaching kids to ride motorbikes!”

Indeed, away from the track, no fewer than 329 young festival-goers donned helmets and knee pads to participate in ‘My First Licence’, a mini-motorbike taster session introducing 5-to-11-year-olds to the exciting world of motorcycling via restricted 50cc Honda CRF50 bikes in a safe and controlled environment. Meanwhile, an ATV Experience on Honda TRX420s taught more than 300 older teens the inside line on throttle control, slaloming, overcoming obstacles and balance; while 507 intrepid adventurers tried out Honda’s brace of sit-on lawn mowers, generating hilarious head-to-head racing around a timed course, where lane control and garbage-grabbing were the order of the day.

All of Honda’s activities were centred around a vast air structure – designed to replicate the super-frugal 1.6 i-DTEC engine – and included a product experience area, car and motorbike displays and the innovative and interactive ‘Power of Lean’ demonstration to simulate Superbike-style knee-down riding.

One of the biggest crowd reactions, finally, was reserved for Honda’s 109bhp Mean Mower – the world’s fastest lawn mower. Built by Honda’s Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship partner Team Dynamics, it achieved a new world record of 116.5mph earlier this year, and astonished spectators as it lapped Laverstoke at jaw-dropping speeds as an integral part of CarFest’s ‘Unusual Seven’ collection.

-Ends-

Photo Captions

Bruno Senna and James Toseland joined the Mean Mower, 'My First Licence' and an ATV Experience amongst other activities at CarFest South, as Honda helped to raise vital funds for BBC Children In Need.

Click the images below to download hi-res versions

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Honda and Senna reunited at CarFest South

20/08/2014, England, Motorsport - Cruising/Displays/Publications, Carfest, Article # 3582608

19/08/14

Honda and Senna reunited at CarFest South

Bruno Senna – nephew of late Formula One legend Ayrton – to get behind the wheel of iconic NSX supercar
World Superbike Champion James Toseland makes welcome return to drive Synchro Motorsport Jazz
Attractions include the record-breaking Mean Mower, My First Licence, ATV experience, ride-on lawnmower racing and Power of Lean
MSX125 to be donated to CarFest raffle to raise money for Children In Need

Following the success of CarFest North – which attracted some 55,000 fans to picturesque Cheshire circuit Oulton Park – Honda again features right at the heart of the action at CarFest South, to be held at Laverstoke Park Farm in Hampshire from 22-24 August.

One of motorsport's most iconic partnerships – Honda and Senna – will be reunited at this weekend’s CarFest South, as Bruno Senna gets behind the wheel of a first-generation Honda NSX, once driven by his legendary uncle Ayrton Senna.

The 1990 first-generation NSX, dubbed ‘the ultimate driver’s car,’ is set to run as part of the ‘Anniversary Seven’ in the dynamic demonstration on Saturdayand Sunday. This model was driven by three-time Formula One World Champion Ayrton Senna, who clinched all of his top flight titles – and 32 of his 41 grand prix victories – with Honda power.

Bruno Senna palpably inherited his uncle’s genes as he went on to enjoy a Formula One career of his own from 2010 to 2012, also successfully competing in the FIA World Endurance Championship and Le Mans 24 Hours.

Bruno will be joined at CarFest South by two-time World Superbike Champion James Toseland. The former MotoGP ace made his name in the motorbike racing world with Honda and clinched the 2007 WSBK laurels with the Hannspree Ten Kate Honda team.

After a successful appearance at CarFest North, James will reappear at CarFest South to take to the track in the Synchro Motorsport Jazz, part of the ‘Race Car Seven’ collection. The Yorkshireman’s band Toseland will also play live on Friday night (22 August).

Completing Honda’s track line-up will be the fearsome, 109bhp Mean Mower. Built by Honda’s BTCC partner Team Dynamics the world’s fastest lawnmower smashed records, setting a jaw-dropping top speed of 116mph at the Idiada Proving Ground, Spain. Spectators can witness the mean machine's unrivalled prowess as part of the ‘Unusual Seven’ throughout the weekend.

Honda is also on hand to offer a range of product experiences. From ‘My First Licence’ for 5-11 year olds to the Honda ATV experience and ride-on lawnmower racing, for festival goers 16 and above. Situated in a safe and controlled environment, products in the experience will be restricted 50cc Honda CRF50 bikes, the TRX420 ATV and a range of Honda’s ride-on lawnmowers.

The main stand will host a selection of Honda’s current car and motorbike ranges as well as the innovative and interactive ‘Power of Lean’, which gives festival-goers a Superbike simulated experience.

Photo Captions

Bruno Senna will join Honda at CarFest South for what promises to be another incredible weekend of family fun.