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Honda to field this awesome Civic Tourer wagon in BTCC next season

We all know that the letters BTCC stand for British Touring Car Championship. But one of those Cs might as well stand for Civic, so dominant has the Honda team been in one of the most competitive tin-top racing series in the world. Honda has taken the manufacturers' and teams' titles in the BTCC for the past four years running, and the championship-winning drivers for the past three years have claimed the prize behind the wheel of a Civic. While that might have proven enough for any other manufacturer, Honda is returning again next season to defend its dominant position, and has just revealed the new car with which it intends to do so.
Next year Honda will be back on the grid with another Civic, only this time it's based on the new Euro-spec Civic Tourer. That will make Honda the only team in the BTCC (and one of only a few worldwide) fielding a wagon-based racing car. In announcing the new BTCC-spec Civic Tourer, the Honda Yuasa Racing team only released this one photo and didn't reveal much in the way of details, but team manager Peter Crolla indicated that "the weight, wheelbase, layout and suspension remain the same" as the hatchback which it will replace, only with a longer roofline.
Testing of the new touring wagon will commence in January before returning champions Gordon Shedden and Matt Neal will pilot the new Civic Tourer in the season opener at Brands Hatch in the UK in late March. It remains to be seen what car Andrew Jordan (who took the title this year in another Civic with the Pirtek Racing team) will be driving next season, but in the meantime, you can check out the full press release below for more.

Suppliers love Toyota and Honda: Why that matters to you

You might think that a survey of automotive suppliers and their relationship with OEMs is the automotive equivalent of nerd prom. In some ways that's what the North American Automotive OEM-Supplier Working Relations Index (WRI) is. The study, the 17th annual conducted by Planning Perspectives Inc., is based on input from 652 salespeople from 108 Tier One suppliers, or, PPI points out, 40 of the top 50 automotive suppliers in North America. Suppliers to General Motors, Ford, FCA, Toyota, Honda, and Nissan. But the results have consequences in terms of tens of millions of dollars for OEMs - and in the quality, technology, and cost of the next vehicle you buy. There are a couple of ways to look at the results of the WRI. One is, "So what else is new?" And the other is, "Damn! How did that happen?" The study looks at five relationship areas — OEM Supplier Relationship; OEM Communication; OEM Help; OEM Hindrance; Supplier Profit Opportunity — within six purchasing areas — Body-in-White; Chassis; Electrical/Electronics; Exterior; Interior; Powertrain. In the overall rankings, Toyota is on top for the 15 th time in 17 years, with a score of 328. Honda, the only company to best Toyota (in 2009 and 2010), comes in second, at 319. Those two companies, explains John Henke, president of PPI, have collaborative working arrangements with colleagues and suppliers alike built into the very fabric of their cultures. This, however, is not a situation where one can readily conclude it is about "Japanese companies," because the third company with headquarters on the island of Honshu, Nissan, came in dead last. This is the "How did that happen?" portion. The Nissan score of 203 puts it 125 points behind Toyota. There hasn't been a number that low since the then-Chrysler Corp. scored 187 in 2010, when the company was clawing its way out of the recession. Clearly, the suppliers don't feel particularly engaged by the buyers at Nissan. Henke explains that whether a company does well or not on the WRI is rather simple. All people do things based on what they're measured on. "If you're measured on taking 10% out of your annual buy, you immediately know how to do it. But if you're also measured on improving relations, suddenly there is a new dynamic as to what you can do to achieve both.

Former Ferrari world champion and motorcycle ace John Surtees dies

"The main thing is that whatever I've done, I've done from the heart." – John Surtees John Surtees, the motorsports legend who's the only man to win world championships in motorcycle and Formula One competition, died Friday, March 10. He was 83 years old. Surtees' greatest fame in F1 came in 1964 when he won two races and finished second three times to capture the drivers championship and propel Ferrari to the constructors title. Dubbed "il Grande John" by the Scuderia fans, he returned Ferrari to the top of the motorsports world, but he infamously left the team after a falling-out with management in 1966. Surtees also raced in F1 for Honda, Lotus, Cooper, and others. He survived a crash during practice in 1965 while driving a Lola sports car, which broke his pelvis, ruptured his kidneys, and damaged his spine and left leg. He oversaw his own racing operation in the 1970s, and his cars competed in F1, Formula 2 and F5000. Surtees also competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the 1960s and won the 1966 Can-Am title for Lola. One of the few drivers who was equally talented on a motorcycle, Surtees counted seven titles on two wheels, dominating the circuit in the 1950s for Norton and the MV Agusta. In a biography on his website, Surtees said he relished the competition above all else. "The main thing is that whatever I've done, I've done from the heart. I have loved being involved in first building and riding motorcycles and then driving cars – but above all, competing." Surtees was born in England in 1934. His father was a motorcycle racer and his son, Henry, competed in Formula 2. Henry was killed during a crash in 2009 at Brands Hatch in England. John Surtees' death immediately drew reaction from around the motorsports world, including Ferrari, MotoGP, and F1. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Related Video: Motorsports Ferrari Honda john surtees