American Honda Lends Support to RRDC Evening with Brian Redman in Long Beach

American Honda Lends Support to RRDC Evening with Brian Redman in Long Beach

 

HILLIARD, Ohio - RIS  - American Honda Motor Co., Inc., will support the RRDC Evening with Brian Redman presented by Firestone by hosting the cocktail reception for the fourth consecutive year at the Road Racing Drivers Club's fifth annual West Coast banquet, held prior to the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach (Calif.).

"American Honda is profoundly pleased to support the Road Racing Drivers Club in its salute to Brian Redman,” said John Mendel, Executive Vice President of Automobile Sales, American Honda Motor Co., Inc. “Brian’s multi-faceted career encompassed almost every major racing category, and his numerous championships are a testament to his rare combination of skill and versatility. His continued involvement in motorsports speaks volumes of his love for the sport we all cherish.”

  Born in Burnley, Lancashire, England, in 1937, Redman was a member of World Championship for Makes winning teams in 1968, ‘69, ‘70 and ‘72, a three-time U.S. F5000 champion (1974-76), and the 1981 IMSA Camel GT and 1971 South African Springbok champion. He is a past president of the RRDC and remains active in historic racing and as a motorsports consultant.   "The members of the RRDC are honored to have American Honda return for the fourth straight year to host the reception at the RRDC's West Coast banquet," said RRDC president Bobby Rahal. "Honda's presence and record in North American racing competition is remarkable, and we're proud to have them join us in celebrating Brian Redman's contributions to the sport."   

The dinner's proceeds will help support the RRDC’s young driver initiatives, including its groundbreaking www.SAFEisFAST.com program and the Team USA Scholarship, which the RRDC has backed since 1997. Previous banquets have honored Dan Gurney, Parnelli Jones, Roger Penske and Jim Hall, drawing fans and luminaries from all forms of motorsports.

The RRDC Evening with Brian Redman will be held on Thursday, April 18, at the Hilton Hotel, 701 West Ocean Blvd, Long Beach, Calif., with cocktails at 6 p.m., and dinner at 7:15 p.m. Tickets are $150 per person, only if purchased in advance, and seats are filling up quickly so an early response is recommended. Please contact Jeremy Shaw at rrdc2@cox.net.   About American Honda:American Honda employs more than 26,000 associates in America, including sales, manufacturing and R&D operations with a capital investment of more than $14 billion. Honda operates nine manufacturing facilities in six states that produce a wide range of automobiles, light trucks, engines and automatic transmissions, as well as all-terrain vehicles and power equipment products such as lawn mowers, mini-tillers, and general-purpose engines.  More than 90 percent of the new Honda and Acura vehicles sold in the U.S. in 2011 were built in North America using domestic and globally sourced parts, the highest percentage of any international auto maker.

Honda also operates major research and development centers in the U.S. that fully design, develop and engineer many of the products produced in North America.  One-third of model year 2012 Honda and Acura models sold in America were researched, designed and developed in the United States.

Honda Performance Development (HPD) is the Honda racing company within North America. Founded in 1993, HPD is the technical operations center for high-performance Honda racing cars and engines and operates at race circuits around the world from its headquarters in Santa Clarita, California. 

Honda has been a fixture in North American open-wheel racing since 1994, and has played an active role in the growth of the IZOD IndyCar Series – as both a Manufacturers' Championship competitor and single engine supplier – since joining the series in 2003.  

Starting in 2007, HPD spearheaded championship-winning efforts in the American Le Mans Series, European Le Mans Series, World Endurance Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. HPD developed and supplied the ARX-03b-Honda that raced to the LMP2 title in the inaugural World Endurance Championship in 2012, the first FIA World Championship for an American-based organization since 1968.     HPD offers a line of race engines for track applications from prototype sports cars to karting; and showcases “fun-to-drive” products for professional, amateur and entry-level efforts.   About the RRDC:
The Road Racing Drivers Club was formed in 1952 as a way to give champion drivers a say in their sport, particularly in the areas of safety, and has evolved to serve the future of road racing by mentoring new drivers on both amateur and professional levels. The Club’s membership includes leading industry professionals, race officials and motorsports journalists, in addition to prominent racing names.

In 2011, the RRDC launched a free on-line training seminar –  www.SAFEisFAST.com – featuring more than 30 RRDC members and other industry experts in high-quality videos covering subjects from physical and mental preparation to driving techniques, driver safety to car setup and sponsorship. The videos are updated regularly. Each week, a professional from the world of motor racing answers readers' questions on the site in a feature called “Ask a Pro."

President Bobby Rahal is the 1986 Indy 500 winner and is co-owner with David Letterman and Mike Lanigan of the 2004 Indianapolis 500-winning Rahal, Letterman, Lanigan Racing team. Ten-time SCCA National champion John Fergus (who also has three Pro Sports 2000 crowns and one IMSA championship) is the Club’s Vice President/Treasurer, and five-time SCCA National champion Tom Davey is the Secretary.

In addition to RRDC members lending their expertise to up-and-coming drivers, the Club presents three annual awards: the Phil Hill Award for rendering outstanding service to road racing; the Mark Donohue Award for personal spirit and performance at the SCCA National Championship Runoffs; and the Bob Akin Award – the top award presented to amateur and semi-professional racers – for speed with style, passion, sportsmanship and contribution to motorsports.

The RRDC also supports the Team USA Scholarship, which has been assisting young Americans in the early stages of their careers since 1990. Membership in the RRDC is by invitation only. Additional information on the organization may be found at www.rrdc.org.

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Dusty Brandel

President of the American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association, Inc. Worked with Mike Hollander since Tapsis, Compuserve, etc. and has posted to the website since the beginning. First Female photo-journalist to be given a garage and pit pass for the NASCAR garage, 1972 at Ontario Motor Speedway. One of first seven female writers, photographers given access to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway garage and pits in 1971. Past President of Greater Los Angeles Press Club, 1992-96, and first female editor of the 8-Ball publication for the Press Club

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Volume 2012, Issue 10, Posted 8:57 PM, 04.07.2013