Will Honda again sponsor Surfers race?

Not only will every IndyCar car in the 2008 Nikon Indy 300 be Honda powered, Honda will also supply the official vehicles for the event which will be held on the streets of the Gold Coast from October 23-26.

The announcement sees a welcome return of the Honda name to the Event for the first time since its role as the Naming Rights Sponsor of the Event came to a close after three years in 2002, to be replaced by Lexmark through until 2007 before Nikon took over the role for 2008.

The fleet of Honda vehicles will include CR-V, Accord Euro and Civic Type R models which will carry prominent event signage through to the Event.

Nikon Indy 300 General Manager Greg Hooton said he was thrilled to welcome the famous manufacturer back to the Gold Coast event as the official car supplier.

“Our Event has always enjoyed a beneficial relationship with Honda in the past," said Hooton.

“Thinking back on that relationship, I am more than happy to welcome Honda and their vehicles back as we get set for the 2008 Event over October 23-26."

Honda Australia Managing Director & CEO, Mr. Yasuhide Mizuno, said the company was looking forward to being part of the Gold Coast Event once again.

“We are looking forward to renewing our partnership with the Gold Coast event, which has been very successful for Honda both on and off the track." said Mizuno.

Honda dropped the race when it split with CART and went IndyCar racing. With the event now an IndyCar race, could this be the first step toward Honda returning as title sponsor of the race when the Nikon contract runs out?