NEW HONDA TARGETS ‘ROUND-BRITAIN’ RECORD

Honda aims to re-write the Guinness Book of Records next month by driving its all-new Insight coupe on a non-stop 3,500 mile ‘Round-Britain’ run, smashing the seven-year old fuel economy record and raising it to over 105 mpg.

Starting from Brighton on 3 June and following the coastline of the UK along a route laid down by ‘Guinness’, the Insight must visit 25 check-points and complete the course in less than 180 hours. Three teams of six drivers from seven countries will take turns piloting the Insight on this quest for ultra-economy. The Honda will use BP Unleaded Fuel and the record run is being supported by BP Oil UK Ltd.

Currently, two fuel economy records are listed by the Guinness Book – 85.96 mpg by a petrol-engined Honda Civic and 103.01 mpg by a turbo-diesel Daihatsu Charade. Cars attempting a record-run must be standard vehicles available to the public.

Honda’s challenger for a place in the record book is a ‘hybrid’ two-seater coupe that blends a mass of new technologies to achieve several world ‘firsts’. Powered by a petrol engine and an electric motor, it offers agile handling and good stability in keeping with its sporty ethos. It’s the world’s most economical volume-produced petrol engine car and the most aerodynamic, with a drag figure (Cd) of just 0.25.

Honda’s economy-run organiser is Kumamoto-based medical doctor and life-long motoring enthusiast Dr Shigeru Miyano. "At home in Japan, test drives with four Insights indicate that 110 mpg might be possible for the lap of Britain," reports Dr Miyano. "Honda’s R&D team drove the 885 miles from Tokyo to Kagoshima, without refuelling. They averaged 116.7 mpg, while the next two cars recorded 116.4 and 112.4 mpg. In Britain, I think we will be able to exceed 110 mpg coming down the East coast of England. Overall I am confident that the Insight can beat the current petrol and diesel records and our target is to raise the record to 105 mpg."

For the record run the Insight sports the legend ‘Clever & Clean??? mpg’ to imply that it will achieve more than 100 mpg. The Insight has already achieved 83 mpg in the Government ‘combined’ economy test, with 68 mpg in the city driving ‘urban’ test and over 94 mpg in the country road ‘extra-urban’ cycle.

Paul Bennett, BP Oil UK Fuels Manager, comments, "We are delighted to be able to support this record-breaking attempt through the supply of BP Unleaded fuel. This new attempt will show that greater fuel efficiency and lower emissions are achievable through the combination of advanced vehicles and advanced fuels. The hybrid Honda Insight represents the future of motoring and we are pleased to be involved."

The Honda Insight is called a hybrid because it uses a petrol engine and a 10 kW electric motor. The ultra-thin (60mm) DC-brushless motor is mounted between the 1.0-litre, 3-cylinder, low-friction VTEC petrol engine and the lightweight 5-speed manual transmission and is directly connected to the crankshaft. During acceleration the electric motor ‘assists’ the petrol engine, increasing performance to the level of a 1.5 litre petrol engine, with power output up from 68 PS to 76 PS. But it is low-speed torque that really benefits, rising from 91 Nm (67 lb ft) at 4800 rpm to 113 Nm (83 lb ft) at just 1500 rpm with assistance.

Although the Insight can accelerate to 62 mph in 12 seconds and has a top speed of 112 mph – its performance is achieved with ultra-low emissions. In normal driving the car produces 80 g/km of CO2, and CO, HC and NOx are way below the future EU limits for 2005. A new-type catalytic converter directly absorbs NOx.

Just like future Insight owners, the Guinness Record run drivers will not have to ‘plug-in’, as unlike a pure battery-powered electric vehicle, this Honda does not require an outside source of electric power. Instead, the electric motor acts as a generator during deceleration to recharge the Power Pack containing a 144-volt nickel metal-hydride battery mounted between the rear wheels.

Driving slowly and economically is not easy – it requires a high level of concentration and skill. The record run is essentially continuous over a seven-day period and takes drivers as close to the coast as is practicable. It means encountering normal motoring hazards, through congested cities and sleepy villages, across slow and hilly terrain and, almost certainly – getting lost in the dark.

Fortunately, many members of the Insight 2000 driving team have demonstrated the necessary driving and personal qualities in the UK before when (together with Dr Miyano), they established the current petrol record piloting the Honda Civic back in September 1993. Five of the drivers in the latest attempt are from New Zealand, and include Amanda McLaren, daughter of the late racing driver and founder of the Formula 1 team, Bruce McLaren and his sister, Mrs Jan McLaren-Storr.

For the 2000 assault on the Guinness Record, one team of six drivers will be piloting the Insight or its Honda HR-V 5-door shadow vehicle, while the other teams are driving to, or resting at, team change-over points around the coast of Britain.

THE ECONOMY RECORD RUN ROUTE
Summary of towns on route specified by the Guinness Book of Records

• Day 1 (3 June): Brighton, Littlehampton, Portsmouth, Southampton, Lymington, Bournemouth, Weymouth, Lyme Regis, Exeter (team change), Dawlish, Paignton.
• Day 2 (4 June): Dartmouth, Plymouth, West Looe, St Austell, Truro, Penzance, Land’s End, Newquay, Bude, Barnstaple, Minehead, Bristol (team change), Cardiff.
• Day 3 (5 June): Bridgend, Swansea, Carmarthen, Pembroke, St David’s, Aberystwyth, Barmouth, Porthmadog (team change), Caernarfon, Colwyn Bay, Liverpool, Preston.
• Day 4 (6 June): Blackpool, Morecambe, Grange-over-Sands, Barrow-in-Furness, Workington, Carlisle (team change), Dumfries, Drummore, Stranraer, Ayr.
• Day 5 (7 June): Largs, Erskine Bridge, Lochgilphead, Oban, Fort William (team change), Invergarry, Shieldaig, Gairloch, Ullapool, Laxford Bridge, Tongue, John o’Groats.
• Day 6 (8 June): Wick, Brora, Dornoch, Dingwall, Inverness (team change), Lossiemouth, Fraserburgh, Aberdeen, Dundee, Perth, Edinburgh, North Berwick.
• Day 7 (9 June): Berwick upon Tweed, Lesbury, Newcastle (team change), Middlesbrough, Scarborough, Hull, King’s Lynn, Great Yarmouth, Ipswich (team change).
• Day 8 (10 June): Harwich, Southend, Dartford, Rochester, Margate, Dover (team change), New Romney, Hastings, Eastbourne and return to Brighton (17.00 approx).
  The Economy Record Run Drivers
  
• Team A: Ms Amanda McLaren (NZ), Mrs Janis McLaren-Storr (NZ), Mr John Storr (NZ), Mr Stephan Dunell (NZ), Mr Donn Anderson (NZ) and Mr Helman Rojas (AUS).
• Team B: Mr Jan Smit (NL), Mrs Ria Smit (NL), Mr Harry Molenaar (NL), Mr Marco van Oort (NL), Mr Peter Henshaw (UK) and Mr Geert Christiaen (B).
• Team C: Dr Shigeru Miyano (J), Mr Takashi Kiyomiya (J), Mr Sebastien Gesell (F), Mr Franck Pasqualini (F), Ms Naoko Tajima (J) and Mr Yo Nakahara (J).