Honda CR-V i-DTEC race car joins Race of Remembrance. Yes, the family SUV…



Honda UK has unveiled a bespoke CR-V race car to partake in the 2017 Race of Remembrance. The charity race aims to promote motorsport as an avenue of rehabilitation for injured veterans to ease them into civilian lives. In respect for the cause, the CR-V was donated by Honda UK, designed and built by Mission Motorsport.

The SUV donated is the previous-gen 1.6-litre i-DTEC AWD turbodiesel, the most powerful variant in the CR-V range. It retains its nine-speed automatic transmission for amputees in the team to be able to drive the race car. In preparation for the race, Mission Motorsport has replaced the panoramic glass roof with a clear Perspex panel and have the interior stripped bare to be replaced by a bespoke roll cage with racing seats and harnesses.

Mechanically, the CR-V diesel has been fitted with lowered racing suspension, large Brembo brakes from a Civic Type R, wider wheels and adjustable camber control has been fitted. Honda did not reveal whether the 1.6-litre i-DTEC gets a power bump but from factory, the oil burner churns out 160 hp and 350 Nm of torque.

In lieu of a 6 hours race in the dark, the CR-V race car gets an additional LED light bar fitted onto the grille while bonnet and roof scoops were installed to cool the engine and send fresh air into the cabin during the whole 12-hour race.

The Honda CR-V race car will be piloted by Private Lionel O’Connor who lost his left leg when serving in Iraq in 2006, Jon-Allan Butterworth MBE, 2016 Gold medal Paralympian who lost his left arm when serving in Iraq in 2007, along with able-bodied drivers: motoring journalist Alex Goy and Mission Motorsport’s CEO and Chief Instructor, Major (Retd) James Cameron.


IMAGE GALLERY