34~ Wednesday, Muay 18, 198K -

North Shore News

lend of old and new seen in race series

THE HONDA/SMICHELIN
Challenge Series will’ be a high-
performance and entertaining
blend of the old and the new in
1988.

New to the expanded ‘88 scrics
are the cars that will be featured in
this year’s 19-tace national  pro-
gram: Honda's all-new Civic Hat-
chback that is powered by a peppy
tS-litre, dual-point fucl-injected,
all-aluminum 16-valve_ single
overhead cam engine that produces
a remarkable 93 horsepower.

‘That’s a. hefty 30-per- -cent
horsepower «increase “over ‘the
engine: that powered -the pre-'88
Civic, and according to the drivers
who tried the new car in pre-season
testing, should cut as much as
three or four seconds off their lap
times at. the longer tracks on which
they'll be racing in 1988.

A csealed-engine. program _ is.

another new addition to this year’s
series. The engines and drivetrains
of all the new. cars competing in
_,Uhis: year’s-series have been scaled

at the point of entry. outside of

Vancouver, with .a combination of
wire. ‘and paint -seals, and. any

‘competitor who. breaks those seals

of series-appointed officials —~ will
face the possibility of stiff finan-
cial and other penalties.

The all-new Civie Hatchback not
only offers all this extra horse-
power, but is also new in several
other important areas as well. The
new car is longer than the previous
models -- both in wheelbase and
overall length -—- and has anew
look at both ends.

At the front,
wishbone’ suspension
profile headlights have allowed
Honda engineers. to lower: the
hoodline, which has improved: not

new double-
and low-

only the acrodynamics but also the.

driver's vision.

At the rear, a new multi-control
double-wishbone | suspension. “has
allowed a lower cargo floor.

A five-speed manual transmis-
sion is standard on the. new Civic
Hatchback, as are ventilated front
disc brakes and a rear spoiler.

The addition .of these) much
quicker °88 Civic Hatchbacks to

this year’s series will give this pop-.
ular Canadian racing program a_

totally new format this season — a

-two-part series, with the’'88 cars”

competing in an‘‘A’ class, and the
pre-'88 models running in a ‘B’

—_ except. under the watchful eye >

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The two classes will be on the
track together, with points to be
awarded in cach race to the top 15
finishers in both classes.

Explained Honda Canada's
Ralph’ Luciw, who has been in-

volved with this series since its in- |
ception: ‘We'll allow the pre-'88 |

cars to run in the ‘B’ series for this
season only, then phase them out
of the series altogether.’

“By then, attrition will have
eliminated a Jot of the older cars
anyway, or they"ll be used primari-
ly for regional racing — at least,
that’s the way it was when we in-
troduced the new. Hatchback
models to this serics before, in the

$980 and °84 races.”’

While all this is new to this
year's series, there's a great deal

that's old — traditional —~ in this .

13-year-old scrics, which is consid-
ered) North America’s most
venerable motorsport program.

For starters, the concept is still
the same as it’s been for the
previous 12. seasons: a showroom
stock racing program that
showcases performance cars runn-
ing in virtually for-the-street con-
dition.

Races wil! be held in the Lower

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