The Honda Civic Type R is going racing. Honda Performance Development (HPD) and JAS Motorsports have announced that the Civic Type R FL5 CTR will be entered for competition in 2023. Much like its Civic Si racer sibling, the car will race in the Touring Car series.
But unlike the Civic Si, we imagine it won't be cheap. Even with the camo wrap, it is very clear that Honda has a lot of bespoke bodywork on the car, including those massive wheel cutouts at the rear. These aren't the only changes, of course, and Honda has debuted a new aero package and chassis for the latest Type R racer.
In addition to the new aero bits and design, which Honda says will improve downforce and handling when coupled with the new chassis, the Type R's turbo-four has been modified. Of course, Honda hasn't said in what way, only that the 2.0-liter will be a "race-prepared version" of what we get on the street.
Predictably, the braking and transmission systems have been upgraded too, though again, Honda doesn't give specifics. Speaking of, Honda says that anti-lock brakes are "available," meaning this car will come without ABS, unlike the street car. As with any serious race car, there is a lack of interior creature comforts to match the car's aggressive motorsport ethos.
Honda has said the Type R CTR TCR "houses a sophisticated multi-channel driver display" in addition to other changes. Again, no specifics, but we see a cage and a pretty aggressive racing seat. It's likely the car doesn't have a passenger seat as well. We wouldn't be shocked if the dash was missing or very stripped down too.
HPD tells us it has options available for additional lighting and driver cooling, which will help make the TCR a bit more adaptable. All cars are developed in Italy by JAS, but Honda will be racing these Stateside in April with HART, LA Honda World, and VGRT in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge.
Finally, we should point out that these cars can be purchased by customer teams, meaning if you've got a way into a compatible race series, you can call up HPD and ask for one. We're sure they're a riot.
