The trend of IndyCar competitors entering Red Bull Global Rallycross looks to be continuing as Honda Performance Development is in advanced talks to join the sport.
HPD, part of the California-based American Honda Motor Co., is one of two original equipment manufacturers in the Verizon IndyCar Series alongside Chevrolet. It is looking to enter the 5-year-old GRC series as soon as next year, when it would join current manufacturers Volkswagen, Ford, Subaru and Chevy.
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Volkswagen is one of four carmakers now in the series.
Photo by: GETTY IMAGES
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“I can confirm that American Honda/HPD is investigating a possible entry into GRC next year,” T.E. McHale, American Honda’s motorsports PR manager, wrote in an email to SportsBusiness Journal. “We don’t really have anything further to announce at this time, as all of the necessary approvals for the project haven’t yet been received from AHM upper management.”
If it enters the sport, Honda likely would be looking at a $10 million to $15 million total commitment over three years, sources said. The team most likely to land a deal with Honda, one source predicted, is Bryan Herta Autosport, which currently is aligned with Ford in GRC but competes for Honda in the IndyCar Series.
Ford declined to comment on the matter, and GRC and Herta Autosport did not respond to inquiries by press time. But McHale added in the email, “We are certainly intrigued by the prospect of participating in the Global Rallycross Series, and have been gratified by the large number of teams which have expressed an interest in partnering with us in this venture. The company has done its customary exhaustive study of the pluses and minuses of GRC participation, and is in the final stages of that evaluation.”
Other GRC competitors with IndyCar ties include Andretti Autosport and James Sullivan, co-owner of SH Racing Rallycross as well as IndyCar’s KVSH Racing.
Red Bull Global Rallycross, which competes on tracks that have concrete and dirt sections as well as a ramp for jumps, is touted for its ability to connect with the hard-to-reach millennial consumer. It is averaging 551,000 viewers this year, with all races on NBC. GRC recently revealed that it is looking to expand from 12 events this year to 13 or 14 next year. Major partners of the series include Red Bull, the manufacturers, Yokohama Tire, GoPro, Royal Purple and Kobalt Tools.
