In 2024 it will be 60 years since the car of the Japanese company Honda first appeared at the start of a Formula 1 race. On August 2, 1964, the American Ronnie Bucknum took part in the German Grand Prix: he raced on a Honda RA271 with a V-shaped 12-cylinder engine RA271E with a displacement of 1495 cc. cm.
Car number 20 was entered by the Honda R&D Company factory team, with Bucknum posting the 22nd fastest time in qualifying and finishing last in the race at the Nürburgring Nordschleife. The Grand Prix did not go well for him, although he was formally classified 13th.
In the next phase of the season, the Italian Grand Prix in Monza, Bucknum set the 10th fastest time in qualifying, but did not finish due to brake problems. Yet a start was made and now, 60 years later, Formula 1 is dominated by Red Bull Racing, whose cars are powered by Honda engines. The same power plants are used by the team, which from this year will be called Visa Cash App RB F1.
“1964 will forever remain a special year for Honda, because it was then that our company logos first appeared in Formula 1”, such a comment appeared on the pages of Honda Racing Global on social networks, and is accompanied by a stylish poster showing the same RA271 car. – That’s right, this year marks the 60th anniversary of our first race, and in this regard we have some plans.
The presentation of the VCARB F1 team marks the start of Honda’s anniversary program and we look back on our first race, the 1964 German Grand Prix.”
Presumably it will become clear later what the program for celebrating this important event will be, as the season progresses, and the highlight will be the Japanese Grand Prix. But so far Honda is in no rush to provide details.
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
