The Honda Racing F1 Team in 2008 enters its third season under full Honda Motor Company ownership with the new RA108 and an even greater determination to succeed.

The RA108 car is a different concept to its predecessors, in terms of its aerodynamic layout and mechanical structure. The design philosophy has been developed to allow greater scope for aerodynamic packaging and exploitation, particularly to facilitate the introduction of performance upgrades through the season.

The focus has been on attaining a high level of aerodynamic efficiency with stability and this is reflected in the way that the chassis has been revised to interact with the different aerodynamic features and the suspension. This approach is designed to allow more potential for further developments to take place.

The famous RA designation dates right back to the dawn of Honda’s bid for grand prix glory during the early 1960s. The company’s original F1 prototype that began testing in December 1963 was type-number RA270 and it was fitted with an experimental RA270E 60-degree, 1.5-litre V12 engine. By the time Honda made its Grand Prix debut at the fearsome Nürburgring in August 1964, the early prototype had been superseded by the RA271. Honda’s first grand prix win came with RA272 at Mexico at the end of the following season.

The new V8 powerplant, the RA808E, also takes on the evocative RA prefix, which continued through 1983-1992 during Honda’s second generation of F1 participation.

The launch of the RA108, with its revised 2008 livery, also marks the start of the next exciting phase of the team’s long term environmental initiative, earthdreams. The Honda Racing F1 Team’s ethos is one of dedication to sporting excellence, borne out of 40 years of Honda’s racing heritage and a shared responsibility for change in our society.

RA108 TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION