Nika Racing confirm switch to Honda for 2014 season
Nika Racing will campaign a Honda Civic WTCC in the 2014 FIA World Touring Car Championship’s TC2 class, with the Swedish team parting with the Chevrolet marque for the first time since 2007.
The team will run the #99 Honda Civic for Yukinori Taniguchi in the Yokohama Trophy, though the Japanese driver will miss selected rounds for business commitments when a replacement will be sought for those events.
The team will not run its Chevrolet Cruze 1.6T, which it raced last year in the WTCC and in the previous year’s STCC, but will instead run one of Honda’s Civics, meaning there are no Chevrolets entered in the TC2 class for the full season this year.
“2013 was a fantastic year for Nika Racing, and we’re thrilled to remain a part of the WTCC,” said team principal Nicklas Karlsson.
“The championship continues to enjoy an ever-growing relevance for the motoring industry, and it’s with great pleasure that we’re now looking forward to our new partnership with Honda. At the same time, I would like to take this occasion to thank Chevrolet for some truly unforgettable years.
“Together, we’ve won two STCC titles and claimed three WTCC race wins, and Chevrolet played an instrumental role in establishing Nika Racing on the international arena. It’s time to look towards the future, however – and as far as that’s concerned, I’m glad to say that 2014 marks only the beginning of a very interesting journey.”
