Lotti delighted with Honda announcement

WTCC promoter Marcello Lotti has expressed his happiness at Honda’s announcement to compete in the World Touring Car Championship as an official manufacturer entry for the first time.

The Japanese marque will compete later this season with the Honda Civic, built and run by Italian team JAS Motorsport, before embarking on a full two car campaign in 2013.

JAS Motorsport ran Hondas in the WTCC between 2005 and 2006 and before that the European and British Touring Car Championships, but their WTCC programme was never fully supported by Honda.

“I am personally very happy, because since the beginning I said that Japan was a priority for WTCC,” said Lotti.

“We managed to establish an event there in 2008, and since then the championship has become hugely popular with Japanese fans. But our ultimate goal was to attract a Japanese manufacturer to join. Today that dream is fulfilled, and in the best possible way, as in terms of motorsport the Honda brand is one of the best you could hope for.”