The series has been running on the east coast for two seasons and on the West Coast for one season. In that time, the popularity of the series has grown exponentially. Much of this can be attributed to the organizers and the camaraderie of the atmosphere. NASA sought to create a home for race-prepared Honda vehicles, a marque specific playground. As the East Coast Honda Challenge Website states, the founders of this series believe in a racing environment where a skilled, clean, well executed pass is preferable to "punting" and "leaning" to gain position. It is felt that such an environment fosters sportsmanship and friendship as well as helps racers maintain a reasonable budget. This brings to light another important aspect for racers, budget. The Honda Challenge has been set up so racers can take advantage of factory Honda engineering and build capable racecars for little cash. Used Honda Challenge racecars can be easily found for low prices and a full race weekend costs just a few hundred bucks. If you're thinking about sticking with your current car and upgrading it to racecar specifications, rules are setup so easily procurable aftermarket parts can be used.
The East Coast series can be found racing at such tracks as BeaveRun Motorsports Complex, Summit Point Raceway, and Virginia International Raceway. The west coast series can be seen at Willow Springs International Raceway, Buttonwillow Raceway Park, and Infineon Raceway. There are so many Honda Challenge races at different tracks, finding somebody to run with is no problem. Contingency programs from sponsors such as Cobalt Friction, OPM Motorsports, and Kirk Racing are already setup to give competitors the thirst for victory and the thrill of a prize for winning.
Modifications
The five classes of Honda Challenge are setup so cars of varying horsepower have competition with which to play. To that end, vehicles are given specific minimum weights with which to equalize the playing field. The weights range from 2950 lbs. for the H1 Acura NSX to 2000 lbs. for the H5 CRX. Lots of deliberation and thought has been put into the weighing system to bring about acceptable power-to-weight ratios for all cars, so competitors shouldn't have any complaints.
Acceptable modifications can be found in the Honda Challenge rulebook and mostly pertain to reliability and safety preparation, rather than peak horsepower numbers. The power levels are kept in check for engine longevity and for keeping the established power-to-weight ratios in place. The limited modifications enable the already very capable Honda cars to run with low budgets and close competition. Pieces such as clutches, flywheels, fuel cells, oil coolers and pans, and radiators are unrestricted. Suspension and brake modifications, important for corner carving, are allowed much more leeway than engine changes. Popular suspension changes include coilover conversions, new sway bars and bushings, tower bars, and accurately chosen spring rates. Popular choices include adjustable Koni dampers and JDM shocks, while Carbotech and Cobalt Friction remain popular brake pad choices. Spring rates are carefully chosen for racing situations and can run about 660 lb/in in the front and 1000 lb/in in the rear. Stiff springs allow the best handling for racing, but would rattle your corneas out on the street. The tires allowed in the series are full on R-compound racing tires from brands such as Hoosier, Kumho, Toyo, Yokohama, Michelin, and Hankook. Other popular modifications include rear sway bars, AEM cold air intakes, exhaust headers, and custom racing exhausts. Racing exhaust means racing in the most extreme way: fully custom, lightweight, and very, very loud. The parts that are legal to use in the series are already very popular, and many Honda enthusiasts are familiar with the modifications necessary to build a Honda Challenge racecar. Where else are you going to run your JDM conversion Honda racecar?