Honda's Charity Open Day a great success

Last Sunday (15 July) the Honda Racing F1 Team headquarters at Brackley, Northants, hosted the team’s inaugural Charity Open Day – an event that allowed fans unprecedented access and raised money for its official charities Helen & Douglas House and Stepping Stones Pre-School.

Attendees were treated to factory tours and a look around the Wind Tunnel Experience Centre, plus had the opportunity to try their hands at the pit stop challenge and the Formula One & Honda S2000 simulators. Fans also got to climb on-board and explore the hi-tech race transporter trucks and try their luck in the raffle, the top prize being a fabulous Honda Jazz road car. The Kids Zone kept the younger enthusiasts entertained, while delicious organic food was provided by team supplier Laverstoke Park.

Of course, the main attraction for the fans was meeting the drivers, with Jenson Button, Christian Klien and Mike Conway in attendance from the Honda Racing F1 Team, along with the Super Aguri F1 Team’s Anthony Davidson and James Rossiter. Honda Racing F1 Team ambassador and legendary F1 commentator Murray Walker added extra spice to the festivities and was on-hand alongside the drivers for the autograph sessions.

With almost 5000 tickets sold, the factory was awash with guests, all eager to see what goes on behind-the-scenes at a Formula One team. Indeed, the event proved so popular that some visitors faced long queues for parking and attractions. The lessons learnt this year have been noted and will be addressed for future events.

The Honda Racing F1 Team would like to extend a big thank you to everyone involved in making its very first Charity Open Day a huge success, and special thanks are due for the patience and good humour shown by all attendees on the day. Hopefully a good time was had by all, despite the queues!