The Cockerham-based Oaktec Honda Hybrid rally team got their season underway at the Roskirk Stages at the Three sisters venue near Manchester - and it was pretty much business as usual as they scored another Formula 1000 Class A victory.
The Oaktec Honda Insight, the worlds first petrol electric hybrid stage rally car, is now in its fourth year of competitive motorsport and recorded its eighth class win from the last 10 rallies finishing 27th overall in field of 51 cars of all classes.
The Roskirk was the opening event for what promises to be a busy year for the team, which has plans to compete both in the UK and overseas as they continue their programme of development of hybrid energy recovery technologies both for motorsport and other specialist applications.
The Oaktec Honda Hybrids employ modified hybrid energy recovery systems and Continuously Variable Transmission to give class-winning performance allied to exceptional fuel efficiency.
In its last competitive outing in 2008 the EEMS supported Honda Insight rally car entered a fuel economy trial where at 82 miles per gallon it easily recorded the best result of any car in the event. Testing has proven the Honda Insight rally car to have exhaust emissions lower than almost any other car on UK roads, lower even than the standard production Insight.
Oaktec driver and team boss Paul Andrews comments: "The modifications we have made to the hybrid energy recovery system both increases performance and fuel efficiency at the same time. It is really a case of having your cake and eating it!
"The more waste energy we claw back the more we can use to make the car faster or to deploy to the electric drive to save fuel. This car just keeps getting better and the CVT transmission makes it fantastic to drive!''
Preston based co-driver and team director Bill Meeson added: "2008 was a great year for us but we think this year could be even better. Despite the credit crunch there is a lot happening at the sharp-end of low carbon vehicle development. We have a good support package, both technical and financial and we will be releasing full details soon.
"Now the new Formula 1 racing season has started for the first time hybrid energy recovery systems known as KERS will be employed. Oaktec has been using this technology in motorsport for four years now and from our experience it has huge potential benefits. Will the F1 teams get it right first time? We'll have to wait and see!''
In the 2008 season the Oaktec Honda Civic hit national headlines when it became the first hybrid car to compete in an International rally when Pilling fireman and garage proprietor Neil Wearden raced to second in class in the Jim Clark Rally.
It was in the news again when the team joined forces with Lotus Cars and Autocar magazine to debut hybrid technology in UK circuit racing when the car entered the Dunlop Sport Maxx British production saloon championship at Rockingham Circuit and again when it featured in the live spectacular Honda Dreamscape Show at the London International Motorshow.
The next planned rally for the Oaktec Honda Civic and Insight hybrids is the Lee Holland Stages at Anglesey on April 26.