Photo: PSP Images, ETCC Media

Honda celebrate three titles with the Civic in one weekend

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Honda had a triple celebration last weekend, with Honda Civic Type R-equipped drivers securing three titles across Europe, with Josh Files winning the inaugural TCR Germany series, Kris Richard winning the ETCC for Honda for the first time since 2011, and Gordon Shedden securing his third drivers title in the UK.

Josh Files went in with a comfortable lead of the TCR Germany series at Hockenheim, driving for Target Competition, the team that took Stefano Comini to the International Series title last year. Files wrapped up the title with victory in Race 1, while in Imola, Kris Richard won the ETCC Super 2000 Trophy in his first season in the series, the first for Rikli Motorsport, and the first for Honda since Fabrizio Giovanardi won the S2000 Cup in 2011 in a Honda Accord.

Richard won five races across the course of the 2016 ETCC season, including the second race at the legendary Nürburgring Nordschleife, where the road-going version of the Civic Type R still holds the front-wheel drive lap record.

11 RICHARD Kris (che) Honda Civic team Rikli motorsport action during the 2016 ETCC European Touring Car Championship & GT Tour race at Imola, Italy from october 1 To 2 - Photo Jean Michel Le Meur / DPPI

The weekend was capped off with a third drivers’ title for Gordon Shedden at Brands Hatch in the BTCC, as the Scotsman secured the title after a pass on points leader Sam Tordoff at Clearways in the final race of the day. Honda fought off tough competition from SEAT drivers in TCR and the ETCC, while their main foes were the West Surrey Racing BMWs and fast-progressing Team BMR Subarus in the BTCC.

The Civic TCR also took a pair of race victories in front of a Formula 1 crowd in Sepang, with just-crowned TCR Italy champion Roberto Colciago winning Race 1 and American Kevin Gleason back on the top of the podium in Race 2.

“To have this level of success in one weekend is an amazing achievement for the Civic Type R,” said Honda UK managing director Philip Crossman. “Back-to-back drivers’ championships in the BTCC for Gordon was exciting enough at Brands hatch on Sunday – but to compound it with the other three successes is outstanding. The new Civic Type R, which we unveiled at the Paris Motor Show last week, is going to have a lot to live up to!”