Feb 19, 2012, 4:00am ET

Honda goes rallying with Jazz in Australia [Video]

Honda is preparing to debut a new rally car based on its compact hatchback.

Honda founder Soichiro Honda once said that "if Honda does not race, there is no Honda." The company still subscribes to that motto today and it is active in countless racing series all around the world.



One of them is the Australian Rally Championship, where Honda has been successfully competing with Civic Type Rs for the last couple of years.



The Japanese automaker has recently announced that the Civics are about to take a well-earned retirement, but that doesn't mean the end of its engagement in the series. Honda has asked Italy's Jas Motorsports to develop and build a Jazz (known as the Fit in the United States) that complies with the championship's new G2 specifications.



The rally-bound Jazz is powered by a Mugen-sourced 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine. It makes 245 horsepower at 9,000 rpms, and torque is rated at 145 foot-pounds. As is often the case with Honda race cars, the engine is normally aspirated.



Honda will field two Jazz hatchbacks in this year's Australia Rally Championship. The company's ambitious goal is to capture an overall win in the two-wheel drive class.



"We are excited about the next year of rallying," said a spokesperson for Honda's Australian operations. "Fitted with Mugen engines, these may well be the fastest Jazz in the world!"





Test from PressPLAY on Vimeo.