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| [Profile] [Highlights] |
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| Hirotishi Honda : President |
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| DATE OF BIRTH |
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12.4.42
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| BORN |
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Shizuoka, Japan
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| 1961 |
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Enrolled in the engineering department at Nihon University where he specialised in industrial design.
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| 1965 |
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Graduated from University and began building racing cars in a workshop at his own house. After two years, he started manufacturing custom cars with his friends.
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| 1973 |
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Established Mugen Co Ltd in March and was appointed President, the position he holds to date.
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| Mugen Co Ltd |
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Mugen Co Ltd is very active in a variety of motor sports; in the 1970s and 1980s it supplied motorcycle motocross machines. It is currently a supplier of race engines, such as the kart engine based on 50cc motor scooter engine, F3 engine, Formula Nippon engine and F1 engines, and it lies at the centre of Honda Motor's motor sports activities. The relationship between Mugen and Honda Motor has been, and remains, very close.
Mugen has constantly received technical support from Honda Motor in the development of race engines and has contributed to the strengthening of Honda's products worldwide. Honda Motor became a major shareholder of Mugen in 1993, although Mugen still operates independently. Mugen was established in 1973 by Mr Hirotoshi Honda, the President of Mugen, and since then its business activity has been strongly influenced by the strong will of Mr Honda. Mr Honda, like his father who was the founder of Honda Motor, is a racing enthusiast and started the company as a challenge and to fulfil a dream. Mugen Co began by supplying FJ1300 engines for novice Formula Cars and then went on to develop and supply motocross racers, enabling the company to participate in its first motorcycle race in 1976.
As motor racing became increasingly popular in Japan, Mugen expanded its business to become engine suppliers in F3 and F3000. With the technical assistance of Honda Motor, the engines became increasingly competitive, and Mugen steadily built up its reputation as a race car engine supplier. Mugen entered its first Formula One race in 1991 in order to realise one of its dreams.
It began as an F1 engine supplier by supplying the F1 V10 engine, which it had inherited from Honda Motor, to Tyrrell in 1991. In 1992 and 1993, Mugen supplied its F1 engines to Footwork and in 1994 it supplied the MF315H V10 engine to Lotus. In 1996 Mugen won its first Grand Prix with the Ligier team at Monaco, and continued to supply the newly named Prost team in 1997. On 8th July 1997, Mr Hirotoshi Honda announced that his company would supply Mugen-Honda Formula One engines to Jordan Grand Prix for two years, starting with the 1998 FIA F1 World Championship.
In May 1999, Jordan announced that the engine supply agreement with Mugen-Honda would be extended for another two years.
In its first year with Jordan, Mugen-Honda engines took first and second place at the Belgian Grand Prix and fourth place in the Constructors' Championship. 1999 was even more successful for Mugen-Honda, with two victories, one pole position and third place in the World Championship.
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