Gabriele Tarquini will have the great honour to drive an historical Honda Formula One car this weekend, at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
The Italian will join 1964 F1 World Champion John Surtees in representing the Japanese manufacturer in the 20th edition of the famous event in the UK that will culminate in the Goodwood hillclimb race that always features legendary machines and racers.
While Surtess will be at the wheel of the Honda RA300 that he actually drove to victory in the 1967 Italian Grand Prix at Monza, Tarquini will be entrusted the RA272, the first Japanese car to win a F1 race, the 1965 Mexican Grand Prix in the hands of Ritchie Ginther; this single seater was powered by 1.5-litre V12 48-valve water-cooled engine that delivered 230 bhp at 13000 rpm.
Both the RA300 and RA272 cars are part of the Honda Collection located at Twin Ring Motegi race track.
“I feel incredibly honoured. To represent Honda in such a glamorous event, in a car that is a symbol of the manufacturer’s history and alongside a legend like Surtees, marks one of the topical moments of my racing career,” commented Tarquini.