Honda secures championship

It is Honda's first title in the series in only its second year in the championship and Robert Clarke, vice president and general manager for Honda Performance Development said it was testament to the hard work of Honda and its asscociates.

"It has been a fantastic year for Honda in the IRL," Clarke said. "Although the results might make it seem otherwise, this has been a highly challenging year for HPD with programmes for the 'old' 3.5-litre engine at the start of the season, the utilisation of the new 3.0-litre engine starting at Indianapolis, and the construction of HPD's new facility in California all taking place in the same time frame.

"This achievement is a tribute to the tremendous hard work and dedication of all our associates at HPD, our teams and drivers, and our technical partners."

The top three places in the drviers' championship are all occupied by Honda-powered drivers - Tony Kanaan, Buddy Rice and Dan Wheldon. Kanaan and Rice have three victories apiece while Wheldon has two.

Yasuhiro Wada, president of Honda Performance Development, added: "To prevail in such a competitive series, and against such strong opposition from both Toyota and Chevrolet, makes this championship all the more special. The IRL IndyCar Series has proven to be a challenging and hard-fought championship, which makes us especially proud of this achievement."