Pete05
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The Honda RA301 was a Formula One racing car produced by Honda Racing for the 1968 season. It made it's debut in the second round of the Championship at the Spanish Grand Prix.
Like it's predecessor, the RA300, it was co-developed with Lola Cars and called the Lola T180 by Lola Cars.
The car was an update of the previous season's RA300 using the same RA273E engine. As Honda was also focused on developing the air-cooled RA302, the RA301's development suffered. As a result, it's best finish was a 2nd place at the French Grand Prix, driven by team leader,John Surtees. Poor reliability saw him manage just two more finishes that year.
Ironically, the car was planned to be replaced by the RA302 at that very race but due to safety concerns, Surtees refused to race it. The drive went to his team-mate, Jo Schlesser, who died after crashing the car.
Following this tragedy, Surtees again refused to drive the car at the Italian Grand Prix held at Monza and the RA301 was ides for the remainder of the season.
With Honda's withdrawal from Formula One at the end of the season, the RA301 was the last F1 car raced by Honda until the RA106 of 2006.
ENGINE
Configuration
90 degree V12
Location
Mid, longitudinally mounted
Weight
180 kg / 396.8 lbs
Construction
Aluminium block and heads
Displacement
2993 cc / 182.6 cu in
Bore / Stroke
78 mm (3.1") x 52.2 mm (2.1")
Compression
11.5:1
Valvetrain
4 valves per cylinder, 2 camshafts per bank
Fuel feed
Honda Fuel Injection
Aspiration
Naturally Aspirated
Power
400 bhp / 298 kW @ 10,000 rpm
Gearbox
Honda 5 speed manual
Weight
640 kg / 1411 lbs
http://www.ultimatecarpage.com/car/217/Honda-RA301.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_RA301
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