Oaktec have modified the car for Rallying by increasing strength, reducing weight and fitting safety systems. Special rally suspension has been manufactured and improvements to the engine have been restricted to improving inlet and exhaust gas flow efficiency. The emissions control systems are standard. The Oaktec Hybrids are unique in their use of a CVT automatic transmission which gives the car excellent control and drivability and works in harmony with the hybrid power unit
. The car has been competed using E85 Bio-ethanol fuel and will be developed further to exploit the advantages of alcohol fuels. The hybrid system has been modified using a MIMA controller which can be programmed to alter the control strategies of the system giving stronger braking with more energy regenerated, and more power with assist. This gives a good improvement to vehicle performance.
In 2009 the Insight benefitted from a serious performance upgrade with the addition of a set of high performance Lifebatt lithium batteries with 2.5 times the standard energy storage, and some new hybrid control devices to best exploit the increased power available. This gave the car a quantum boost in performance but at the same time further improved its fuel efficiency in normal driving.
Results.
In its first nine rallies the Insight scored 5 class A victories of the UK Formula 1000 rally championship, and was class A champion in 2006. The highest overall placing was 27th from a field of 54 cars of all classes in the 2007 Millbrook National Rally, where the 995cc Honda beat many cars inthe larger engine classes. It continues to have regular success in class A and in April 2009 scored its first Formula 1000 podium coming third overall in the Lee Holland Stages at Anglesey in Wales.
Development of the car has given it noticeable extra pace. The focus of this has been increasing the rate of energy regeneration and therefore the amount of free electrical energy available to power the car.
The team has worked hard to improve suspension performance particularly at the rear end where the narrow track of the standard car was a limiting factor for competitive stage times.
The 2009 season culminated in Oaktec claiming the Formula 1000 class B2 crown, the car having moved up from class A owing to its latest modifications. The 2010 season has started where '09 left off with 2 class B2 wins and a second and forth place overall. Not bad for a car that will easily return 80mpg on the open road!
Honda Civic Hybrid Rally Car.
The new Civic was built with help from Honda UK in mid 2007.
It made its public debut at the Chatsworth Rally Show in September where it was demonstrated to an audience of over 10,000 by rally legends Vic Elford, Russell Brookes and Rauno Altonen.
The 1339 cc Civic follows the successful formula developed with the Insight, using CVT Transmission to complement the hybrid drive. The car is in an early stage of development yet is showing great potential.
Results
The Civic raced in two events after its launch to aid its development, yet it scored well in both.
In November 2007 at the 2 day Glyn Memorial Stage Rally held at the revised Anglesey Circuit complex in North Wales the production class 1339cc hybrid came home in 48th place overall from a field of 88 competitiors, and 6th from 13 cars in the modified 1400cc class, once again proving the competitive potential of the environmentally responsible Honda IMA technology.
A similar result followed in the Roskirk Trophy Rally near Manchester in March 2008 where the car again took 6th in class and finished 35th from 60 cars of all classes.
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In May 2008 former British and World Rally Championship driver Neil Wearden and co-driver Franca Davenport took the Civic hybrid to second place in class on the Jim Clark Rally a round of the British Rally Championship.
In September 2008 the Civic became the first hybrid car to track race in the UK when it contested the Rockingham round of the Dunlop Sport Maxx production saloon championship, piloted by Jamie Corstorphine of Autocar magazine and Gavan Kershaw from sports car maker Lotus.