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| In the first event of the 1994 PPG Indy Car World Series, Honda's debut, team driver Bobby Rahal was involved in a crash on the first lap, which forced him to retire from the event. |
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Honda Performance Development (HPD) was set up as a wholly owned subsidiary in April of 1993, with Elliot as president following the official announcement of Honda's entry into Indy competition. The purpose of the new company was to supply engines to the racing team.
HPD's role was to manage the supply of engines to the Honda racing team while serving as a technical center. Moreover, the company was expected to supply to more than one team in the future. At the time, however, AH had no engineer with prior motorsports experience. So, HPD began its quest for Americans with racing experience, sifting through the rosters of current employees at Honda's North American branches and factories. At the same time it recruited applicants through the use of classified advertisements in motor-racing publications.
For its corporate slogan HPD adopted the equation, "Performance + Quality = Success."
Performance, of course, refers to the engines themselves, but it also encompasses the performance of operations such as engine assembly and team support. Quality refers to the satisfaction of every requirement while maintaining the highest possible standards. These include the assurance of engine quality, a guarantee of zero problem occurrences, the timely response to delivery schedules, and outstanding team support. Without these two key components-performance and quality-success is not possible. Without the full power and capabilities of the team as a whole, the customer will not be satisfied and no race will be won. |
