Honda->ke34 has rewritten racing history by securing their first overall victory at Daytona International Speedway during last night’s Rolex 24. The IMSA WeatherTechSportsCar Championship endurance race was a long fought battle but proof of the new car and its engine’s durability and power. The win against the Wayne Taylor Racing Dallara-Corvette was by 26 seconds, with Honda’s hot shoe, PipoDeraniremarking, “The last two and a half hours were pretty intense. With the second-place car really pushing us, I couldn't make any mistakes.”

While Honda’s win is momentous, what’s even more striking is the engine that won – a heavily modified J35 V6 that can be found in the Odyssey minivan. The 3.5 liter HR35TT was developed by Honda Performance Development (HPD) and retains a remarkable amount of production-based components including the block, heads, valve train, alternator and oil filter. Debuting in 2014, the HR35TT uses twin turbochargers and engine management developed by HPD and McLaren.->ke284

The winning ESM Ligier-Honda JSP2 car pushed through the 24-hour endurance race without issue, entering Sunday morning in a close battle with the Corvette->ke1280 and two Daytona Prototype cars – no. 5 and no. 31 of Action Express. Of the three top finishing teams, 736 laps of Daytona’s 3.56-mile road course were completed equaling more than 2,600 miles.

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The 2016 WeatherTechSportsCar Championship will continue in March with the 64th edition of the Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring. Make to follow our racing coverage to keep up with the winners and losers.