BOWMANVILLE, ON – Honda and racing have always gone together since their entry into the Grand Prix motorcycle racing season in 1959 at the Isle of Man TT. Five years later in 1964, they went on to enter Formula One racing and eventually found their way into the open-wheel CART series, now formed into the IndyCar Series. In every challenge Honda has had, they've always come out a winner, winning the 1961 Isle of Man TT, their first Formula One race after only one season in 1965 at the Mexican Grand Prix, and dominated the CART series with six-consecutive driver's championships in the heyday of the sport.

With the Honda Indy Toronto doubleheader approaching this weekend, Honda decided to invite a select group of journalists to the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP) to test out a variety of their products. Outside of motorcycles, Honda seemed to have a nice variety of their offerings on hand.

The day started with driving the 2014 Honda Civic Si on track. This 2.4-litre, four-cylinder action junkie produces 205 hp and 174 lb-ft of torque and is fitted only with a six-speed manual transmission. The Si was smooth and direct throughout the track, as we followed in a group, picking up speed as time went on. I only could get into fourth gear in a few straightaways, but it was so easy to downshift, while maintaining a smooth rhythm on track. The Civic Si's size and speed fit the CTMP track perfectly for novice racers, as you couldn't lose total control; yet, at the same time, it provided a thrilling ride.

After the Si warm-up we were ready for the real thing – The F1600 Formula F race cars. It takes a while to get comfortable in the cockpit, as you can barely move your shoulders and feet. My first out lap was slow and steady, trying to get acclimated to being a couple inches off the ground and how quick the Honda Fit engine inside was. In a race car, you can never go by pure numbers with the Fit engine only having 110 hp and 105 lb-ft of torque. You have to keep in mind that it only weighs 1,125 lbs. and that includes yourself, so it will seem like a rocket ship on four wheels when driving.

I worked out the kinks in the gear shift and was ready to pick up the pace. Unfortunately, I was caught being overzealous on a turn and ended up unintentionally performing a donut or two on track. It just goes to show you that it's essential to be in the right gear and at the appropriate speed at all times, especially on turns. Steering has to be precise and will not forgive you on any corner.

The overall experience in a Formula F car is thrilling, there's no better word to describe it. If you're a driving enthusiast or racing nut that hasn't had this experience, it's worth every penny. There are packages that can be purchased for a half day or full day events at CTMP, so I would enquire if you're looking for more information. One tip, just make sure you get enough laps in, as it will take three-to-four laps to get adjusted and confident.

Lastly, Honda created a Go Kart segment, which brings out the competitor in all of us. These Go Karts are fitted with Honda's GX200 racing engine that can go up to 70 km/h. It was a perfect ending of the day, where we slid around at all corners of the track trying to spoil each others day. It brought back some memories of being a kid, but I don't recall any of those Go Karts being as fast on track, as these were.

Just when you thought the day had all one could handle, Honda brought out a special guest in IndyCar and Canada's own James Hinchcliffe. Hinchcliffe will be competing at the Honda Indy Toronto doubleheader, so it all made sense, given his new one-year marketing partnership with the brand to give us a few tips in the Civic Si and show us what he can do in a Formula F car.

Coming off of a three-win campaign, this year's campaign hasn't been surrounded by happy days for Hinchcliffe. In a quick interview with the Mayor of Hinchtown, he made mention to wanting to turn things around in the second half of the year and help support his team and teammates at Andretti Autosport, who currently sit third, sixth and seventh in the driver's championship.

All in all, this day with Honda was a blast! It was filled with some competitive fun and a true showcase of what Honda and Honda racing is all about. For more Honda action, tune in to the Honda Indy Toronto doubleheader on July 19th and 20th and hopefully Hinchcliffe can fight his way to his first podium in his hometown race.