Real Racing gets new look as sponsor Keihin exits
The Real Racing Honda SUPER GT team has revealed a new look for the 2021 season, following the exit of long-time sponsor Keihin.
Astemo, a joint venture between Japanese electronics and industrial equipment giant Hitachi and Honda, replaces Keihin as the main backer for the #17 NSX-GT.
Keihin, which is part-owned by Honda, had been Real Racing's main sponsor since 2009, bringing with it a distinctive electric blue livery that until now had gone mostly unchanged.
But in 2019, Honda reached an agreement with Hitachi to merge three of its subsidiaries - Keihin, Showa and Nissin - with Hitachi Automotive Systems to create a new company.
In the wake of that process being concluded, Keihin's branding has been dropped in favour of that of Astemo, resulting in a new red-and-silver colour scheme (pictured top).
The merger affects Honda's Dream SI Racing team in the All-Japan Superbike Championship, which has been rebranded along the same lines for 2021.
#17 Keihin NSX: Koudai Tsukakoshi, Toshihiro Kaneishi
Photo by: Hisao Sakakibara
#17 KEIHIN NSX-GT
Photo by: Masahide Kamio
Koudai Tsukakoshi and Bertrand Baguette continue for a third successive season with Real Racing in 2021 as part of a mostly unchanged Honda SUPER GT roster.
Also set to get a new look in 2021 is fellow Honda squad Team Kunimitsu, which announced late last year the end of its long-standing relationship with Raybrig.
Team Kunimitsu is poised to reveal its 2021 branding on Monday.
Be part of Motorsport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments