The starting grid in the 2026 American Rally Association season is a competitive place. Factory teams helmed by racers like Lia Block, Travis Pastrana, and Seth Quintero are part of the equation, while OEM investment in the motorsport by manufacturers like Toyota, Mini, and Honda is significantly shaking up the scene, too. But even in the face of all those notable rivals, Honda's first run in its Civic Type R rally car turned out to be a resounding success.
Honda actually isn't a stranger to ARA, as the Japanese automaker has been involved in Stateside rally through the employee-run Honda of America Racing Team (HART) for years. However, the entrance of the Honda Civic Type R HRC Rally XP that debuted at the 2025 SEMA Show marks a new era for the automaker, as long-time driver Chris Sladek and co-driver John Sharps set out to dominate the Limited Two-Wheel-Drive (L2WD) class this season. And conquer they did, with Sladek and Sharps claiming the top spot in the L2WD class at the 2026 Southern Ohio Forest Rally during the second weekend of June.
View Price on Amazon"One difference from our other rally cars is that this is the first build in many years where I wasn’t hands-on building from day one. Rally Ready in Texas did the build, while myself and members of the Honda of America Racing Team rally team helped remotely with knowledge from our Integra build," Sladek said to Road & Track. "Our job, once we received the car in April, was to meticulously go through the car to make sure all the important boxes were checked, work on any improvements, and get it from SEMA-ready to its first stage rally. Our diligence thankfully meant our issues at the event were very minimal. Our only hiccup was an electrical issue that took out our cool suit until we got it fixed at the first service."
Sladek and co-driver Sharps are no strangers to Hondas—or each other. The pair has raced HART's Passport, Civic, Fit, and Integra rally builds together since 2018, and have developed a strong rapport. But moving to the Civic Type R as their platform of choice comes with significant changes; for one thing, the speed factor climbs, putting additional pressure on both Sladek and Sharps. Even so, the pair believes there is more in the tank.
"Co-driving in the new CTR rally car was an incredible experience. Compared to some of the other cars we’ve campaigned over the years, the CTR has a much higher performance ceiling. All of the cars we have raced are quick relative to what they are, but the CTR was very impressive," Sharps told me. "Its ability to carry speed through corners while also accelerating hard on corner exit makes it a very capable and rewarding platform to compete in. There was a brief moment, when, for the first time in many years of working together, that Chris actually outpaced my notes. That’s what made me realize this car is really fast!"
To prepare the Civic Type R for battle, Honda made some specific changes to the platform while closely adhering to ARA's class guidelines. Jeremy Lucas, principal engineer at HRC, told Road & Track that the Civic Type R HRC Rally XP is not as radically different from a standard CTR as you may think.
Honda currently sells an endurance-focused version of the Civic Type R and Integra, which Lucas said inspired the majority of the updates to the rally-spec car; save for rally-specific Ohlins dampers, the Civic Type R rally car uses the same cooling package as the Integra TCX race car with a thick-core aluminum radiator, reverse-flow cooling hoses, and dual oil coolers. Plus, Honda snagged the hood off a Civic Type R TCR to help evacuate engine heat. All of these parts are available straight from Honda's Racing Line catalog, which helps keep costs down, Lucas said.
Opening the L2WD class to the turbocharged 2.0-liter Honda inline-four did come with a few caveats to ensure a level playing field. For one, the association upped the minimum vehicle weight to 2,640 pounds, which is about 100 pounds more than the street car's curb weight.
Source: roadandtrack.com
