As our regular readers know most of the staff here at DCH Gardena Honda are huge fans of racing, all kinds of racing but most especially racing that involves Honda’s! One of our favorite forms of racing is the National Auto Sport Association (N.A.S.A.) and its Honda Challenge classes. The HPD Honda Challenge series is one of several series in N.A.S.A. and the rules are based around Honda factory parts and making the most of the parts that Honda has provided as an O.E. manufacturer. The Honda Challenge is divided into five classes, based on the type and amount of modifications allowed and thereby the speeds at which the cars run.  ”Anybody who has interest in driving a Honda fast and safely can hop on a racetrack with an instructor, learn what he or she needs to do and get up to speed while developing the skills required to become an excellent racer. That’s N.A.S.A.’s philosophy: to provide a safe and fun environment for people to partake in high-performance, on-track driving”. The Honda Performance Development Team has an awesome blog page an regularly posts entries written by Honda backed racers, it’s a must read for any fan of racing and a regular for us here at DCH Gardena Honda! The latest post is by one of our favorite drivers Jeremy Croise, who has been dominating the SoCal regional Honda Challenge races this season and already looking ahead to the National Championships, held this year at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Click HERE to read his great post in the ‘I Race A Honda’ section and check often for some well written insights from the exciting world of grass roots motorsports!

The CR-V has always been one of the best selling vehicles here at DCH Gardena Honda however as more and more compact SUV's are introduced to compete with our lil slugger its time for a freshen up! Honda agrees and is going to give us way more than just an update to the CR-V, in fact its a nearly complete overhaul! Most of the details are still sketchy and there is a whole lot of speculation floating around the Internet as we get closer to the release later in the year. One thing we do know for sure is that an EX-L model will be available WITH rear seat entertainment, which could mean it will have a third row OR it will be the first Honda SUV with RES in a two row configuration... Our friend Woody is convinced there WILL be three rows but we can get any confirmation from our inside Honda guy as of yet. Another tid bit is the addition of a new color, White Diamond Pearl for EX and above models. Below is a collection of spy shots and artist renderings for your review but none have been accepted as factual yet so dont blame us if they are ALL wrong! Stay tuned here for the latest on the new 2012 CR-V, or stop in to DCH Gardena Honda and see the whole Honda line up!

UPDATE!! July 17, 2011:
Our good friends over at the Temple of VTEC JUST posted the best pics yet of the elusive new CR-V! The folks from the super auto spys at Brenda Priddy & Company also sent along a few thoughts about what they feel is coming for our fav lil SUV:
"Honda has been doing a good job of hiding the next-generation CR-V, but today, we've finally gotten close up to a lightly disguised prototype!
The biggest changes appear to be at the rear, where Honda almost looks to be taking a page from the Volvo design handbook. It's possible that the extra space in the back is making room for a 3rd row. There seems to be some significant changes up front as well. The 2.4L four-cylinder VTEC motor should continue to be the only choice. Though we expect it to get a modest bump over the current 180hp, as well as a modest gains in fuel economy.
While the earthquake in Japan has delayed the start of production by about a month, expect the new CR-V to start rolling down the assembly line in Ohio, as well as Alliston, Ontario, in late Fall of this year."
Many thanks to the folks at VTEC.net!

UPDATE II!! July 18, 2011:
Our good friend and the most 'in the know' car guy on the 'net Woody just posted an undisguised rendering that gives the best side view yet. As always, our hat is tipped to you Woody! :)