Friday October 4th, 2002

Engine suppliers Honda will introduce another upgrade to their improving RA002E power unit for the season-ending Japanese Grand Prix at the Suzuka circuit next week.

The manufacturer, who power the Jordan and BAR teams, have endured a tough season after producing an engine that has suffered numerous blow-outs throughout the year. However, they are pushing the boundaries further for the final race of 2002 after two strong performances in the Italian and United States Grand Prix.

"We're running a higher spec unit at the Japanese Grand Prix and I am optimistic that all four Honda-powered drivers will run competitively," said HRD race and test team manager Shuhei Nakamoto. "This year has seen an aggressive development programme for the RA002E engine and we have continued that right up until the last race.

"I hope we'll be able to end the 2002 season on a high. We're really looking forward to racing in front of our home crowd at Suzuka and I want to give the local fans something to cheer about."

British American Racing driver Olivier Panis finished in sixth place at Monza and then teammate Jacques Villeneuve repeated the feat at Indianapolis last weekend. Honda will part company with Jordan after the race to concentrate their efforts purely on British American Racing next year, with Jordan moving to Ford engines in 2003.

Published at 14:52:49 GMT