Let me start with a couple of figures so we know who we are talking about:

Since June 1998, one Japanese fan site has had over 6,000,000 hits. Typically they have 1,700 visitors per day, rising to 70,000 per day just before a race!

The second Japanese site has had 450,000 visitors since 2004 - from over 38 countries.

The third Japanese site, 160,000 since 2002.

Our site, we have had over 120,000 unique IP address visits in 2007 alone! (65,000 of those visiting us more than eight times)  and we have been here since April 2006.

So, we are talking about several hundred thousand fans interested in the next 48 hours.

Mr Fry CEO of HRF1 has blocked SAF1 from setting up at Turkey. So what on earth is happening? 

We have a multi-layered story developing, and it is not easy to understand how deep it all goes. Nick Fry is CEO of Honda Racing. As CEO he knows better than to speak for his Honda Corporation master without their backing. So when he tells Formula One Management that SAF1 will not be racing, we have to assume he has been given permission to make that telephone call.

So, why is Honda Corporation telling Fry to block SAF1 before the suposedly crucial meeting being held in Tokyo tomorrow (Tuesday) ?

Honda is owed a very large amount of money and it seems that they want to make a rapid payback part of any rescue deal. Aguri-san also has a personal fortune tied up in the team so the deal needs to be a cracker. Weigl I believe has come forward with a less than cracking deal.

I believe the Weigl Group will be offering a deal that ignores the majority of the debt - no-one wants to pay for last year's racing now. This is a problem for Honda, and I believe that this is where the brinksman-ship is coming from. Honda have upped that stakes and it is working.

In an amazing set of steps, Weigl Group, and even Takuma Sato have published statements. Herr Weigl has gone on record with his statement to Autosport.com hitting back at Fry's comments regarding the seriousness of the offer:

"I would not go along to risk my name and my business," he said. "I have investor partners because otherwise I could not do it. We have a partner who is interested in the F1 business. It is an investment group and the package is clear - we want to have Honda, then investors and then my input, including technology, that we need to make a new car for 2010. It is a serious bid, and it will allow Super Aguri to survive for a long period of time."

Takuma Sato in a Q&A on his own site has said "We need Honda support more then ever now and I am just hoping that they will be able to find a satisfactory solution. Honda are famous for their Racing Spirit and I am sure this will not desert them now."

Takuma talks of his surprise at Fry's actions -as did Weigl during his interviews. I can write here that hundreds of thousands of fans (customers) were also surprised ... and shocked.

It is my belief that Honda has done this to put pressure on the deal, to try to get their money back. To show they are serious about wanting their money. 

The Honda Corporation has high standards, these should have prevented them being involved in such un-sporting behaviour, it should have stopped them bullying their little brother. Even more though, their high standards shuld have guided them away from shocking their customers.

Using an Englishman as a third-party spokesman is a disappointment for those looking at this great Japanese corporation. Are they ignoring the honour and spirit of their founder?  I think they are.

Mr Fry's actions and statements are a clear display of cowardly corporate behaviour. Here at SAF1.org we now call upon Honda Corporation to display the honour and sporting spirit of their founding principles and support SAF1 team to a greater end than economic compensation. 

But if honour isn't enough to convince them, perhaps they should consider this: just how much money will they get by selling a few cars? SAF1 owns very little else. The Leafield site is rented, the machinery is scant, and low value (relatively speaking). SAF1 has very few assets. Just what are Honda expecting to gain from its bankruptcy? 

The most likely gain is hundreds of thousands of customers turning on them.

Honda, you need to be clever. 

And the fans? Why not write to Honda to prove we are shocked? Email them at  This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it