JAPCOM at RacingHondas
JAPCOM has been busy taking part in Racing Hondas through 2025. With all the drama and excitement you can expect from events (including a re-shell). Racing Hondas is built for club-level competition, offering an inclusive environment for both newcomers and seasoned racers. With a strong emphasis on accessibility, the championship continues to embrace grassroots motorsport, welcoming everyone from first-time drivers to those running a ‘van and trailer’ setup.
Cadwell Park – Rounds 1 & 2 – Monday 5th May 2025
The season opener at Cadwell was a big step up, with most rivals running wider tyres and aero, leaving me feeling underprepared. After a solid track day on Sunday, I managed P7 in class for Race 1 with some good battles, and P5 in class for Race 2 despite a red flag restart and splitter damage. Times dropped into the 1:39s, and I even won a pair of Yokohama AO52 tyres in the raffle which will help for future rounds. Bob put in strong drives, finishing P4 in Race 2. A positive first weekend with both cars home safe.
Donington Park – Rounds 3 & 4 – Monday 26th May 2025
Big changes for Donington included wider Konig Hypergrams and aero updates, but nerves and lack of confidence on track showed in practice with spins and off-track moments. Qualifying left me P11 in class, struggling for pace. In Race 1, I finished P8 in class in wet conditions after battling hard and gaining confidence. Race 2 brought gearbox issues, forcing me to manage shifting, but I still finished P7 in class with improved lap times down to a 1:18.9. Bob had another solid weekend with P4 and P5. Tough mentally, but progress made.
Brands Hatch – Rounds 5 & 6 – Sunday 15th June 2025
A chaotic week started with a Knockhill test where Bob heavily damaged his car just two minutes before the end, forcing a late-night repair job before heading to Brands. Testing on Friday went well, learning the track and setting consistent 55s, later improving to 54.7. Qualifying was tricky but landed P11 with a 53.4. Race 1 brought strong battles, finishing P10, then in Race 2 I made up places early, set PB laps down to 53.0, and held P7 at the flag after a safety car. Bob finished P6 and PDNF. Confidence in the car returned, and the weekend was a big boost for morale despite budget worries about Snetterton.
Snetterton 300 – Rounds 7 & 8 – Sunday 27th July 2025
Upgrades included stiffer suspension, wider rear tyres, and aero tweaks. Thursday testing was wet, but valuable for finding lines. Practice and qualifying in the dry were positive, with a P10 grid slot at 2:09.8. In Race 1 I had close battles with Alford and Kiff before contact dropped me to P9, while Bob claimed his first podium in P3. Race 2 ended badly for me with a heavy crash at Oggies after running wide, badly damaging the car, though I was unhurt. Bob finished P5. The weekend was mixed: a big high for Bob, but left me facing a full rebuild before Oulton.
Oulton Park – Rounds 9 & 10 – Monday 25th August 2025
Following the heavy Snetterton crash, I re-shelled the car in just two weeks with more camber added, and the new shell felt much stiffer. Practice and qualifying went well, dipping into the 1:53s and lining up P9. Race 1 brought my best result of the year, P6, though Bob was taken out early. Race 2’s reverse grid gave me a front-row start, and I even led for a short time before falling back with fuel starvation, eventually finishing P8. Bob salvaged a P5 after repairing his car between races. Overall, a huge positive step after the crash, showing the new car’s potential.
Fraser and Bob first met at a Knockhill track day in 2015. Bob was in his EK9 and Fraser in his DC2, both new to track driving. Fraser melted a front tyre halfway through the day, and Bob, who he had never met before, offered him a spare set of CE28Ns with R888s so he could continue. This sparked a strong working relationship: Fraser was breaking Civics for parts, while Bob was building them for customers, with many parts travelling from Japcom in Glasgow up to Barron Automotive in Huntly.
In 2019, Fraser entered his first motorsport event, a Time Attack RWYB at Cadwell Park, which led to him competing in Super Lap Scotland in 2019 and 2020, becoming Class E Champion in 2020. That same year, he made his first door-to-door race start in the Knockhill Mod-Sports Series, but buying his first home soon after paused his racing ambitions as he continued to self-fund with only limited sponsor support.
Fast forward to 2024, Fraser was back racing in the Knockhill Mod-Sports Series. That year, he and Bob helped bring HondaPro Jason over from the US with support from Bamikaze Garage and Automek. The trip included a Knockhill track day which reignited Bob’s drive to go racing himself.
This brings us to 2025, 10 years on from that chance encounter at Knockhill. Bob and Fraser have entered the Racing Hondas Championship as a joint team effort from Barron Automotive and Japcom. They have chosen the team name “Kilted Kswaps” to show their Scottish Heritage and both running Kswapped Civic EG’s
Fraser is driving a K20 Honda Civic EG
Bob is driving a K24 Honda Civic EG
