Honda's competitive activities in racing predated HRC's establishment by several decades, but the company initially ran its racing operations internally. In 1973 Honda created the Racing Service Center (RSC), a separate company dedicated to motorcycle racing development and privateer support. The RSC supplied production-based works machines and racing parts for domestic Japanese competition, while also beginning European endurance racing participation in 1976, ahead of the series becoming the FIM Endurance World Championship in 1980.
Separately, Honda's NR block development team was responsible for returning the company to Grand Prix motorcycle racing in 1979 with the NR500. On 1 September 1982, the NR block and RSC were merged to form Honda Racing Corporation, with Shoichiro Irimajiri appointed as its first president. The merger combined NR block's pure racing machine development capability with RSC's broader privateer support infrastructure, creating an efficient specialist company covering the full range of motorcycle racing activity from grassroots to premier-class competition. At the same time Honda relocated its European racing base from the Isle of Man to Belgium for logistical convenience.
HRC has competed in the premier class of Grand Prix motorcycle racing since the company's inception and has won over 20 constructors' championships in the top division. The organisation currently campaigns as Honda HRC Castrol in MotoGP and has historically supplied engines to satellite and customer teams across multiple classes.
HRC has a deep history in motorcycle endurance racing, with involvement dating to the origins of the European endurance series in the 1970s. The Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Road Race has been a particular focus; Honda recorded 10 consecutive victories at the event between 1997 and 2006, eight of which were achieved directly by HRC. After stepping back, HRC returned as a works team at Suzuka in 2018 and won the event in 2022.
HRC has competed in the Motocross World Championship since claiming its first 500cc title in 1979 and has accumulated 39 riders' world championship titles in motocross. The Superbike World Championship has also featured HRC involvement, including works campaigns under the Castrol Honda banner until 2002 and a revival of full factory support from 2019. In off-road racing, HRC has fielded works entries in the Dakar Rally across multiple periods; after returning as a works team in 2013, HRC won the Dakar outright in 2020 and 2021, and claimed the World Rally-Raid Championship manufacturers' title in 2022, 2023, and 2024.
Honda's four-wheel motorsport activities were transferred from HRD Sakura, a division of Honda R&D, to HRC on 1 April 2022, with HRD Sakura renamed HRC Sakura and retained as the automobile racing division based in Sakura, Tochigi. The motorcycle division remained headquartered in Asaka, Saitama.
HRC's Formula One involvement began in 2022 when the organisation took over responsibility for supplying power units to Red Bull Racing and AlphaTauri, units that had previously been developed and manufactured directly by Honda Motor Company. In 2023, the Honda RBPT001 power unit won 21 of 22 races. Honda announced in May 2023 that it would make a full-scale return to Formula One from 2026 as a works supplier to Aston Martin. In February 2024, HRC UK was established in the United Kingdom to serve as the European base for this programme.
HRC assumed control of Honda's Super Formula engine programme in 2022, supplying 2.0-litre turbocharged inline-four engines built to Nippon Race Engine regulations. In HRC's first Super Formula season, Tomoki Nojiri and Team Mugen claimed both drivers' and team championships. In Super GT, HRC campaigned the NSX-GT through 2022 and 2023 before introducing the Civic Type R-GT in 2024.
HRC managed the NSX GT3 customer racing programme from 2022, overseeing a network of regional support partners including Mugen in Japan, HRC US in North America, and JAS Motorsport in Europe. By 2024, the Civic TCR range had surpassed 500 global victories and claimed more than 90 championship titles across various touring car series.
In December 2023, Honda Performance Development, Honda's North American motorsport subsidiary, was renamed Honda Racing Corporation USA (HRC US), aligning it with the global HRC identity. HRC US competes as an engine manufacturer in IndyCar and campaigns the Acura ARX-06 LMDh prototype in the GTP class of the IMSA SportsCar Championship. In February 2024, HRC UK was established to support the 2026 Formula One programme.
HRC functions as a research platform for Honda's carbon neutrality initiatives, developing sustainable propulsion technologies through real-world racing. The Super Taikyu Series in Japan serves as a testbed for carbon-neutral fuel through the Civic Type R CNF-R project. HRC research has also contributed to fuel cell system development and supported a collaboration with Astrobotic Technology on power solutions for lunar surface missions.