A very unique international team broke the Guinness Book Record "Economy DriveRound Britain". Team MASAYA-Mad Scientist & Crazy Guys was organized by a Japanese medical doctor, Dr.Shigheru Miyano,it included the ex-world champion of F1 Denny Hulme and made a new record 78.90mpg (=27.93km/h ) in a Honda Civic ETi. They proved the technology of the Honda VTEC-E engine with this challenge and apealed to the ecology, challenging the period of THE EARTH SUMIT.

The team arrived in good spirits, Kato,Satomi,Nishi and Yoshida from Japan, Michael Ortmann fresh from racing his Honda in Germany(after a delay due to leaving his passport at home !), and Denis and Shigeru from Monaco. Our first task was the Bruce McLaren Memorial at Goodwood on 2nd June which was a wonderful success and a most moving tribute. We talked to many great heros such as Sir Jack Brabham, John Cooper, John Surtees,and Denny, who were all associated with both Bruce McLaren and Soichiro Honda in those happy far off days of the "Swinging 60's".

The next day,on 3rd June,we were seen off at Brighton by the Lord Mayor.Dr.Miyano's mouth fell open! He did not realise that the Lord Mayor of Brighton was in fact a Lady!! I reminded him that we used to have a woman as Prime Minister, and still have a woman as our Queen. The team now split into two, with Denis, Michael, Shigeru, Yoshida and Nishi in two Civics, while the rest-Bob Rackham, Kato, Satomi and I in two US-built Honda Accord Aerodecks which Honda UK had loaned to us. We went to the first meeting point at Burnham on Sea to get some rest,and await the Civics which would arrive the next day. On the way we called in at John Cooper's garage at Worthing,who autographed his brochures for us. In the morning we got a shock!
One of the Aerodecks had been stolen along with a Shell Gold Card which would allow the thieves to draw our full allocation of 920 litres of Shell Advanced Unleaded. Was this an attempt to sabotage our efforts, we wondered? The police officer who investigated the theft had the number 349 on his uniform,which was odd as the missing car was H 349 HLN.
Sure enough the car was recovered (in London)the same day. The theft was never explained,but the Shell Card had not been used, so our fuel allocation was intact, but the Aerodeck was damaged. However,it showed our Japanese guests we were not joking when we said to take precautions. In fact we managed quite well with just one Aerodeck while the other was being repaired. Our team then drove all around Wales in 24 hours and the next changeover was at Lancaster.

Later the next morning the phone rang and awoke me with the news that Denny and Team A were nearly at the next changeover point, Dumbarton in Scotland, so would we please get up, and hurry to get there! Using fast Motorways all the way,we made it in record time and after a nice session in MacDonalds for very Scottish hamburgers! We said farewell to them and set off around Scotland in the Civics. The scenery was absolutely delightful,and there was not a cloud in the sky. The night was memorable,as with little moon to guide our way,the roads were very poor and deserted, apart from the sheep, who prefer to sleep on the warm ashphalt surface, and did not like being disturbed by the only cars on the road at that late hour.We ran into sea mists at John O'Groats which continuted as far as Inverness and made driving conditions difficult. Driving 24 hours at a stretch, as we were, was probably too long.

The Bed and Breakfast in Inverness,run by Mr&Mrs MacDonald,was the cheapest accommodation we found and it was also,as Denny Hulme said,by far the best. We were treated as members of their family. The Japanese had no conception of what a "16 ounce steak"is,and when it arrived they were embarrassed to find that it overlapped the edges of a plate. Knives and Forks were essential here! The East Coast of England came next and it was harder than the West, mainly because the route is a straighter line. This meant the support crews had to travel a much greater distance in the Aerodeck to meet the Civics, in order to carry on with the Challenge. The last night on the road was spent at Southend with both crews resting up together. The next day,on 10th June, after photo session with the local Honda dealer,the Civics did their long final leg to Brighton. Mean while, the support team had an easy run on a direct route via London, to meet at Brighton with the (Lady) Mayor again.

Here the weather broke for the first time,and we had a hail,rain and lightning storm to greet us. Then came the final calculation as both Civics were filled up with Shell Advanced for the last time. Civic #1(TKS 54 HI 3054) had travelled 6052km on 216.85 litres of Shell, giving 78.90 miles per gallon. Civic #2(TKS 54 HI 3056) had travelled 6075km on 217.52 litres, which equates to 78.85 miles per gallon in British pariance. This did not beat the 1991 Daihatsu diesel figure of 103.01 miles per gallon,driven over the same route,but it did beat quite handsomely the Austin-Rover Metro 1.3 petrol figure from 1987 at 52.5mpg. The Shell petrol is excellent, as the formula is reckoned to give a 2% to 3% improvement by keeping the fuel injection system at peak operating cleanliness. This meant that each car had saved something like 5 litres, just by using this fuel,so we were pleased. The cars themselves were delightful to drive and our only critisism was that we couldn't receive the pre set Japanese radio stations very well,but fortunately we had Japanese music tapes with us! Dr.Shigeru Miyano said, "I came to Britain with 100% confidence to make a new record, The first "Team Mad Scientist & Crazy Guys" had already made the gasoline engine class record 57.55mpg(=20.33km/l) in June 1988 over the same route in a Toyota S800. This car is an air cooled flat twin engine small sports car made in 1966. The Guinness Book regulation requires that the car must be standard production, but there is no regulation about engine capacity or production year. Honda Civic ETi has absolute reliability and a better fuel efficiency result proven by a test done in Japan. This is the reason for my 100% confidence. The idea of this challenge began because I wanted to add the title of "Guinness Book record holder" to the great career of Denny Hulme. He got the class win with a Honda S600 at Nurburgring 500km race in September 1964. This was the first Honda 4 wheel car victory in an international event. He got the chance of driving F1 and F2 of the Team Brabham in the next season,and he became world champion in 1967. I asked Denny to join my team, and he agreed. This was on the stream of tao. I supplied special Continental tires to Team 1200 of Honda, and they made the world record at the Shell Mileage Marathon,22.69km/l , at Silverstone in 1988. Fuel efficiency is my main field. And I hope that many automobile industries are interested in this title and in challenging our record. It will improve the technology of fuel efficiency, which is what I really want to do for our ecology. VTEC-E is just the first step in saving the earth. I will now return to my ordinary life as a medical doctor practicing in a local city. But, I shall be back to Britain in the future with new members of,- "Mad Scientist & Crazy Guys"."

John Howie ,1 Nayland Road, Bures, Suffolk, CO8 5BX, UK
Tel 0787-227888 Fax 0787-228329 (national code 44)

Dr.Shigeru Miyano , Minamitsuboi-machi 3-7, 860-0848 Kumamoto, JAPAN
Tel 096-3524517 Fax 096-3532844 (national code 81)