Honda Racing US has launched 241.428, a four-episode docuseries examining the closed-course speed record Gil de Ferran set in 2000 at California Speedway in Fontana. His 241.428-mph lap remains the official world closed-course speed record for a race car, nearly 26 years after it was established.

The series debuted this week on the HRC US YouTube channel and brings together drivers, team leaders and racing figures who competed alongside de Ferran or faced him during his CART career. The project also honors de Ferran, a two-time CART Series champion and Indianapolis 500 winner who died in 2023.

Who appears in the 241.428 series?

Honda has assembled a notable group of interview subjects for the production. Roger Penske, Zak Brown, Rick Mears, Helio Castroneves, Dario Franchitti and Tony Kanaan all appear, offering perspectives on de Ferran’s career and the challenge represented by his record-setting lap.

Kelvin Fu, president of HRC US, said the series was created as a personal tribute to de Ferran rather than as a promotional project. Honda considers de Ferran part of its racing family, with the 241.428-mph achievement standing alongside his championships and major race victories.

The Honda-powered car behind the record

The centerpiece of the series is the Reynard 01I-Honda that de Ferran drove. The car is now owned by Brown, and Honda’s Heritage Racing Program has restored it. That program was launched in August during Monterey Car Week, giving the historic CART machine a new role as a piece of working racing history.

The restored car is a championship-winning 2001 Team Penske Reynard-Honda, while de Ferran’s record-setting run took place in October 2000. Honda’s CART-era racing program remains important to the company, which has also highlighted the way IndyCar technology has influenced its road-car engineering.

Why the speed record still stands

De Ferran’s lap required sustained speed through corners, not a single straight-line acceleration run. That makes a closed-course record fundamentally different from a top-speed pass, because the car must manage extreme cornering loads while maintaining triple-digit speeds.

No Formula 1, IndyCar or NASCAR car has matched the 241.428-mph mark on a closed course since it was set. Later rules have reduced turbo boost, limited downforce and narrowed tire operating windows, all of which make a repeat attempt more difficult. Honda’s new series uses the record to capture a particular period when engine power, aerodynamic performance and tire capability aligned at an extraordinary level.