The RA272 raced in the 1965 F1 World Championship, and was Honda’s second car in its first F1 era, following the RA271.It was powered by the same 1500 cc 12-cylinder engine as the RA271, but with improvements made to various parts of the car to increase its competitiveness, and by the end of the season, the introduction of a development model among other improvements made it as fast as its rivals. As a result, Richie Ginther won the Mexican GP, bringing Honda and Goodyear tires a memorable first F1 victory in Honda’s 11th grand prix.
In the 1964 season, the RA271 raced only three times, each ending with problems. Since engine regulations would be changed in 1966 to increase the engine displacement to 3000cc, Honda’s policy was to improve the RA271 instead of developing a new model in 1965. The development items considered included reducing the car’s weight, which was 75 kg heavier than the specified minimum weight (450 kg), improving reliability, changing the layout of auxiliary components, and increasing engine output. In addition to Ronnie Bucknum, Richie Ginther, who had excellent development capabilities, joined the team making it a two-car team.
