A new documentary series by Honda Racing Corporation USA celebrates the life and achievement of the late champion driver Gil de Ferran, who set the all-time closed-course lap record at 241.428 mph. Available on the HRC US YouTube channel, the docuseries “241.428” is presented by the HRC Heritage Racing Program.
Taking viewers inside the record run and featuring interviews with motorsports legends including Roger Penske, Zak Brown, Rick Mears, Helio Castroneves, Dario Franchitti and Tony Kannan, the four-episode presentation focuses on how de Ferran recorded an average speed of 241.428 mph during qualifying for the 2000 CART IndyCar Series race at California Speedway in Fontana, driving Team Penske’s Reynard 2KI powered by a 2.65L Honda HR-0 turbocharged V-8.
More than a quarter-century later, de Ferran’s closed-course lap record still stands across all forms of circuit racing, including Formula 1, IndyCar and NASCAR—a testament to the driver, machine and engine that worked together to achieve it.
“Gil de Ferran was a big part of the Honda racing family and he holds a special place in our hearts beyond his major championships and race victories, but 241.428 was an extraordinary achievement,” said Kelvin Fu, president of HRC US. “Hearing Gil recount his record-setting run raises the hair on the back of my neck—a powerful reminder of who Gil was and what makes ‘241.428’ such a special documentary.”
Celebrating a Special Car & Driver
Developed and directed by motorsports journalist Marshall Pruett, with creative direction by motorsports agency CoForce, “241.428” celebrates de Ferran’s legacy, the Honda engine that powered his record-setting run, and the Penske-modified Reynard chassis that carried him into the history books.
The series also follows the recent restoration and return to the track of de Ferran’s 2001 Reynard 01I-Honda, now owned by Zak Brown, CEO of McLaren Racing, and restored with the help of the HRC Heritage Racing Program. The championship-winning race car was driven by Brown at the 2026 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at Laguna Seca in an emotional tribute to de Ferran chronicled in the final episode of “241.428”.
Ferran was a two-time CART Series champion with Team Penske and Honda power, winning the titles in 2000 and 2001. In 2003, he also won racing’s biggest event, the Indianapolis 500, driving for Penske.
After retiring from driving in the IndyCar series following the 2003 season, de Ferran joined the Honda Formula 1 program as sporting director of the BAR-Honda team. He later returned to competition as both driver and team owner with a factory-backed Acura sports car program in the American Le Mans Series, where he won numerous races before retiring again after the 2009 season.