Acura to Enter in 2007 ALMS LMP2

[YSSMAN]

...Hmmmm

Acura will enter the 2007 American Le Mans Series, initially competing in the LMP2 class, company officials announced today. This will mark Acura’s first factory motorsports program in the 20-year history of the company. An Acura-powered endurance racing prototype will make its competition debut at the 55th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring in March of 2007, racing against manufacturer-supported efforts from Audi, Porsche and Mazda, and a variety of well-equipped privateer teams.

“As Acura marks its 20-year anniversary, I can’t think of a better racing series to showcase our technology and performance than the American Le Mans Series,” said John Mendel, senior vice president, Auto Operations. “Our entry as a full factory team in the American Le Mans Series will accurately reflect Acura’s position as a leader in automotive performance and technology, and provide us with an arena in which to compete against other manufacturers in endurance sports car racing.”

The American Le Mans Series draws on the heritage of long-distance “endurance” sports car racing in both Europe and the United States as exemplified by the historic 24 Hours of Le Mans. The 10-race domestic series includes the 12 Hours of Sebring - a U.S. fixture since 1952 - plus events at the country’s premier road circuits, including Road America, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Laguna Seca, Lime Rock Park and Road Atlanta.

Sports car competition in the American Le Mans Series features multi-class racing of high-tech sports car prototypes and production-based Grand Touring machinery, with both factory-entered manufacturer teams and relentless privateers battling for victory. State-of-the-art technology and engineering, in everything from electronics to aerodynamics to fuel efficiency, are keys to success in the Series. Manufacturers currently fielding teams include Volkswagen/Audi, Porsche, BMW, Ferrari, Lexus, Aston Martin, Panoz and Chevrolet.

The American Le Mans Series is one of the fastest-growing racing series in the U.S., with a rapidly growing fan base attending the events and watching on television. Five of the 10 races in 2006 will be broadcast by CBS, with the remaining five events and Le Mans telecast on the cable/satellite SPEED network, including a prime-time season finale at Laguna Seca.

“We are delighted to have Acura join the American Le Mans Series,” said Scott Atherton, president and CEO of the Series.

The new Acura American Le Mans Series program will feature the first racing engine completely designed and developed in-house by Honda Performance Development of (HPD) Santa Clarita, California, American Honda’s wholly-owned racing subsidiary. It will mark the first time HPD has taken on multiple concurrent motorsports programs in both the American Le Mans Series and the Indy Racing League.

Acura will take part in the full American Le Mans Series schedule, while at the same time Honda continues its long-standing participation in the Indy Racing League, supplying the entire IndyCar Series field with Honda Indy V-8 engines.

“We’re looking forward with great anticipation to entering the American Le Mans Series,” said Robert Clarke, president of Honda Performance Development. “In addition to returning Acura to the international racing stage against other innovative automotive manufacturers, it allows us to continue to grow HPD into a world-class performance company.

In 2007, the Acura race program will feature HPD-designed and developed engines, and chassis from multiple manufacturers, including Lola Cars International, Ltd., of England, and Courage of France. After initial competition in the LMP2 class, plans call for the development of an Acura LMP1 chassis and engine package to compete in the American Le Mans Series, and earn an invitation to the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Honda Performance Development was founded in 1993 as the wholly owned racing subsidiary of American Honda Motor Co., Inc. It has served as the technical operations center for Honda’s IndyCar engine program. HPD last year opened a new, 123,000-square-foot headquarters to increase the company’s racing manufacturing, research and development capacities.

Acura previously participated in the International Motor Sports Association in the early 1990s, providing sponsorship and additional support for the Comptech Racing team in the Camel Lights division. Although not a full factory effort, Comptech and lead driver Parker Johnstone won three consecutive class titles from 1991-93 in an Acura-powered Spice chassis, with 22 race wins in 38 starts, including the historic 12 Hours of Sebring in 1993. In addition, Acura has supported the multiple championship-winning efforts of Peter Cunningham and Real Time Racing in SCCA World Challenge/Speed TV competition.

Testing of the Acura-powered American Le Mans Series cars will begin this summer, with drivers and teams to be announced in the near future.

So, I take it that the car is using the V8 from the IRL car?

 

[Kylehnat]

Awesome! I love the P2 class 👍

 

[JohnBM01]

Someone told me why the cars look more like two-seaters when I don't believe a second person can fit. Other than that, let me comment on this car.

I may not be a huge Acura fan, but this is a beautiful race car. No, let me rephrase... this is a BEAUTIFUL race car. I don't think I've seen a prototype that looks wild since that Le Mans-winning Peugeot from about 1993. Only wilder cars would be the ones from the Can-Am days. I believe this is this is Acura's return to sportscar racing since they did IMSA GTP race cars. One of the racers was an ESPN (then)CART analyst Parker Johnstone.

This car is lovely. I'd love to see this thing compete. If it's competing for next year, then it has that promise of competing for the chance to race (and maybe win) Le Mans. Any team who races at Le Mans is a winner regardless of where they finish. This is a beautiful race car that I wish has a very successful sportscar campaign. People think that P2 was just an embarassment. I think former magazine(?) Le Mans and Sportscar Racing Magazine had someone talk about getting rid of (then) LMP675 class. But you have names like Porsche and Mazda competing. I think LMP2 is a great oppurtunity for teams to compete in the highest class of sportscar racing, but in a lower class. The lower class allows you to race full-on open-wheel prototypes without having to blow exorbitant amount of money like in P1. This car has a chance. I want it to perform at its best and make something happen.

 

[Poverty]

waitttttt. Theyre not even going to make their own chassis.....

Theyre just contracting loads of different companies to build it for them and slap a acura badge on it. Cheaters.

 

[Dave A]

Someone told me why the cars look more like two-seaters when I don't believe a second person can fit. Other than that, let me comment on this car.

a second person can fit, though it would be a very tight fit. The rules state that a car must be required to carry 2 people if asked, they have a second seat that they take out for races and they usually cover over the passenger compartment to improve airflow. But without room fpr a passenger and a seat that can be clipped in, they arn't allowed to race.

 

[TheCracker]

In 2007, the Acura race program will feature HPD-designed and developed engines, and chassis from multiple manufacturers, including Lola Cars International, Ltd., of England, and Courage of France. After initial competition in the LMP2 class, plans call for the development of an Acura LMP1 chassis and engine package to compete in the American Le Mans Series, and earn an invitation to the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

So really Honda/Acura are going to enter ALMS as an engine supplier?

This press release is not worded very well

 

[TheCracker]

a second person can fit, though it would be a very tight fit. The rules state that a car must be required to carry 2 people if asked, they have a second seat that they take out for races and they usually cover over the passenger compartment to improve airflow. But without room fpr a passenger and a seat that can be clipped in, they arn't allowed to race.

A 'sportscar' by definition has to have two seats - otherwise its a single seater - this dates back to the old sports prototype rules from the early 60's where 'sportscars' no longer had to be production (road-legal) any more, they could be 'prototype' sportscars - no longer hampered by road legal regulations, but still had to follow a basic sportscar 'style'. Amongst other rules, closed wheels and space for two people side-by-side were required, otherwise the cars would just be single seaters and everyone would just be entering F1 cars or something similar.

 

[Kylehnat]

waitttttt. Theyre not even going to make their own chassis.....

Theyre just contracting loads of different companies to build it for them and slap a acura badge on it. Cheaters.

Are you being serious?

 

[Onikaze]

I really need to start watching ALMS more, I watch when I catch it, but man it's getting exciting, C6R's, DB9R's, F430's, RS Spyders, R10's, Acura's, and BMW's OH MY!

Maybe ALMS will have a huge resurgence in popularity, finally bury the silly wastefulness that is NASCAR, and incite F1 to become, you know...exciting again.

 

[Dave A]

Hered hoping that, that will be the case.

 

[Onikaze]

Hopefully before NASCAR gets the chance to somehow spread it's poison overseas.

Be nice if we got more LMS coverage over here too, than just the 24 Heure's Du.

 

[joseph dobson]

Looks a good looking race car!

 

[JohnBM01]

This goes back to rumors I read about from Speed Channel. There were rumors that Honda could join the ALMS after showing to be a world power in the Indy Racing League. True enough, here's Honda's American luxury arm dipping its feet into the competitive ALMS. Acura may have a great future in this series with this kind of effort. I'd probably want them to stay with P2 and not try to get up against P1 competition, unless they actually think they can hang against the big timers in P1.

 

[Omnis]

Looks bubbly!

 

[YSSMAN]

Maybe ALMS will have a huge resurgence in popularity, finally bury the silly wastefulness that is NASCAR, and incite F1 to become, you know...exciting again.

...Ouch, my NASCAR pride...

Hey, I love ALMS and F1 (I'm planning on attending this years US Grand Prix) but NASCAR is still my favorite. There is still plenty of competition, and the drivers in the series are pretty open about most things, allowing the viewer to have a "relationship" with the drivers.

I'm not going to turn this into a NASCAR vs X Racing, but try to give NASCAR some respect...?

 

[Ev0]

So really Honda/Acura are going to enter ALMS as an engine supplier?

This press release is not worded very well

My thoughts exactly; sounds like they are just hyping up their only connection to organized motorsport.

 

[BMWteamPTG]

damn, thats a beaitufl car. good luck to them

P2 has to be one of my favs...looking forward to it!

 

[Wolfe]

Poverty has a point when he says that this isn't really much of an Acura car...but then again, the engine manufacturer has always been more prominent than the chassis builder in spec racing. A chassis won't do much if the engine breaks down.

...Ouch, my NASCAR pride...

Hey, I love ALMS and F1 (I'm planning on attending this years US Grand Prix) but NASCAR is still my favorite. There is still plenty of competition, and the drivers in the series are pretty open about most things, allowing the viewer to have a "relationship" with the drivers.

I'm not going to turn this into a NASCAR vs X Racing, but try to give NASCAR some respect...?

If only more NASCAR fans were as level-headed and easy-going as you are here...

NASCAR does deserve some respect, but I'd like to be able to watch something else on SPEED now and then...

So 👍 👍 to Onikaze's proposal, if only to raise the popularity of ALMS, and not necessarily kill NASCAR.

 

[JohnBM01]

So a second person COULD fit, huh? I bet it means that if I rode one and had Live4speed in the passenger seat (it would be nice to meet you in person if I could, Live4Speed), that we'd both fit based on the car's design? I'll still have to read up on that.

The American Le Mans Series is a great racing series, but kind of a series that's getting a little more publicity is the Grand-American Road Racing Association's (GARRA) Rolex Sportscar Series. All I've been seeing lately in promotions for the GARRA is that damn fight in Mexico City. Some of the racers in the DP class are thugs and want to NASCAR-ize sportscar racing. There was even the rumor that Honda could have joined the DP ranks. The ALMS has long been the brain child of bringing the spirit of Le Mans to an American audience. I got into racing in 1998, but had continued interest since 1999. I've always loved sportscar racing. It was a wonderful ground of seeing exotic racing machines compete in intense competition. I've always loved that. Always had. I still complain that I wished I had (then, Speedvision) Speed Channel when cars like the Panoz Esperante GT1 and Ferrari 333SP were racing at Le Mans and in other sportscar events. The racing is still good today, just that I could have seen more. These kinds of cars spark my interest more than "stock" cars (I'm not knocking NASCAR), drag racing cars, or anything like that. Acura's involvement in P2 only continues my interest in sportscar racing. There's nothing like these prototype race cars. Only questions now involve sponsors, eligible teams, and driver lineups to take advantage of this Acura.

By the way, that is a very nice usage of dark blue, light blue, and silver for the paintscheme. I just have to know what the headlights will look like. It is a bit bubbly, but it's a slick design I actually like.

 

[Kylehnat]

Poverty has a point when he says that this isn't really much of an Acura car...but then again, the engine manufacturer has always been more prominent than the chassis builder in spec racing. A chassis won't do much if the engine breaks down.

Look at all forms of racing. How many "factory" teams are completely designed and built by the manufacturer itself?

Just some examples:

F1: Honda, BMW, and Renault. Those manufacturers bought BAR, Sauber, and Bennetton respectively, after those teams were well established.

NASCAR: Come on, those aren't really Ford Fusions out there, are they?

ALMS: Corvette throws massive amounts of cash at Pratt & Miller Engineering. Mazda's "factory" effort is a rotary engine strapped to a Courage chassis. Porsche merely sells spec-racers to teams and gives them cash and drivers.

The Toyota TF106, Ferrari 248, Audi R10, and Porsche RS are the only factory programs that I can think of that are completely internal to the manufacturer (feel free to add more to the list), and even they don't design every single bolt.

My point is that racing cars are incredibly difficult to build from scratch, so if a manufacturer has the means, why not call in the experts to help? Acura has every right to call this their factory effort. Besides, when large auto companies put money in racing, everybody wins 👍

 

[YSSMAN]

NASCAR: Come on, those aren't really Ford Fusions out there, are they?

Well, no, obviously. NASCAR pretty much did away with factory-based racers right around 1988-1992, but I'm not completely sure on that. In the cars most baisic forms, are exactly the same, mandated by NASCAR itself. That does include all of the Craftsman Trucks, Bush, and NEXTEL cars. All of the engines, be it Ford, Chevy, or Dodge are regulated to the baisic 5.7L-ish V8 design.

What seperates the teams are the ways the chasis are combined with the suspensions, and the ways the engines are built. From there, slight advantages are given by using the different bodies, which can be magnified with a good team, but the differences are again somewhat minimal, as NASCAR mandates the overall shape of the body on each car.

This is why we see teams like DEI being so great at the superspeedways (Daytona, Talledega), Dodge's factory efforts as well as Rousch being so good at the speedways (Atlanta, Texas), and Rousch simply dominating the short tracks (Bristol, North Carolina).

 

[Onikaze]

Yeah, but do any of them turn right?

>.>

Really man, I'm in America, and I tried to watch this stuff and that ABSURD IRL crap when I was little, but I had the unfortunate event of being able to catch some of the last Group C Le Mans racing, replays of Can Am racing, and actual F1 racing back when noone knew they shouldn't make 1200 Hp 4 bangers.

Nascar seemed a little lame by comparison to my speed/skill addled 6 year old mind.

It's like driving in traffic, at 200 mph, yay.

Traffic that only turns left, and is all in virtually identical cars to you.

Oh, Ferrari has an F430 racer competing against Porsches 911's in ALMS now.

Thats all factory, and it runs in the same races as the GT1, P2, and P1 cars, making for some awesome racing.

 

[Wolfe]

Yeah, but do any of them turn right?

This is what happens when a NASCAR tries to turn right...

No, seriously, there are races on the NASCAR calendar that feature real tracks.

 

[YSSMAN]

NASCARs do make pretty good road cars, but obviously something went wrong on Jimmy Johnson's car there at Watkins Glenn.

Unfortunately for NASCAR, they currently have only two road courses on the NEXTEL Cup schedule, while I belive the Busch Series has three. There are plenty of NASCAR fans who love the technical courses (myself included), but there hasent been an overwhelming call to add more to the schedule.

A few years ago, I belive in 1998, NASCAR paid a visit to the Twin Ring Motegi for the Coca-Cola 500K. I can remember watching the race, and I remember they used it to test their new rain tires and wipers as almost the entire race was done in the rain or on a wet track. It was a pretty good race, and it introduced a lot of Americans to Dale Jr. just before he started racing for DEI shortly thereafter.

There were also plans to hold a race at Suzuka as well, but plans were later canceled once again. There was also a rumor for some time that NASCAR was later going to head to Europe, and race on Lasitz Ring Speedway in Germany, but it never happened.

Anyway: Don't completely write off the capabilities of a stock car. When they are set up to turn both left and right, they do it pretty well. Obviously it isnt going to be 3g turns like an F1 car (mostly due to the lack of the outrageous aerodynamics), but would probably match that of most DTM and ALMS GT-series cars.