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Thread: Acura move up to LMP1 in 2009

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    Acura move up to LMP1 in 2009

    Press release:

    Fulfilling plans set two years ago when it entered the American Le Mans Series, Acura Motorsports announced that will move to LMP1 in the 2009 American Le Mans Series. De Ferran Motorsports and Patrón Highcroft Racing each will field prototypes in the Series' highest classification starting with the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring in March.

    The two teams will field two Acura ARX-02a prototype sports cars, developed by Honda Performance Development (HPD), in the most advanced and technically challenging class of the American Le Mans Series.

    In addition, Lowe's Fernandez Racing will continue to campaign an Acura in LMP2 for 2009.

    "When Acura announced in 2006 its intentions to join the American Le Mans Series, advancement to LMP1 was one of the first questions many asked," said Scott Atherton, President and CEO of the American Le Mans Series. "We are delighted to see that Acura and Honda Performance Development have answered that question...especially because they have done it in such a powerful and positive way. In two short seasons, Acura has gone from adjusting to the unique challenges of American Le Mans Series prototype racing to winning with regularity and contending for driver, team and manufacturer championships.

    "Now comes the next logical step with its move to LMP1," he added. "Competing head-to-head on a direct level with such prototype powers like Audi is a formidable task, but this year has shown that Acura and its teams are more than up to the challenge. We have seen fantastic competition this year in LMP2, and I think our fans would agree that it has been one of the highlights of the season.

    "Just as noteworthy is the signal that Acura's LMP1 project does not mean the end of its LMP2 program," he concluded. "I know HPD and Acura have unfinished business in the class and are keen to finish the job both this season and next. Their decision to compete in both classes is the perfect definition of a win-win situation for the American Le Mans Series and our fans. They can expect to see a continuation of the epic competition that has become a hallmark of the LMP2 class - while at the same time anticipate a significant increase in the competition and content in LMP1."

    Acura entered sports-car racing in 2007 by fielding Acura-powered LMP2 prototype cars on Michelin tires for Andretti Green Racing, Highcroft Racing and Lowe's Fernandez Racing in the 12-race Series. The three-car contingent marked the first factory motorsports program in Acura's 20-year history. De Ferran Motorsports was added to the Acura lineup in 2008.

    In the past year and a half, the Acura machines, with 3.4-liter, V-8 powerplants, have scored five LMP2 class victories, as well as an overall win by Patrón Highcroft Racing and drivers David Brabham and Scott Sharp earlier this year at Lime Rock Park. Acura cars also have recorded four overall pole positions.

    "Since launching the Acura American Le Mans Series program in 2007, our goal has always been to compete at the highest level of sports-car racing," said John Mendel, Executive Vice President of Auto Operations for American Honda Motor Company, Inc. "The LMP1 class of the American Le Mans Series represents the pinnacle of sports-car racing in this country, from both a competitive and technological standpoint. As we prepare to elevate Acura to Tier One status among luxury road cars, we feel it only appropriate to make this move to the uppermost level of American Le Mans Series competition, as well."

    The Acura Motorsports program featured the first racing engine and chassis primarily designed and developed by HPD, Honda's wholly-owned racing subsidiary. It also marked the first time HPD had taken on concurrent motorsports programs in both the American Le Mans Series and the IndyCar Series.

    "This is the logical next step in our business plan," said Erik Berkman, HPD president." The Acura sports-car program has energized HPD's associates and met numerous objectives during its first two seasons of American Le Mans Series competition. We feel we are fully prepared to take on this new challenge."

    De Ferran returned to active competition this year by forming de Ferran Motorsports, with the former Indy 500 winner and multiple series champion serving as both driver and team owner. The legendary Brazilian racing figure recently served as Sporting Director for the Honda Formula One racing team before establishing his new American Le Mans Series team. De Ferran and young star Simon Pagenaud have driven the No. 66 Panasonic ELS Surround Acura ARX-01b in five races this season.

    "I am delighted with our team's relationship with Acura and my longstanding involvement with Honda," said de Ferran, "and we have taken another important step with this new announcement. We are a young team, but de Ferran Motorsports has a great depth of experience and talent within its ranks. We are driven to produce a contending Acura Motorsports sports-car program. We look forward to the challenge competing in the LMP1 class and putting Acura at the forefront of American Le Mans Series racing."

    The Patrón Highcroft Racing team, owned by team principal Duncan Dayton, has been the most successful of the Acura entries in 2008, taking the overall and LMP2 win at Lime Rock in July and LMP2 class victories at Long Beach, Road America and Mosport, Ontario, Canada. Brabham and Sharp drove the No. 9 Patrón Highcroft Racing Acura ARX-01b to all four victories. Brabham, the only Series driver ever to win in four classes and take pole positions in each class, has won overall poles at Houston last year and Lime Rock this season for the team.

    "Our relationship with Acura and HPD has been extremely beneficial to Highcroft Racing and we are proud to have been chosen as a part of Acura's new LMP1 program in 2009," said Dayton. "We have had a very collaborative effort with Acura, HPD and Wirth Research over the past two seasons. We started with a good business plan and have been competitive throughout our American Le Mans Series program. Adding Patrón as our major sponsor strengthened our Acura program, and we have had a very successful 2008 campaign. Now, moving to the LMP1 class, we expect to continue the progress that we began two years ago. The 2009 season will be exciting for Acura and the Patrón Highcroft Racing team."

    Lowe's Fernandez Racing campaigns the No. 15 Lowe's Acura ARX-01b prototype with drivers Adrian Fernandez and Luis Diaz of Mexico. Lowe's Fernandez Racing, formed in the fall of 2000 by Fernandez and motorsports veteran Tom Anderson, is in its seventh year of competition, and the team has claimed victories in the Champ Car (CART) and IndyCar (IRL), among other series.

    "We have had an outstanding sports-car program with Acura the last two years," said Fernandez. "We started with the Lola chassis and the move to the Acura car was a great improvement for our Lowe's Fernandez team. Now, we will concentrate on racing for the LMP2 point championship, as well as winning many races. Our luck hasn't been with us as much as we would like, but our association with Acura has been outstanding and we are pleased to be continuing our relationship. We want to be right in the thick of the LMP2 title chase in 2009."

    Acura's racing operation reflects the manufacturer's position as a leader in automotive performance and technology, and the American Le Mans Series provides an arena for competition against other car makers in the tough sport of endurance racing. Acura Automobile Division was launched on March 27, 1986. The prestigious marque, based in Torrance, Calif., has established a number of automotive firsts, including the first all-aluminum production car (NSX) in 1991. Acura offers premium performance vehicles from more than 260 U.S. dealers.

    Honda Performance Development (HPD) was founded in 1993. Located in Santa Clarita, Calif., HPD is the technical operations center for Honda and Acura's high-performance racing cars and engines. HPD coordinates Honda's participation in the IndyCar Series and Acura's activities in American Le Mans Series.
    If you should see a man walking down a crowded street talking aloud to himself, don't run in the opposite direction, but run towards him, because he's a poet. You have nothing to fear from the poet - but the truth.

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    So bye bye AGR in ALMS? It was surprising to see this since they were the team one expected to do well knowing the size and history of that outfit....

    Should be an interesting car....
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    So the public secret breaks. I wonder what engine they are planning to use.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Kitdy View Post
    So the public secret breaks. I wonder what engine they are planning to use.

    *gulp* V12 Twin-Turbo Diesel?!...


    That'd be interesting....
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    they were adamant in not discussing specs or configuration

    runor is that agr is trying to find funding to return.
    Cal Naughton, Jr.: So when you say psychosomatic, you mean like he could start a fire with his thoughts?

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    Quote Originally Posted by RacingManiac View Post
    *gulp* V12 Twin-Turbo Diesel?!...


    That'd be interesting....
    Maybe the best choice - although if they designed a 6L N/A gasoline engine it may give the diesels a run for their money - I mean the Lola AM is doing pretty good.

    What I am seeing for sportscar racing is the potential for a new golden era - I am not as experienced or well read on Le Mans as some others on this site but it seems to me that with all these manufacturers expressing interest we could have some really excellent racing - also, although I severely doubt it would happen, how cool would it be for a unified worldwide LMS like the old WSC?

    I guess I can dream.

    I'm wondering what some of the more experienced sportscar enthusiasts think of the golden age(s) of Le Mans and the WSC - standing out to me would be the 50s and 60s pretty much entirely, the early 70s with the 917/512, Group C, and the late 90s. I may be leaving our earlier eras as I don't know much about them.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Kitdy View Post
    I'm wondering what some of the more experienced sportscar enthusiasts think of the golden age(s) of Le Mans and the WSC - standing out to me would be the 50s and 60s pretty much entirely, the early 70s with the 917/512, Group C, and the late 90s. I may be leaving our earlier eras as I don't know much about them.
    I'd single out the 50's and the Group C for the variety of manufacturers.

    Then again the late 90's saw a resurgence of factory interest in endurance racing, altough focused in Le Mans since by then there wasn't a world championship anymore.

    It'd be great a proper world championship with the all time classics in it would be created again. But maybe then it'd be more interesting the F1, and it would have the same fate of all the other series that dared to compete with F1: death or ostracism.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kitdy View Post
    I am not as experienced or well read on Le Mans as some others on this site
    Me either, so take all my post with a grain of salt.

    Quote Originally Posted by Kitdy View Post
    Maybe the best choice - although if they designed a 6L N/A gasoline engine it may give the diesels a run for their money - I mean the Lola AM is doing pretty good.
    If i'm not mistaken, the ACO has decided to do away with the larger restrictor allowed for production based LMP1 engines. I imagine this will discourage Corvette racing's interest in moving to LMP1.

    Quote Originally Posted by RacingManiac View Post
    So bye bye AGR in ALMS? It was surprising to see this since they were the team one expected to do well knowing the size and history of that outfit.....
    also considering their debut at Sebring and favoritism shown in 07...

    From my outside viewpoint (I'm just a guy in rural Alabama who likes to watch road racing) it appears the teams failure to stick with a consistent driver lineup has cost them the success they should have been able to obtain in 08. That said, I really hate to see them go. IMO the Andretti name and resources are an asset to ALMS.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Turbo.Jenkens View Post
    If i'm not mistaken, the ACO has decided to do away with the larger restrictor allowed for production based LMP1 engines. I imagine this will discourage Corvette racing's interest in moving to LMP1.
    I had heard that other teams were complaining about it - maybe Pescarolo or some such thing. Of interest though is a direct comparison on track is not possible because if I remember correctly, the Pescarolos run a 5.5L Judd which is already at a half a litre disadvantage to the AM unit. So what, half a litre is 8.3% and if you figure the AM is making 700 hp and both have similar specific outputs, then the Judd would be down about 50-60 hp based on my rough calculations.

    Would someone with more info be able to tell me the Judd hp and AM hp?

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    Why can't somebody just Homologate the the Judd V10.... so I can dream

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    The Judd is a 5 liter I think....

    IMO Pescarolo complains too much...they can't afford a diesel, they can't compete with a production engine, and they are still using a car with its root from 2001.....I don't think they are in the best position to judge what is correctly balanced....Dome clearly didn't have problem keeping pace with the "production engine loop hole" exploiting AM Lola, and thats with 3 Le Mans rookies(well, mind you they aren't exactly lacking speed, JGTC champion and all)....Instead of complaining maybe they should be out hunting for more money and make a new car....They still finished best of the rest at the 24 due to slightly better fortune than their competitors...
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    Quote Originally Posted by RacingManiac View Post
    The Judd is a 5 liter I think....

    IMO Pescarolo complains too much...they can't afford a diesel, they can't compete with a production engine, and they are still using a car with its root from 2001.....I don't think they are in the best position to judge what is correctly balanced....Dome clearly didn't have problem keeping pace with the "production engine loop hole" exploiting AM Lola, and thats with 3 Le Mans rookies(well, mind you they aren't exactly lacking speed, JGTC champion and all)....Instead of complaining maybe they should be out hunting for more money and make a new car....They still finished best of the rest at the 24 due to slightly better fortune than their competitors...
    The Judd Pescarolo uses is 5.5L, the one the Lolas use in the ALMS is 5L.

    As for Pescarolo, I didn't watch in 2005 but it seems as though that was their shot, now with all these manufacturers entering, they have a tiny chance of winning - I guess their best chance would be if in the future they stuck around for long enough for there to be a lull in manufacturer interest which could be many years away.

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    Can't wait to see what they have in store for the cars...

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    The video of the Acura LMP1 announcement is live on our site--having issues with the direct link, so you'll have to choose it manually from the video player on the ALMS/LM home page.

    AUTO-RACING - ALMS Racing - American LeMans - LMS - Auto Racing - Schedule, News, Results - SPEEDtv.com
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kitdy View Post
    I had heard that other teams were complaining about it - maybe Pescarolo or some such thing. Of interest though is a direct comparison on track is not possible because if I remember correctly, the Pescarolos run a 5.5L Judd which is already at a half a litre disadvantage to the AM unit. So what, half a litre is 8.3% and if you figure the AM is making 700 hp and both have similar specific outputs, then the Judd would be down about 50-60 hp based on my rough calculations.
    Larger engine means tighter restrictor, so the smaller displacement is not a problem per se. The Audi R8 never ran at the maximum allowed displacement either.
    If you should see a man walking down a crowded street talking aloud to himself, don't run in the opposite direction, but run towards him, because he's a poet. You have nothing to fear from the poet - but the truth.

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