Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Acura and de Ferran Motorsports end ALMS relationship]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/27/acura-and-de-ferran-motorsports-end-alms-relationship/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/27/acura-and-de-ferran-motorsports-end-alms-relationship/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/27/acura-and-de-ferran-motorsports-end-alms-relationship/#commentsFiled under: ,

Acura ARX-02a
Gil de Ferran pilots the Acura ARX-02a to victory at Mid-Ohio - click above for high res image gallery

When Acura and Highcroft Racing announced last month that the defending American Le Mans Series prototype champions would switch back to running a P2 car in 2010, the fate of the de Ferran Motorsports team was left hanging in the balance. That fate has now been decided, as Acura and de Ferran have announced the end of their relationship. Gil de Ferran's team was launched at the beginning of 2008 and ran the second half of the season in one of Acura's P2 cars before moving up to P1 this year. The team won five races in 2009 but fell short of the overall championship.

Unfortunately, the continuing recession means that Honda has had to cut back its support for the ALMS program and de Ferran Motorsports is being cut loose. Last summer, de Ferran announced the addition of an IRL program for 2010. At this point, it's not clear whether Acura will be able to bring in a second team for the 2010 ALMS campaign.

Gallery: Mid-Ohio 2009: De Ferran Acura ARX-02a


[Source: Acura]

Continue reading Acura and de Ferran Motorsports end ALMS relationship

Acura and de Ferran Motorsports end ALMS relationship originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 27 Dec 2009 13:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LMP1 testing at 12 Hours of Sebring - Click above for high-res image gallery

See that blurry race car behind the Peugeot 908HDi in the above image? That's the new Audi R15, and when the 12 Hours of Sebring endurance race gets underway this weekend, don't expect these two cars to be in this order very often. After Monday's first full day of official testing at Sebring, Audi's third-generation Le Mans racer, the R15, proved that it was the car to beat. Audi is fielding two R15s this year, and the No. 2 car driven by dream team Allan McNish, Tom Kristensen and Dindo Capello scorched the field yesterday with a fast lap of 1:43.596. That was a full half second quicker than the other Audi R15 driven by Marco Werner, Lucas Luhr and Mike Rockenfeller, and 1.406 seconds quicker than the fastest Peugeot. Acura is also joining Audi and Peugeot in the top LMP1 class this year, though its cars fielded by two private teams were another 0.1 and 0.8 seconds slower than the Peugeots.

Coverage of the 12 Hours of Sebring will begin this Saturday at 10:00 AM EST on SPEED, so let your spouse know now that you need a half day of no chores, family visits or slacks shopping. Also don't forget to set the mood by watching the premier of Truth in 24 on ESPN this Friday.


Gallery: LMP1 testing at 12 Hours of Sebring


[Source: americanlemans.com, Autosport]

Audi R15 dominates first day of Sebring testing originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 17 Mar 2009 16:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Click above for image gallery of the Acura LMP1 ALMS cars

Despite losing Audi for the 2009 season, the American Le Mans Series still has a lot to celebrate. For one, as we told you yesterday, Acura is on hand this week at the Winter Test event for the 57th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring with its new LMP1 racer. The good news is that midway through the second day of on-track testing, one of the two Acura racers has the fastest lap time so far of 1:44:814 (126.723 mph) around Sebring's 3.7-mile circuit. Despite the good first showing of these ARX-02a prototype LMP1 race cars, the ARX-01b cars that raced last year in the LMP2 class were still turning in lap times that were often just as fast as their bigger brothers.


Click above for image gallery of the BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team M3 GT2 car

Also of worthy of celebration during the first two days of winter testing is the emergence of the BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team and its M3 GT2 car. This is the first track outing for the M3 GT2 since it was announced less than a year ago at the 2008 Chicago Auto Show. The 12 Hours of Sebring, which also kicks off the 2009 ALMS season, will be its first contest against the likes of Porsche, Ferrari, Viper, Aston Martin, Panoz and even a Ford GT in the GT2 class.

The 57th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring takes place March 18-21 and, along with the above new competitors, will be the only time that Audi races on North American soil this year with its brand new R15 TDI.

Gallery: Acura LMP1 ALMS cars


Gallery: BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team M3 GT2


[Source: American Le Mans Series]

Acura LMP1 and BMW GT2 cars take Sebring testing by storm originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 27 Jan 2009 18:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Acura's new ARX-02a race car made its first public appearance this morning at the American Le Mans series winter test at Sebring in Florida. Acura announced its move up to the LMP1 class in the American Le Mans Series at last year's Detroit Grand Prix, but hasn't yet provided any details on the car. More information, including hopefully some news on the powerplant, will be announced later today. Unfortunately, Acura will be entering the LMP1 class just as Audi and its indomitable R10 are leaving. Though Audi has announced it will replace the aging R10 with a new car called the R15, it has pulled out of the both the ALMS and the European Le Mans Seres for 2009 and will only race the new car at the 12 Hours of Sebring and 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Gallery: 2009 Sebring Winter Test: Acura ARX-02a


[Source: American Le Mans Series]

BREAKING: First appearance of Acura LMP1 car at ALMS winter test originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 26 Jan 2009 15:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Acura has announced at the Detroit Grand Prix that they will enter the LMP1 class in the American Le Mans Series in 2009, adding to its existing LMP2 effort. Honda's premium brand entered ALMS in the lighter LMP2 class at the beginning of 2007 with the Highcroft, Fernandez and Andretti-Green teams and won a single race that year. This year De Ferran motorsports has joined the lineup and Acura has four victories, including an overall win at Lime Rock in early July.

For 2009, De Ferran and Highcroft will run the all new ARX-02A LMP1 car, while Fernandez and possibly one other team will continue with the LMP2 program. No mention was made of AGR. The new car is being developed in cooperation with existing partner Wirth Research in the UK. Honda Performance Development president Erik Berkman declined to reveal any other details about the new car. However, with the currently dominant P1 cars in North America and Europe being the diesel powered Audis and Peugeots, and a production diesel joining the Acura lineup next spring, a diesel powered ARX-02A would seem a likely choice. The new car will debut at the 2009 12 Hours of Sebring in March, but Berkman said no decision has been made on a Le Mans run yet.

[Source: Acura]

Detroit Grand Prix 08: Acura racing with the big boys, enters LMP1 for 09 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 29 Aug 2008 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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