Acura to LMP1 for 2009

[Cosworth]

http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/article/acura-announces-move-to-lmp1-for-2009/

It's official, Acura will step up to LMP1 to take on Audi (hopefully) for 2009. Patron Highcroft Racing and De Ferran Motorsports will field the new cars, dubbed the ARX-02a.

Acrua and HDP will also continue their LMP2 program with Lowe's Fernandez Racing.


No word on Andretti Green. Sounds like the rumors about them leaving were right . They were the weakest link in the Acura chain and it just makes you wonder if AGR would be in any racing series/business if not for Honda money.

In any case should be nice to have legit in class competition for Audi.

RJ

[Clarkfan]

http://auto-racing.speedtv.com/article/acura-announces-move-to-lmp1-for-2009/

It's official, Acura will step up to LMP1 to take on Audi (hopefully) for 2009. Patron Highcroft Racing and De Ferran Motorsports will field the new cars, dubbed the ARX-02a.

Acrua and HDP will also continue their LMP2 program with Lowe's Fernandez Racing.


No word on Andretti Green. Sounds like the rumors about them leaving were right . They were the weakest link in the Acura chain and it just makes you wonder if AGR would be in any racing series/business if not for Honda money.

In any case should be nice to have legit in class competition for Audi.

RJ

There is already legit competition for Audi, but IMSA's silly rules wherein the LMP1 cars are so heavily penalized is keeping Peugeot out of it.

They have committed to going to Le Petit Le Mans but if IMSA would stop penalizing the LMP1's so much they might be tempted to do more.

I wish Acura well.........as I drive an Acura. :)

The lap times at Le Mans this past June truly reflected how much the Audi's are being punished. Discounting the Peugeots who were incredibly fast but a tad fragile, the Audi's were nearly 10 seconds a lap faster than any LMP2 car. And while the speeds at Le Mans are high the reality is an LMP1 car should be faster than an LMP2, And that is the way it should be.

[Fer312t]

There is already legit competition for Audi, but IMSA's silly rules wherein the LMP1 cars are so heavily penalized is keeping Peugeot out of it.

IMSA is not penalizing the Audi's...it's the ACO that's penalizing the P2 cars. The ACO have bent over backwards to accomodate the Diesel cars.

[Clarkfan]

IMSA is not penalizing the Audi's...it's the ACO that's penalizing the P2 cars. The ACO have bent over backwards to accomodate the Diesel cars.

I beg to differ. IMSA has put so many restrictions on the Audis I am surprised they continue. Weight penalties, air intake restriction, fuel flow restrictions, smaller fuel tanks, the list goes on. And the penalties pre-date the TDi.

IMSA has been doing this for years. They penalized Audi during the Quattro years when the Audis beat up on the American sportscars. They constantly do it to provide a show. If you want a show go to Nascar. IMSA's policies go back decades, and just so you do not think it is just Audi, they also did it to the Porsche 956 and 962 to foster competition.

As for the ACO, they have enforced their rules strictly and they are reasonably straight up about it. Even before Audi brought out the diesel the rules were there to encourage P1 to provide the utmost performance. And in the real world a P1 should out perform a P2. But when rules are manipulated to provide a show then the difference becomes blurred.

Anyways, differing opinions perhaps but from where I am sitting I have to question why Audi bother with IMSA.

I wish Acura success, 'cus with IMSA running the show they will need it.

[beansport]

Quote:
There is already legit competition for Audi, but IMSA's silly rules wherein the LMP1 cars are so heavily penalized is keeping Peugeot out of it.
They have committed to going to Le Petit Le Mans but if IMSA would stop penalizing the LMP1's so much they might be tempted to do more

the winner of the Petit Le Mans gets an automatic entry into the next years LeMans 24h thats the only reason Peugeot are coming over. As for them spending the whole year over here I don't really think that would happen as they don't sell cars in north america so theres not much need to be over here other then the petit and the '24h test done in 12 hours' they call Sebring

Quote:
IMSA is not penalizing the Audi's...it's the ACO that's penalizing the P2 cars. The ACO have bent over backwards to accomodate the Diesel cars.

I beg to differ, I really think imsa is giving Audi the shaft, do you really think Corvette would stick around if they where losing to a GT2 car each week, even back before the R10 imsa was slowing down the R8. As for the ACO, there always going to side with the French team that has the best shot at winning the 24h outright P1, P2 no matter to them so long as they have a chance to wave the 'bleu, blanc, rouge at the end of the race


Clarkfan:
sorry for the redundancy in my post when I started to write it you hadn't posted yet, I got a little side tracked watching Audi cips on Youtube
I don't know about great minds, but good to see someone else thinking the same way on this one

[Clarkfan]

Quote:
There is already legit competition for Audi, but IMSA's silly rules wherein the LMP1 cars are so heavily penalized is keeping Peugeot out of it.
They have committed to going to Le Petit Le Mans but if IMSA would stop penalizing the LMP1's so much they might be tempted to do more

the winner of the Petit Le Mans gets an automatic entry into the next years LeMans 24h thats the only reason Peugeot are coming over. As for them spending the whole year over here I don't really think that would happen as they don't sell cars in north america so theres not much need to be over here other then the petit and the '24h test done in 12 hours' they call Sebring

Quote:
IMSA is not penalizing the Audi's...it's the ACO that's penalizing the P2 cars. The ACO have bent over backwards to accomodate the Diesel cars.

I beg to differ, I really think imsa is giving Audi the shaft, do you really think Corvette would stick around if they where losing to a GT2 car each week, even back before the R10 imsa was slowing down the R8. As for the ACO, there always going to side with the French team that has the best shot at winning the 24h outright P1, P2 no matter to them so long as they have a chance to wave the 'bleu, blanc, rouge at the end of the race


Clarkfan:
sorry for the redundancy in my post when I started to write it you hadn't posted yet, I got a little side tracked watching Audi cips on Youtube
I don't know about great minds, but good to see someone else thinking the same way on this one

Always nice to know I am not alone!!

As for the winner of LPLM getting a berth in next years Le Mans, valid point. But I suspect Peugeot will not need the favour.

[mwrmt]

You guys are bot h right on many counts which is why I've not been redundant.

The biggest culprit in all of this I feel is IMSA as they started punishing the R8 around 2003 with it's outright utter dominance. Weight penalties, smaller air inlets, etc. It was all in the name of "Performance Balancing". Whatta load of ****E!

Audi took it in stride and continued to dominate.

Then came the R10, well then, lets heap a pile more penalties on them. That permeated to the ACO where the diesels have the same restrictions, but are different again from the petrol P1 cars, which again are different from the GTP's (P1 coupes).

I don't think the Pug's need to be here as they'll be in with the LMS championship.

I have to applaud Acura for wanting to run both classes(and I'm an Audi fan). But I agree, keep the manu's in P1 and the privateers in P2. Which means even Penske should be in P1, although not tagged as a 'factory team' he gets all the good sh*t before Dyson and the only reason Pusske won't run the LM24 is because he can't go for an outright win with his P2 car. Whatta poor sport. I think the ALMS and Porsche have given him too much that his head is so big, he thinks he's bigger than the ACO.

In the typical ALMS or LMS race the order of finishing should be P1/P2/GT1/GT2.

I've made this point before, but could you imagine the Corvette guys going up to the Lizards or Risi and saying congrats on beating out GT1 car? I think not!

I've been extremely happy that Audi have not pulled out of the ALMS, but agree that the question of staying is getting harder to answer. More P1 competition would help I think, as long as the rules are 'balanced'.

[Minardi]

It's great that there will be more competition in P1, but I'd like to see a few more entries in GT1.

[Clarkfan]

It's great that there will be more competition in P1, but I'd like to see a few more entries in GT1.

Again, you can blame IMSA for that one. When the Astons started to truly challenge the 'Vettes last year the good ole boys from IMSA stepped in and slapped them with all sorts of weight penalties.

Hardly a breeding ground for competition. Entertainment yes, but hardly competition.