The newly-teased ARX-06 will only run in the U.S. next year, but Le Mans may still be in the cards for 2024.
AcuraEarlier today, Acura teased its new LMDh-ruleset car that will compete in the new-for-2023 IMSA GTP class. However, despite the new ARX-06 being eligible to compete for the overall win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Sportscar365 is reporting that both Meyer Shank Racing and Wayne Taylor Racing will not seek out a spot in the 2023 endurance classic.
That means the two most recent winners of the Rolex 24 at Daytona will not be among the first wave of elite IMSA programs to take a crack at the 24 hour classic. It also means the request Helio Castroneves made to MSR team owner Michael Shank after this year’s Daytona win will have to be put on hold for at least another year. Until then, both teams will keep their new ARX-06 engaged in full-time IMSA GTP programs.
If Acura does want to race in 2024, they’ll need approval from Honda of Japan. It is one of the unique complications of a multinational company that has made previous programs complicated in the past, but Honda has previously signed off on privateers racing other Acura prototypes designed in America under the Honda Performance Development banner. The hope here is that the company will give a similar approval by the time the teams want to race at Le Mans in 2024, allowing Honda the chance to race for what would be their first overall win in the 24 hour classic.
Both Porsche and Cadillac, two of the other three manufacturers currently committed to the 2023 IMSA GTP class, have already confirmed that they will compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans with factory-affiliated teams in 2023. BMW, which also has a U.S.-based program announced, has yet to share any details about a European angle for its new prototype. Ferrari and Peugeot’s upcoming LMH-based prototypes and Toyota’s existing GR010 are all eligible to compete in the same class in the U.S. starting in 2023, but none of those programs have announced American operations yet, either. Audi’s previously-announced program has reportedly been frozen and is not expected to race on either continent any time soon.
Keyword: Acura Teases Its New LMDh, But It Won't Go To Le Mans in 2023