Here's Our Best Look Yet at the Acura ARX-06 LMDh Car
The final piece of the 2023 LMDh puzzle is here. Acura has just released images of its new sports prototype challenger, the ARX-06, from its first test at France's Paul Ricard and Magny Cours. The ARX-06 will join the IMSA WeatherTech Series GTP class next year alongside the BMW M Hybrid V8, Cadillac Project GTP Hypercar, and Porsche 963.
Precision Crafted Peformance.
Track testing of the @Acura ARX-06 continued over the weekend at Magny-Cours. Another massive team effort from everyone at HPD and @Oreca - Thank You!#AcuraMotorsports pic.twitter.com/lVC00ulh6X— HPD-North American Motorsport (@HondaRacing_HPD) July 19, 2022
In many ways, the ARX-06 is an evolution of Acura's current DPi car, the ARX-05. The chassis is supplied by Oreca and based on a video released by Honda Performance Development Tuesday morning, it sounds like it uses a V-6, presumably an evolution of the twin-turbo unit in the ARX-05. Acura has also reworked the old car's distinctive front wing concept, though the side pods are much more dramatic in appearance.
HPD engineer Matt McMurry and Wayne Taylor Racing's Ricky Taylor, who won the 2020 championship in an ARX-05, and is challenging for this year's title, were behind the wheel of the car. Next year, the ARX-06 will be fielded by Wayne Taylor Racing and current series leaders Meyer Shank Racing.
Like BMW, Acura will only contest the IMSA WeatherTech series for the foreseeable future, though the car is eligible to compete in the World Endurance Championship's Hypercar class. That means it could race at Le Mans. Cadillac will run one car in WEC next year, while Porsche will have two, though it's unclear if those manufacturers will bring extra cars to Le Mans. Acura, being largely a North American brand, would need permission from Honda in Japan to run Le Mans, though apparently, that possibility is on the table for 2024.
As with all LMDh cars, Acura will pair its internal-combustion engine with an energy-recovery hybrid system developed by Bosch, Williams Advanced Engineering, and XTrac. The LMDh class will be bolstered in 2024 with cars from Lamborghini and Alpine, though the French brand won't likely race in the U.S.
Acura, Cadillac, and Porsche now all have LMDh cars on track, and the BMW M Hybrid V8 is set to begin testing within a few weeks. The IMSA GTP class will debut at next year's Rolex 24 at Daytona, and in the runup, there will be a lot more testing. Given Acura's strong form in DPi now, expectations are very high for the ARX-06.
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