Scott Atherton, President/CEO, American LeMans Series:
John Mendel, Senior VP-Honda Automobile Operations:The American LeMans Series has always featured factory involvement from the most prestigious collection of auto manufacturers in the world. Today, it is with great pride that we welcome Acura. While there are still some details to be worked out, Acura's involvement in the American LeMans Series will have nothing but positive repercussions in the seasons to come. Acura has made a commitment to us, and we are committed to seeing that Acura receives the same return on its' investment as our other teams and manufacturers.
Robert Clarke, President-Honda Performance Development:As Acura marks its' 20-year anniversary, I can't think of a better racing series to showcase our technology and performance than the American LeMans Series. Our entry as a full factory team in the series will accurately reflect Acura's position as a leader in automotive performance and technology, and provide us with an arena to compete against other manufacturers in endurance sports car racing.
According to all three, testing of the 3.4-liter turbo V8 will begin, with additional engine/chassis testing alongside. Teams and drivers will be announced in the near future; speculation has it that HPD's former works teams in the Indy Racing League, Andretti-Green Racing and Rahal-Letterman Racing being the teams considered by Honda....(rumor has it that Rahal-Letterman is currently at the top of the list)...We're looking forward with great anticipation to entering the American LeMans Series. In addition to returning Acura to the international racing stage against other innovative automotive manufacturers, it allows us to continue growing HPD into a world-class performance company.
So let's see......Acura, Lexus, BMW, Audi, Mazda, Chevrolet, Aston-Martin, Porsche, Ferrari and Panoz. All-in-all, an impressive list of marques' w/in the ALMS.