Gil de Ferran launches American Le Mans Series asault
ACURA MOTORSPORTS ANNOUNCES FOURTH ENTRY FOR 2008
ALMS SEASON
AS DE FERRAN MOTORSPORTS DEBUTS ARX-01B SPORTS CAR
Gil de Ferran Will Field Team And Return To Cockpit
In American Le Mans Series
Acura Motorsports will enter a fourth Acura ARX-01b sports
car in the LMP2 division of the 2008 American Le Mans Series,
company officials announced today. The newest Acura entry
will be campaigned by de Ferran Motorsports, a newly formed
team owned by former Indianapolis 500 winner and two-time
CART Champ Car champion Gil de Ferran. In addition to ownership
of the Acura factory-backed organization, de Ferran will return
to the cockpit as the team’s primary driver of the ARX-01b.
Acura entered sports-car racing in 2007 by fielding Acura-powered
LMP2 prototype cars from Andretti Green Racing, Highcroft
Racing and Lowe’s Fernandez Racing on the 12-race ALMS
tour. The three-car contingent marked the first factory motorsports
program in Acura’s 20-year history.
Headquarters for de Ferran Motorsports will be in the Indianapolis
area. A full announcement of the team’s operations and
complete driver line up, as well as its sponsorship partners
and livery will be made in the future.
“It is extremely exciting to be involved in the new
Acura Motorsports program, both as a team owner and as a driver,”
said de Ferran, “The American Le Mans Series has a tremendous
combination of technology and fierce competition. The cars
look fantastic and the racing in the ALMS series is spectacular.
I am eager to get back into the driver’s seat and race
again. I know this program will be a challenge for me both
on and off the track. We have already employed veteran racing
executive John Anderson as general manager which is a great
start for our organization. Together, we are working hard
to put all the remaining pieces in place.” While the
original three Acura teams will compete in all 12 American
Le Mans Series events, the de Ferran team will enter the series
sometimes before mid-season.
De Ferran ventures into team ownership after serving as Sporting
Director for the Honda Formula One racing team from 2005 to
2007. His most recent competition in a race car came at Texas
Motor Speedway on October 12, 2003, when he drove to victory
for Team Penske in the IndyCar Season finale. He retired from
driving after that event.
The 2008 Acura American Le Mans Series program’s four
cars will feature the new ARX-01b chassis developed by Honda
Performance Development (HPD) and Wirth Research, as well
as an updated, 3.4-liter normally-aspirated V-8 engine.
“The 2007 American Le Mans Series was a learning experience
for Acura and HPD,” said Erik Berkman, new president
of HPD. “Our three teams did a great job last year in
gaining information and racing competitively. Now, we are
thrilled to add another proven champion to our Acura family,
with Gil de Ferran and his new organization. Gil’s racing
history is certainly impressive, and we plan to continue the
process of making the Acura ARX-01b a winner. We hope to have
the de Ferran car on track as soon as possible to join in
our quest for victories in 2008.”
In its debut season in the American Le Mans Series, Acura
won its initial event with Bryan Herta, Dario Franchitti and
Tony Kanaan co-driving Andretti Green Racing’s XM Satellite
Radio Acura ARX-01a to the LMP2 class title at the prestigious
Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring. In addition to the Sebring victory,
Acura machines scored nine other podium finishes in 2007.
“Gil de Ferran is another ‘A List’ name
being added to the American Le Mans Series that resonates
throughout motorsports, joining the likes of Roger Penske,
Bobby Rahal, Michael Andretti and many others,” said
Scott Atherton, ALMS president. “His stellar career
as both a championship-winning driver in CART and key player
in Formula 1 for Honda F-1 exemplifies excellence in our industry.
There is no doubt in my mind that he will be successful in
both roles with Acura. We welcome him into the American Le
Mans Series paddock with open arms and eagerly await his debut
as a driver and team owner later this season.”
De Ferran, who attended engineering college in Brazil, began
his racing career in karting at age 14. After attending college
and winning several championships in his home country, he
moved to England to pursue a professional racing career and
quickly established himself as a young talent by becoming
a regular sight on top European podiums in different formulas
from 1988 to 1994, notably winning the prestigious British
Formula Three Championship in 1992.
In 1995, de Ferran scored CART Rookie of the Year honors
and captured the season finale at Laguna Seca. Driving for
Penske, de Ferran won CART driving championships in 2000 and
2001, and he established an all-time closed-course qualifying
record by clocking a lap of 241.428 miles per hour on the
two-mile oval at California Speedway in 2001, a record which
still stands. Having been runner-up in the 2001 Indy 500,
he captured the 2003 Indy 500 before retiring at the end of
the season.
Acura’s racing operations reflect the manufacturer’s
commitment to being a leader in automotive performance and
technology. Launched in March of 1986 as the Japanese luxury
nameplate, Acura has continually led the charge for automotive
firsts including: all-aluminum production vehicle, revolutionary
VTEC variable timing and lift valvetrain system, titanium
connecting rods, in-dash satellite-linked navigation system,
DVD-Audio audio system, Active Noise Cancellation, and more.
Acura currently offers a full line of technologically advanced
performance-luxury vehicles through a network of 268 dealers
within the United States. The 2008 Acura lineup features five
distinctive models including the RL luxury performance sedan,
the TL performance-luxury sedan, the TSX sports sedan, the
turbocharged RDX luxury-crossover SUV and the award-winning
MDX luxury sports-utility vehicle.
Honda Performance Development (HPD) was founded in 1993 as
the wholly-owned racing subsidiary of American Honda Motor
Co., Inc. Located in Santa Clarita, Calif., HPD is the technical
operations center for Honda and Acura’s high-performance
racing engines. HPD coordinates Honda’s participation
in the IndyCar Series and Acura’s activities in American
Le Mans Series.
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