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In recent years, the major sports car races in Europe and North America have been dominated by diesel engined machines, more specifically the Audi R10 / R15 and the Peugeot 908. Until this year the petrol opposition came from privateer teams, whose efforts, however valiant, never succeeded. With the arrival of new LMP1 programs on both sides of the Atlantic, Peugeot and Audi will really be challenged. This week we take a detailed look at the newcomers.
First up is the Acura ARX-02a, which was jointly developed by Wirth Research and Honda Performance Development. Apart from the engine, it represents a clean-sheet design unlike the ARX-01b LMP2 racer, which used a Courage sourced chassis. Designer Nick Wirth focused all his attention on mechanical grip and downforce to compensate for the lack of torque and power compared to the diesel engined competition. Part of the solution was the use of rear tires on the front, which in turn forced Wirth to come up with an F1 style chassis. Particularly the raised nose bares close resemblance with the current Formula 1 cars. The weak link of the car is the 4-litre V8 engine that above all lacks torque compared to the diesel engines. Nevertheless the chassis works so well that Scott Dixon managed to qualify the ARX-02a on pole for the season opener at Sebring. A few weeks later, the Patron-Highcroft fielded car scored its first ALMS victory at St Petersburg.
In our article we take a detailed look at all the technical characteristics of this minimalistic racer. It is illustrated by an exclusive 24-shot gallery shot at the car's debut, the Sebring 12 Hours.

2009 Acura ARX-02a - Images, Specifications and Information

Regards,
Wouter Melissen