It’s called the Acura ARX-06 LMDh prototype, and it represents – or teases – the Honda-owned luxury marque’s next steps in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar GTP championship, using a hybrid powertrain in a chassis built by race car designer ORECA, of Italy, which has been an Acura partner during its history of sports prototype racing. The ARX-06 – the model name stands for Acura Racing eXperimental, generation 6 – will continues Acura’s IMSA heritage, which dates back to 1991, and will feature exterior design themes penned in-house by Acura to demonstrate the race’s cars production lineage.
The new prototype wiill have an electric-capable powertrain that’s mandated in IMSA’s LMDh category. Acura swept all three IMSA DPi championships in both 2019 and 2020 – Driver, Manufacturer and Team – and has also won the last two consecutive runnings of the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway, most recent with a 1-2 overall placing. As the ARX-06 prepares for its 2023 debut, Acura has re-upped with its longtime IMSA partner teams, Wayne Taylor Racing and Meyer Shank Racing, to campaign the new hybrid prototype once it’s ready for combat.
Jim Donnelly On Wheels 