Acura Driver Lineup Geared Up for 10th Annual Petit Le Mans
Three new Acura sports car teams debuted in the victory celebration held last Saturday at the 10th annual Petit Le Mans sports car classic, the largest and most prestigious road racing event in the United States.
Comprising the Acura line up are the prototype teams Andretti Green Racing (AGR), Lowe’s Fernandez Racing, and Highcroft Racing. The teams are led by 12 hours of Sebring winners Andretti Green Racing.
Three separate practices were held last Thursday with more than 30 machines running through the north Georgia hills where the Road Atlanta facility is located.
Winning in Acura’s very first sports car event and on the Sebring circuit was impressive, according to Honda, the manufacturer of Acura vehicles. Clarke is looking forward at the Acura squads on the 2.54-mile, 12-turn Road Atlanta circuit.
“Winning the first race at Sebring (with Andretti Green in the LMP2 class and second overall) was hard to believe and that was quite an accomplishment for the new Acura program,” said President of Honda Performance Development Robert Clarke, in an interview with WhoWon.com. “When you win the season opener, you feel that you can win some races. But we were realistic about the 2007 season. We weren’t looking for on-track results. This was a learning year for us.”
In the same interview, Clark expressed his hopes for an Acura victory at Road Atlanta. “We are out of the championship this year. Learning the ALMS series and sports car racing in general was the goal in 2007 for Acura. But I believe we have an outstanding driver lineup for the Petit Le Mans. Our teams are ready for long race.”
The present Indy 500 title holder Franchitti has left the AGR group to join NASCAR in 2008.
Driver Tony Kanaan, the 2004 IndyCar Series champion, won at the Sebring and ranked third in the IndyCar points. Like Clark, Kanaan expected a win for Acura team.
“I was driving an Indy Car Wednesday in Iowa and it is completely different than driving the XM Acura today. Every time I jump into the Acura I have a blast. This is a big reality check for me with this car. It is so much bigger than an Indy Car. The downforce is much greater also. It is much more physical driving the Acura than my Indy Car. It really wakes you up the first couple of laps with the Acura car. It was great winning at Sebring and racing with my friends. I really have a lot of fun driving this car. I hope we can repeat our Sebring performance this weekend with another win,” Kanaan was quoted as saying by Planetlemans.com.
Kanaan’s fellow veteran driver Bryan Herta shares the similar view. “The Acura has been very reliable all season. We have a good driver lineup and a very good crew. We have had our ups and downs this year as it has been a learning year for the Acura and AGR in sports car racing. Porsche has been racing in this form for decades. This is the debut year for Acura, HPD and AGR. We think we have a good car for Road Atlanta,” Herta was quoted in the same article.
Source:
Planetlemans.com
WhoWon.com