Penske announces sportscar return with Acura Daytona Prototype
Penske will return to sportscar racing in 2018 with Acura's new Daytona Prototype International in the IMSA Sportscar Championship
Roger Penske's legendary IndyCar and NASCAR team had made no secret of its plans to launch a new sportscar programme and it announced on Tuesday that this would take the form of a two-car team of Acura ARX-05 DPis.
"We are excited to join forces with the Honda Performance Development family and represent the Acura brand with two prototypes starting in 2018," said Penske.
"Sportscar racing has been an integral part of Team Penske's heritage, from our first race at the 24 Hours of Daytona in 1966 to running the American Le Mans Series in the late 2000s.
"Reviving a Team Penske sportscar programme has always been a goal for us, but to do so required strong and successful partners like Honda and Acura."
Penske is yet to give any details of its IMSA driver line-up, though it has previously intimated that Juan Pablo Montoya - now only part-time in its IndyCar team - would be involved.
Long-time Penske man Helio Castroneves, who ended a three-year IndyCar win drought at Iowa Speedway and closed in on championship leader Scott Dixon, has also been mooted as one of its sportscar racers.
Honda brand Acura currently competes in IMSA's GTD class with its NSX GT3.
The Acura DPi will be based on an ORECA chassis and will begin testing soon ahead of an official unveiling in August.
Penske's last major sportscar programme was running Porsche's LMP2 effort in the ALMS from 2006-08, when the Andretti-run works Acura squad was its main rival.
It then spent a single season fielding a Daytona Prototype in what was then Grand-Am before withdrawing from sportscars.
Previous article
Wayne Taylor Racing wins 2017 Sebring 12 Hours
Next article
McLaren protege Lando Norris to contest 2018 Daytona 24 Hours
How the next step in the IMSA and WEC convergence can reunite multiple fronts
OPINION: Following the latest convergence connection permitting Le Mans Hypercars from the World Endurance Championship to compete against LMDh entries in the IMSA SportsCar Championship from 2023, it could open up enticing options not only to manufacturers but also for the calendar and race formats
Why IMSA glory for Mazda would be a bittersweet ending
Mazda believes it has never had a better chance of clinching the title in IMSA's Prototype division. Achieving this goal would be the bittersweet culmination of an achingly hard struggle, after which the brand has decided to quit
The groundbreaking new boss leading GM's sportscar assault
After taking over Corvette Racing from long-time custodian Doug Fehan, 34-year-old Laura Wontrop Klauser is leading General Motors through a transitional phase in sportscar racing. Here’s how she got into her dream role and what she plans to do with it
Nine things to look out for at the 2021 Daytona 24 Hours
After a 100-minute sprint race to whet the appetite, the 2021 IMSA SportsCar Championship gets underway properly this weekend. With plenty of significant changes during the winter, here are the key points you need to keep an eye on
Why Magnussen is relishing a fresh start in sportscars
Having gone over seven years without a race win through spells with McLaren, Renault and Haas, Kevin Magnussen's departure from Formula 1 for IMSA with big-hitter Chip Ganassi Racing could give him what he craves most - a chance of success
Oliver Gavin's Corvette Racing highlights
Oliver Gavin has stepped down from the full-time Corvette Racing line-up after a stellar career with the team spanning nearly 20 years. He looks back on a stint that encompassed, among other successes, five Le Mans 24 Hours victories
The 12 greatest Sebring 12 Hours ranked
The 2020 edition of the Florida sportscar classic is finally taking place this weekend, eight months after its traditional date in March. That meant there was plenty of time for Autosport to pour over its previous 67 races and select the best
When Porsche became a giant-killer
In the first of a new series celebrating underdog achievements from the annals of motorsport history, we revisit the 2015 Petit Le Mans - where a tyre advantage in appallingly wet conditions helped the GT cars overcome the prototypes
