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 organisation, de Ferran will return to the cockpit as the team's primary driver of the ARX-01b.
"It is extremely exciting to be involved in the new Acura Motorsports programme, both as a team owner and as a driver," said de Ferran, who last competed at the end of 2003 in the IndyCar Series and who served as sporting director for the Honda Racing
F1 team from 2005 to 2007. "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 programme 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 organisation. Together, we are working hard to put all the remaining pieces in place."
The de Ferran team will enter the ALMS 'sometime before mid-season', while the original three Acura teams - Andretti Green Racing, Highcroft Racing and Lowe's Fernandez Racing - will compete in all twelve American Le Mans Series events in '08.
"Our three teams did a great job last year in gaining information and racing competitively," said Erik Berkman, new president of Honda Performance Development (HPD). "Now, we are thrilled to add another proven champion to our Acura family, with Gil de Ferran and his new organisation. 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."
