WEC: HPD, ESM prep for first ARX-04b test

Honda Performance Development and customer team Extreme Speed Motorsports expect to have the first HPD ARX-04b P2 coupe chassis on the ground and testing by the end of the week.

Designed by Wirth Research and HPD, ESM was the first team to commit to the twin-turbo V6-powered prototype. Its pair of ARX-04bs will compete in the full World Endurance Championship next season, and the Florida-based outfit will also contest the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship's Tequila Patron North American Endurance Cup.

With assembly underway at ESM's new shop, the ARX-04b chassis, which replaces the open-top ARX-03b (BELOW), will break cover at Sebring International Raceway and conduct a busy testing program ahead of their debut at the Rolex 24 at Daytona on Jan. 23-25.

HPD vice president Steve Eriksen told RACER ESM is busy putting all the pieces together and anticipates the second chassis being dispatched rather soon to their base in Stuart, FL.

"The first chassis shipped out a week and a half ago, and I actually missed it; I was at Wirth Research just after it went out, but I did get to see the second chassis coming together," he said. "The quality on the monocoque is quite phenomenal; they've worked on a lot of the surfaces to make the quality of the fitment and the quality of the surfaces quite high.

"There was a big step change in quality when we created the last HPD P1 car, the ARX-03c, with the wide front tire design, and it's great to see those same improvements incorporated into the new ARX-04b."

The lineage behind HPD's P2 challengers have been rooted in a design dating back to 2004 with the French constructor Courage, and despite numerous significant redesigns since the Acura P2 program was launched in 2007, some elements of the original design have been carried through each iteration of Acura and HPD P2 chassis. With the ARX-04b, Eriksen says it's refreshing to offer a car that has no design compromises.

"The [04b] is the first car that casts off past history and has no legacy parts," he added. "Our partners at Wirth Research were especially proud of that, and it's also our first coupe, and all of the new items—the doors, the latches, the handles, and everything else, has been done to an incredibly high standard of our own specification."

Testing plans for HPD are focused mostly at Sebring, while the manufacturer and ESM are expected to include the three-day Roar Before the 24 test at Daytona between private running.

"We've got a number of track tests booked. We've booked so many days at Sebring, and those will get used up pretty quickly," Eriksen noted. "The first test is later this week and then we've got days booked later in December and in January. We'll pound around Sebring to prove out our reliability, and looking at the quality of the parts, I'm confident it will be that way to begin with."

ACO rules on P2 engine development are rather restrictive, and with a few motor-related issues cropping up late in the season, Eriksen says HPD has been working on reliability runs with the existing 2.8-liter TTV6 (LEFT) to complement its new chassis.

"Largely, it is the same configuration we ran at Petit Le Mans, but we continue to run durability tests to refine and further tweak to the engine," he explained. "You keep running the durability tests to catch things before you get to the track, and we're pleased with our reliability record."

For ESM co-owner/driver Scott Sharp, the wait to test his new cars is almost over.

"We've been anticipating this since we put in our order in April," he said. "We finally received the first one last week, a few pieces are still coming in and we can't wait to get out later in the week. Everyone here is working hard to make it happen."