IMSA: HPD ARX-04b P2 closing in on return

Honda Performance Development's newest prototype is closing in on a full-time return for the 2016 season. RACER has learned the HPD ARX-04b P2 chassis, which made its debut at January's Rolex 24 at Daytona, and was parked weeks later due to aerodynamic deficiencies, is being prepared for a dedicated campaign in the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship's Prototype category.

"We're not at a stage where we want to make a team announcement, but certainly we've been looking at options to bring the ARX-04b back into service," said HPD vice president Steve Eriksen. "It's gone through some development and continues to go through the development process to achieve some aerodynamic improvements and things are moving along on that front."

HPD has spoken with a number of teams about partnering to run the revamped ARX-04b, and although Eriksen wouldn't be drawn on the names, it's believed the California-based PR1/Mathiasen team is the leading candidate to field the program.

PR1/Mathiasen, which earned the 2013 ALMS PC Drivers' championship with Mike Guasch, just closed an impressive 2015 TUDOR Championship season where they won four PC rounds, including the Rolex 24, 12 Hours of Sebring, and Petit Le Mans. Based on PR1 team owner Bobby Oergel's ongoing interests in moving to P2, and the team's relative proximity to HPD in Southern California, an alliance between both parties could be advantageous.

"We're hoping to consummate something that would allow the car to return to the track next year," Eriksen said of solidifying a partnership with the unspecified team. Reached by RACER, Oergel declined to comment.

IMSA will move to the new P2 regulations established by the ACO and FIA in 2017 and add a few twists of its own under the "Daytona Prototype international" chassis banner. Existing closed-top P2 coupes like the ARX-04b have been given a one-year "grandfather" clause that will allow them to race in 2017, but Eriksen hopes HPD's latest chassis – and others – will be granted more time to compete.

"The ACO has clearly specified that we can run in 2017, but what that means in the IMSA world has not been fully decided; we know we can run as a grandfathered car, but with everything about to be new, you never know exactly what adjustments will be made for reality when there's a sea change," he noted. "That's part of the reason why we want to see the car out next year. You have a better chance of carrying on if you're out and competing than if you're not."