More Details and Images of the HPD ARX-03a/b Prototypes

Honda has been pretty quiet about its new Honda Performance Development (HPD) ARX-03a and ARX-03b prototypes up until the ACO's announcement of which teams will use the car in this year's sports car racing season. 

HPD will have two HPD ARX-03a cars entered in the entire World Endurance Championship series in 2012 from JRM and Strakka Racing. The JRM car is the black-liveried car in the gallery, and the Strakka car is the light blue and white car. The Muscle Milk Pickett Racing team will compete with the car in ALMS. 

The ARX-03a is an all-new car compared to the ARX-01 series that HPD had been offering teams. The most obvious change is the is the large fin that is also found on the Audi R18 and Toyota TS030. The suspension has also been redesigned. The cars are powered by a normally aspirated, 3.4 liter petrol V8.

The ARX-03b is the team's LMP2 entry that will be used by Starworks Motorsports in the WEC and by Level 5 Motorsports in ALMS and at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. 

The ARX-03b uses the same basic platform as the LMP1 car but substitutes an 2.8 liter, turbocharged V6. 

HPD is unique in the world of prototypes. The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Honda, but it does not run the cars as a factory team. It is the only manufacturer currently on the grid that sells complete customer cars, both engine and chassis, to teams in the LMP1 and LMP2 classes. 

HPD has had a successful career with the ARX series of cars since it debuted the ARX-01 in 2007 at the 24 Hours of Sebring where it won its class and took second overall. The Highcroft racing team car took third in the Teams' Championship that year. The ARX-01b had six class wins in the 11 race American Le Mans season in 2008. HPD debuted the ARX-02 LMP1 car in 2009 and took first in both the LMP1 standings and LMP2 standings that year. 

It will be very interesting to see how this car competes with the diesel hybrid R18 and petrol hybrid TS030. If the ACO is doing its job, there should be relative equality among the cars, but since this is the first year for hybrids at Le Mans, the performance among the cars might not be so even.