TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Drivers Get First Look At SIR

Chris Hoffman/Highlands Today

The new Acura ARX-02a made its debut on Monday at the Winter Test at Sebring International Raceway.

ADVERTISEMENT

By CHRIS HOFFMAN

Highlands Today

Published: January 28, 2009

SEBRING INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY - The public unveiling wasn't supposed to be until a banquet in front of the media on Monday evening, but that didn't stop de Ferran Motorsports from debuting their new Acura ARX-02a LMP1 prototype during the first day of the American Le Mans Series' annual Winter Test on Monday afternoon.

Driver Simon Pagenaud posted the fastest time of the day with a 1:45.503 (126.723 miles per hour) around the 3.7-mile course in the No. 66 car, which is one of two Acura teams that will debut the new LMP1.

The cars will make their race debuts in March at the 57th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh from Florida, the opening race of the 2009 American Le Mans Series.

Pagenaud was 2.506 seconds faster than the Lowe's Fernandez Racing Acura ARX-01b LMP2 driven by Luis Diaz, who posted a time of 1:47.559 (123.839 miles per hour) during the morning session, while David Brabham piloted the Patron Highcroft Racing's Acura LMP1 to a time of 1:47.599 (123.793 miles per hour) for the third fastest time of the day.

Franchitti Returns To ALMS

Dario Franchitti, the 2007 Indy 500 and IndyCar Series champion will return to Patrón Highcroft Racing in 2009 to partner with David Brabham and Scott Sharp aboard the new Acura ARX-02a LMP1 entry in the American Le Mans Series endurance classics.

Franchitti will join the Danbury, Connecticut-based squad for the season-opening 12 Hours of Sebring and will get to drive the new LMP1 car for the first time on Tuesday at the American Le Mans Series "Wheels Down" winter test from Jan. 26-28.

Franchitti is no stranger to success with the Acura brand at Sebring. He was part of the class-winning Andretti Green Racing squad with Bryan Herta and Tony Kanaan that took the LMP2 win in Acura's 2007 debut and also took pole position at the Long Beach ALMS event.

After contesting a partial NASCAR Sprint Cup season in 2008, Franchitti returned to IndyCar competition at the season-ending non-championship race in Surfers Paradise, Australia, qualifying fourth fastest for Target Chip Ganassi Racing. He made his debut for Patrón Highcroft Racing aboard the Acura ARX-01b LMP2 car at last year's Petit Le Mans.

The Nashville, Tennessee-based Franchitti will dovetail his 2009 Patrón Highcroft Racing commitments with a full season for Target Chip Ganassi Racing as teammate to 2008 IndyCar and Indy 500 champion, Scott Dixon. He also contested last weekend's Rolex 24 at Daytona for Ganassi.

"I've been fortunate enough to win the Twelve Hours of Sebring before and I would like nothing more than to help David, Scott and Acura get the new LMP1 car into victory lane," Franchitti said.

"Unfortunately we weren't able to show what the team was made of last time around at Petit Le Mans in October, so I'm sure everyone at Patrón Highcroft Racing is motivated and gearing up for a strong effort for an overall victory in Sebring."

Franchitti, 35, has more than 180 CART and IndyCar race starts with 18 wins and 17 pole positions in the last decade to his credit.

"We are thrilled to welcome Dario back to Patrón Highcroft Racing for 2009. He is going to be a very valuable addition to our squad," Patrón Highcroft Racing team owner, Duncan Dayton said.

"From our team's perspective, it is extremely beneficial to be able to get Dario on board early and enable him to get plenty of testing miles under his belt before Sebring.

"Dario's experience alongside David (Brabham) and Scott (Sharp) will also be invaluable in helping us develop the new Acura ARX-02a LMP1 chassis.

"Our thanks go to Chip (Ganassi) and his Target squad for allowing Dario to rejoin us for the endurance races this year. Petit Le Mans didn't turn out so well for us last year with Dario not getting the chance to drive in the race and I'm sure he is really going to be looking forward to doing battle at Sebring."

The new Acura ARX-02a chassis and the spectacular 2009 Patrón Highcroft Racing paint scheme will make its public debut at the upcoming "Wheels Down" Sebring test.

After scoring four LMP2 class wins in 2008 including an overall victory at Lime Rock Park, regular drivers David Brabham and Scott Sharp are eagerly awaiting the opportunity to continue development of the new LMP1 entry.

"It is great to get Dario back on board after Petit last year when he didn't get a huge chance to drive the LMP2 car," Brabham said.

"We are looking forward to him contributing to the program to help us with our aim of winning our first race with the new car.

"It is all about preparation - the better you can prepare, the better you are going to go. So, to have Dario get to have a lot of miles in the car before the Twelve Hour is going to be crucial, not just for him, but for the team. We should be in pretty good shape with him on board."

Scott Sharp returns the driver's seat after recently collecting All-American Team honors on behalf of himself and his teammate at the annual American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association (AARWBA) banquet in California.

Feinberg Sets IMSA Lites Track Record

Joel Feinberg started the 2009 racing season on the right foot by crushing the IMSA Lites track record by 2.4 seconds, with a lap time of 2:00.5 in his No. 7 Elan DP-02 during the first practice session of the American Le Mans Series Winter Test on Monday.

The Primetime Race Group team owner has been competing in the IMSA Lites Series since 2006, with a record of 15 podiums including two race wins, as well as two second place, and one fourth place championship titles.

"Setting the track record in the IMSA Lites is a huge accomplishment for my team, said Feinberg. "We have put a lot of effort into our race program over the last year; it's a great feeling to see all the hard work pay off like this".

Feinberg dominated the 15 car field throughout the remainder of the day as he continued turning the quickest lap times in all three sessions making it a clean sweep for day one of the winter test.

Primetime Race Group will enter its fourth year with IMSA in 2009, fielding a four-car effort in the IMSA Lites series driven by Feinberg, and teammates Anthony Nicolosi, Jarrett Boon, and Johnny Meriggi as well as their ALMS GT2 Viper, driven by Feinberg and co-driver Chris Hall.

Chris Hoffman can be reached at 863-386-5837 or choffman@highlandstoday.com.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT