The American Le Mans Series got a huge boost with the announcement from the Acura division of American Honda Motor and it's plans to enter the ALMS series with the ultimate goal of racing in the premier LMP1 class at Le Mans! The announcement marks the first factory motorsports program for the Acura brand in its 20-year history.

In the words of John Mendel, senior VP of Auto Operations for Acura, "Our entry as a full factory team in the American Le Mans Series will accurately reflect Acura's position as a leader in automotive performance and technology."


The Acura ALMS program features the first race engine developed from scratch by Honda Performance Development in California, which also supplies engines to the Indy Racing League. Acura powerplants will power multiple LMP2 chassis from Lola and Courage, as a prelude to development of a complete Acura LMP1 chassis and engine package to compete in the ALMS and ultimately at Le Mans. Testing will begin this summer.