Acura Confirms Split with Penske at End of Season

Acura has confirmed that its partnership with Team Penske in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s DPi class will end after the current season.

A report suggesting the demise of the joint program emerged in French publication Auto Hebdo last weekend, while Acura announced the news on Tuesday.

A statement from Acura said the three-year project with the renowned Penske race team is being brought to an end by “mutual agreement”.

Team Penske has been running the Oreca-based Acura ARX-05 in IMSA’s top prototype class since the 2018 season and has achieved a total of four race wins to date.

The partnership’s defining moment came at the end of last year when it clinched a sweep of the 2019 teams’, manufacturers’ and drivers’ championships.

Dane Cameron and Juan Pablo Montoya won the drivers’ title, courtesy of their three victories at Mid-Ohio, Detroit Belle Isle and WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

“On behalf of everyone at Acura and HPD, we’d like to thank Team Penske for their incredible efforts and impressive results racing the ARX-05,” said Honda Performance Development president Ted Klaus.

“The success we’ve achieved together during the first two-plus years of the program makes us even more determined to score more victories, defend our championships, and conclude our partnership on the highest of notes.”

No word has been given on the future of Acura’s DPi program, although Sportscar365 understands that it could continue in the hands of other teams.