Honda ‘Seriously Evaluating’ WEC Program With ARX-06

Photo: Jake Galstad/IMSA

Honda Racing Corporation has entered into ‘serious evaluations’ for a possible future FIA World Endurance Championship program with its current Acura ARX-06 LMDh car according to Honda Performance Development President David Salters.

The intensified evaluations come amid Thursday’s announcement that HPD will be known as HRC US beginning next year as part of a new global link-up between the Japanese and U.S.-based motorsports arms of Honda Motor Company.

Speaking specifically about an entry into the WEC, which would include an effort at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Salters said that the organizational change could now allow for such a program, although a decision has not yet been taken.

HPD’s previous stance on the ARX-06 competing globally was that it hinged on a decision from HRC, which the group has now become part of.

“We have a remit now to compete on a global stage and all join together,” Salters told reporters. “Obviously we have to evaluate what makes business sense and competitive sense.

“If we’re going to go racing, we need to be able to compete.

“This new change of organization certainly allows that to be more possible for sure. And then we need to make sure it makes sense for our brands. Can we go and compete? It’s quite interesting I think.”

When asked by Sportscar365 on the specific timeline for such a project, Salters ruled out a program for 2024, stating that they currently have “no definite timescale” at the moment but are “evaluating it seriously.”

“I think we’ve always been pretty clear,” he said. “We need to look at WEC. In my humble opinion, we have an amazing ARX-06, which has been the work of our team, ORECA have done a stunning job and our race teams have done a stunning job.

“We’re smitten with our ARX-06. We love that. Of course it’s eligible to go to WEC. But we have always said that we need to evaluate what makes sense.

“It needs to make business sense, marketing sense, brand-sense and very importantly for me, competitive sense. We need to be able to compete.

“We don’t go racing to not compete. We constantly evaluate those things.

“There is a more formal setting to evaluate now because we’re all looking at global motorsport. But the boundary conditions are still the same. We need to evaluate if that makes sense.

“We’ll do that and do our due diligence and see what makes sense for our company and our people.”

Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosport, which will campaign two Acuras in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship next year, has previously signaled interest running in the WEC according to team co-owner Michael Andretti.

Watanabe: Honda Would Support Teams’ Requests for Drivers in Rolex 24

WTR Andretti team co-owner Wayne Taylor, meanwhile, told Sportscar365 that he expects to have an active Formula 1 driver in one of its cars in next year’s Rolex 24 at Daytona, sparking speculation that it could be a Honda-affiliated pilot.

HRC President Koji Watanabe addressed the possibility of Honda-backed drivers from other series, such as F1, getting the nod to race in the Florida endurance classic.

“The team has the final decisions on which drivers they put in,” Watanabe said. “However, if the need arises, if we have the need to do it.

“For example, Aston Martin. If we have somebody from Aston Martin, we’d have maybe one of the junior drivers and if there’s space available and we have the need for it, we could have them move over and join the event.

“That is a possibility and I think it’s a very interesting possibility if it happens. Basically the team makes the decision but if there are needs, we can do that if necessary.”

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John