NO EXCUSES; Acura aims at Porsche in American le mans.(Fan Guide)

Byline: GARY WATKINS

Nick Wirth, the wizard behind Acura's latest LMP2 prototype-class machine, leaves no doubt about the Honda brand's aspirations for this year's American Le Mans Series. "The gloves are off,'' he says. "We are aiming to beat Porsche this time.''

Acura is back for its second ALMS season with an expanded lineup as it chases down Penske Racing's Porsche RS Spyders. Expect to see what Highcroft Racing's David Brabham, Acura's fastest driver in 2007, calls "a manic pace of development'' throughout the season. "I believe we will be close to Porsche from the start of the season at the Sebring 12 Hours,'' he says. "As the year progresses, I see us getting stronger and stronger.''

According to Wirth-boss of British-based Wirth Research, Honda Performance Development's technical partner-2007 was a learning year, so development on the initial version of Acura's ARX-01a stopped early in the season in favor of developing the 2008 car.

The result is the ARX-01b. Like its predecessor, it is built around a monocoque chassis supplied by Courage Competition but retains nothing else from the French car that was Acura's starting point. Central to the new rear end is a Wirth-designed gearbox casing that improves weight distribution.

The car's weight is much closer to the class minimum than it was last season, when Wirth says it was significantly overweight. Acura's task was made easier when the ALMS increased the minimum weight for LMP2 cars by 55 pounds for this year. Wirth's team also made the car much easier to work on, something he admitted was a weakness in '07.

Wirth Research had to build four cars rather than two this time around. Fernandez Racing, at Honda's request, ditched its Lola in favor of joining Highcroft and Andretti Green Racing in running Acura's own chassis. A fourth team, run by former Indianapolis 500 winner Gil de Ferran, ...