Andretti Green Racing’s ARX-01a Paved a Winning Path for Acura

By Cameron Aubernon - April 18, 2019

REVISED - 1000 - Andretti Green Racing's 2007 Acura ARX-01a Le Mans Prototype P2 #26

Andretti ARX-01a secured Acura’s first-ever pole in the 2007 American Le Mans Series season at Long Beach.

The Andretti family and Long Beach have gone hand-in-hand together in motorsport history. The street circuit served as the bookends for Michael Andretti’s 42 IndyCar career wins, his first in 1986, his last in 2002.

The son of legend Mario Andretti, the father of current IndyCar star Marco Andretti, Michael is the owner and chief of his own racing team, Andretti Autosport. Back in the 2000s, though, it was known as Andretti Green Racing, and in 2007, it was among the teams selected by Honda to campaign Acura’s Le Mans Prototype program in the American Le Mans Series, resulting in the introduction of the 2007 Acura ARX-01a.

Andretti Green Racing's 2007 Acura ARX-01a Le Mans Prototype P2 #26

The black Acura was developed with Highcroft Racing of Danbury, Connecticut, who took the Courage LC75 chassis, and built the proper aero and chassis design for the black beauty before us on display at Acura’s stand during the 2019 Grand Prix of Long Beach last weekend.

Andretti Green Racing's 2007 Acura ARX-01a Le Mans Prototype P2 #26

No. 26 made a big splash for Acura’s LMP program with the brand’s debut at the 2007 12 Hours of Sebring, where it took first in the LMP2 class, and second overall. And as for Long Beach, the ARX-01a took the pole, all with the help of IndyCar legends Dario Franchitti, Tony Kanaan, and Bryan Herta.

Andretti Green Racing's 2007 Acura ARX-01a Le Mans Prototype P2 #26

Of course, the trio of drivers employed by Andretti Green Racing would not have done as well without the ARX-01a’s LM-AR6 3.4-liter naturally aspirated V8, which made over 480 horsepower. The 1,875-pound carbon-fiber-composite monocoque design also contributed to the car’s success, allowing it to fly around the corners of Long Beach, Sebring, and beyond.

A couple of years later, the work behind the Acura ARX-01a led to the 2009 ARX-01b and ARX-02a, which won eight races in the 2009 ALMS season, including one at Long Beach. A year later, Acura handed the reins over to Honda, which renamed the car the HPD ARX-01 for its final season in 2011.