TEAM REPORTS (SEBRING, FLA.) - ACURA MOTORSPORTS ANNOUNCES FOURTH ENTRY AS DE FERRAN MOTORSPORTS DEBUTS

Acura Motorsports will enter a fourth Acura ARX-01b sports car in the LMP2 division of the 2008 American Le Mans Series, company officials announced today.

The newest Acura entry will be campaigned by de Ferran Motorsports, a newly formed team owned by former Indianapolis 500 winner and two-time CART Champ Car champion Gil de Ferran.

In addition to ownership of the Acura factory-backed organization, de Ferran will return to the cockpit as the team’s primary driver of the ARX-01b.

Acura entered sports-car racing in 2007 by fielding Acura-powered LMP2 prototype cars from Andretti Green Racing, Highcroft Racing and Lowe’s Fernandez Racing on the 12-race ALMS tour. The three-car contingent marked the first factory motorsports program in Acura’s 20-year history. Headquarters for de Ferran Motorsports will be in the Indianapolis area. A full announcement of the team’s operations and complete driver line up, as well as its sponsorship partners and livery will be made in the future. “It is extremely exciting to be involved in the new Acura Motorsports program, both as a team owner and as a driver,” said de Ferran.

“The American Le Mans Series has a tremendous combination of technology and fierce competition. The cars look fantastic and the racing in the ALMS series is spectacular. I am eager to get back into the driver’s seat and race again. I know this program will be a challenge for me both on and off the track. We have already employed veteran racing executive John Anderson as general manager which is a great start for our organization. Together, we are working hard to put all the remaining pieces in place.”

While the original three Acura teams will compete in all 12 American Le Mans Series events, the de Ferran team will enter the series sometimes before mid-season. De Ferran ventures into team ownership after serving as Sporting Director for the Honda Formula One racing team from 2005 to 2007. His most recent competition in a race car came at Texas Motor Speedway on October 12, 2003, when he drove to victory for Team Penske in the IndyCar Season finale. He retired from driving after that event.

The 2008 Acura American Le Mans Series program’s four cars will feature the new ARX-01b chassis developed by Honda Performance Development (HPD) and Wirth Research, as well as an updated, 3.4-liter normally-aspirated V-8 engine.

“The 2007 American Le Mans Series was a learning experience for Acura and HPD,” said Erik Berkman, new president of HPD. “Our three teams did a great job last year in gaining information and racing competitively. Now, we are thrilled to add another proven champion to our Acura family, with Gil de Ferran and his new organization. Gil’s racing history is certainly impressive, and we plan to continue the process of making the Acura ARX-01b a winner. We hope to have the de Ferran car on track as soon as possible to join in our quest for victories in 2008.”