Acura race car with Honda F1 tech wins 2023 Daytona 24 hours

Acura gets first win of LMDh era

The 2023 Daytona 24 Hours ushered in a new era of sports car racing that promises to bring in over 10 different manufacturers when it reaches its peak. But it seems as though one manufacturer has the edge in sports car racing thanks to Formula One technology.

Acura has come out victorious in the 24 Hours of Daytona, scoring a one-two victory courtesy of the #60 Meyer Shank Racing and the #10 Wayne Taylor Racing. Tom Blomqvist crossed the line only 4.1 seconds ahead of the #10 Acura ARX-06, providing a nail-biting finish to the endurance race.

Honda's luxury brand overcame the challenge of BMW, Porsche, and GM with the ARX-06 race car, a new prototype designed under the Le Mans Daytona hypercar (LMDh) regulations. Acura used a spec chassis that was made by Oreca, and had a spec hybrid system mandated by the IMSA.

However, the Formula One influence came in the ARX-06's power unit, which was a 2.4-liter V6 twin-turbo that revs up to 10,000 rpm. Honda Racing and Honda Performance Developed (HPD) in the US put together the power unit along with the necessary electrical architecture needed to run the hybrid system. Acura used a Formula 1-spec ECU hardware platform where the control systems for the hybrid power deployment, brake-by-wire, and vehicle dynamics control are being channeled.

Only time will tell if Acura's F1-derived technology will prove effective against the likes of Toyota, Ferrari, and Peugeot in the LMH class that offers more technical freedom. But until then, endurance racing can only get a lot more exciting as more manufacturers come to play.