This year, Extreme Speed Motorsports headed for the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship. Next year, they may be heading for the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
2015 is shaping up to be a big year for the “Patron posse,” as Honda Performance Development has announced the sale of two of its new V-6 powered, ARX-04b coupes to ESM.
Whether or not ESM will make the trip to France next year remains to be determined, but the new HPD coupes are fully compliant with the current LMP2 regulations laid out by the Automobile Club l’Ouest and exceed safety standards of the new enclosed-cockpit configuration.
They’re also eligible for competition in the TUDOR Series, as well as the World Endurance Championship, European Le Mans Series, and Asian Le Mans Series.
“It is hard to believe that the current HPD base race car is now seven years old and still running strong; that is a testament to its excellent design,” ESM co-owner Scott Sharp said in a statement. “The next generation of the ARX chassis has been well thought out with a huge emphasis on performance, safety and aerodynamics.
“We firmly believe this new racing machine will provide ESM with a strong platform to be a leader in sports car racing for many seasons! We’re looking forward to getting behind the wheel of the ARX-04b and experiencing the latest version of the Honda power and performance.”
Among the attributes of the ARX-04b are “energy-efficient technology” that combines low drag with high fuel efficiency, “quick change” front and rear bodywork, a total fuel capacity of 75 liters, and Honda’s safety interlock refueling system, which is designed to reduce pit road fires triggered by cars leaving their stalls with the fuel hose attached.
“Our association with Scott, [co-owner] Ed [Brown] and Tequila Patrón goes back to 2008 with our ARX-01 chassis,” said HPD vice president and COO Steve Eriksen in his own statement. “We’re looking forward to continuing our successful partnership and assisting ESM when it makes its first run at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where HPD has twice scored LMP2 class wins in the last four years.”
ESM currently utilizes the open-top HPD ARX-03b in the TUDOR Series.