IMSA front-runner Filipe Albuquerque is confident about the future of endurance racing, arguing Acura’s decision to suspend its LMDh programme doesn’t mark the “downfall” of the GTP class.
Honda’s luxury car brand will halt its factory participation with the Acura ARX-06 at the end of the current IMSA season, nine years after it returned to prototype racing in what was then known as the DPi class.
The news will leave just four manufacturers vying for outright honours in the North American championship, with LMDh prototypes from Cadillac, Porsche and BMW battling Aston Martin’s sole LMH car.
Albuquerque represented Acura for four consecutive seasons between 2021-24, winning iconic races like the Daytona 24 Hours and Watkins Glen, and finishing runner-up in the championship on several occasions during that time.
While admitting that he was “sad” to see his former employee leaving the series for now, he believes the championship remains in rude health, citing the possibility of new manufacturers joining the GTP class in the coming years.
“I don’t see it all as a downfall,” the Portuguese told Motorsport.com. “Four manufacturers is still great. We need to agree that 10 manufacturers or 11 manufacturers overall is not normal. It’s the peak of the peak of all times.
“Not even when we talk about 1990, when most manufacturers were involved [we saw such grids] – and that was just for one year.
“We’ve been seeing [multiple] manufacturers involved for five years now, and that’s great. It’s just not because one leaves. That is the thing, because more manufacturers are still joining. So McLaren, Genesis and Ford are looking eventually with a regulation to do Daytona or IMSA. It makes total sense, especially for Ford to do it, or McLaren, as they have the IndyCar programme there.
“So maybe 2027 is four, but you can see 2027 and 2028 with seven manufacturers, which is more than ever. Again, I don’t see a fall by any means on endurance racing in America at all.”
#101 Cadillac WTR Cadillac V-Series.R: Filipe Albuquerque
Photo by: Nikolaz Godet
Eight manufacturers are currently contesting the Hypercar class of the World Endurance Championship this year, with Porsche’s decision to leave the series to focus on IMSA compensated by the arrival of Genesis.
The Hypercar class is set to be boosted further next year by the arrival of new entries from Ford and McLaren, both of which are currently working on their new LMDh prototypes.
But while the WEC continues to enjoy healthy grids, IMSA has struggled in comparison to attract new entries. Genesis has deferred a parallel programme in IMSA until 2028 at the earliest, while Ford and McLaren have yet to provide a definite timeline about a potential assault on the GTP class.
Asked if he was confident that those manufacturers would eventually join IMSA, Albuquerque added: “I know that the American market for McLaren and Ford is huge.
“I just came out of an interview with Michelin. It’s the same tyres and the same car [as WEC]. Doing an extra programme doesn’t mean the cost doubles at all.
“You get the coverage of a great market for selling cars; after all, that’s what we’re doing here.
“I don’t want to point fingers, but if you could work it better, there would be no clashes [between WEC and IMSA], and [teams] could use some of the mechanics and some of the engineers to be on both ends. So I see with great eyes, the future of IMSA, the future of WEC and endurance racing.”
Pressed further as to why new manufacturers are choosing to join WEC first before planning a future IMSA project, he said: “I don’t know, I think it goes down to internal marketing, internal plans.
“It is hard for me to understand, especially from the Ford side, I think it’s a shock for me.
“If I would go racing, I would like to race at home. But I know they will join soon. I hope they will join soon.”
Acura is the second major manufacturer to ‘pause’ its GTP programme after Lamborghini made the same decision at the end of its second season with the SC63 in 2025.
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