BICESTER-BASED Wirth research is working with Honda to design a sportscar to compete in the top class at the Le Mans 24 Hours race.

The Oxfordshire firm and California-based Honda Performance Development (HPD), are also stepping up HPD’s globally successful sportscar programme in 2011, with a highly-revised version of the internationally victorious HPD ARX-01c LMP2 prototype.

Both newcomers take full advantage of Wirth Research’s virtual design system that produces quicker, more cost-effective solutions to complex design scenarios than traditional wind-tunnel and physical testing techniques.

Last year, the HPD ARX-01c entered by US-based Highcroft Racing captured the outright title in the American Le Mans Series while the sister Strakka Racing-entered HPD AXR-01c not only scored multiple LMP2 class and overall victories in the Le Mans Series, but also had a remarkable debut in the Le Mans 24 Hours, taking top LMP2 honours and finishing fifth overall.

Nick Wirth, technical director of Wirth Research, said: “The results we achieved in 2010 speak for themselves and underline the belief we have in our unique process of Development in the Digital Domain.

“Now we have taken full advantage of the flexibility and efficiency offered by these advanced technologies to develop our hugely successful sportscar programme in two different directions.”

He said HPD and Wirth Research had developed the new HPD ARX-01d to meet the latest 2011 LMP2 regulations, replacing the previous 3.4-litre normally-aspirated V8 with a new 2.8-litre, twin-turbo V6.

HPD’s all-conquering V8 engine, however, will be retained to power the HPD ARX-01e – a new prototype designed specifically to race at Le Mans.

Wirth added: “We are immensely proud with the successes we enjoyed in 2010 on both sides of the Atlantic but a new year brings new rules, new challenges and new opportunities.

“With the HPD ARX-01d we are confident that we have developed a car capable of taking over where its predecessor left off and thus remaining the dominant force in the LMP2 category.

“Adding to this, the introduction of the HPD ARX-01e – the first car we have designed specifically for Le Mans – gives us a realistic chance of scoring an even more impressive outright result at 24 Hours.”