Acura and Honda Racing Corporation USA (HRC US) will enter a new Acura Integra Type S DE5 in this year’s Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. The Acura will be entered in the Time Attack 1 category, driven by IndyCar and IMSA veteran Katherine Legge.
HRC’s newest race car, the DE5 was developed by Acura’s North American racing arm from the production Acura Integra Type S premium sports compact, and is the latest in a line of highly successful HRC-developed touring cars, including the versions of the 10th generation Honda Civic Si and Type-R; and the 11th generation Civic Si FE1.
Eligible for competition in multiple racing series, the Integra Type S DE5 made its competition debut earlier this year with podium finishes in the opening rounds of the SRO Touring Car America series at Sonoma Raceway and Sebring International Raceway.
“Motorsports is a critical component of Acura’s commitment to Precision Crafted Performance, and its Pikes Peak efforts are a pure expression of this ethos,” said John Whiteman, HRC commercial Manager. “All of our Acura race team entries are prepared and crewed by our engineers to further sharpen their performance-focused skills. This is the performance brand’s 14th consecutive year competing at Pikes Peak, with the Acura team amassing an impressive 12 first place in-division finishes, 27 podiums and multiple records.”
Legge, who will be attempting to qualify for her fourth Indianapolis 500 this weekend, will be adding Pikes Peak to an impressive list of ‘firsts’ for the 43-year-old British native, who now makes her home in the Atlanta area.
Recently inducted as the first female member of the Grand Prix of Long Beach Walk of Fame, Legge is a multi-race winner in IMSA competition, holds the record for the fastest qualifying effort for a woman in Indianapolis 500 history, set in 2023; was the first woman to lead overall in both Champ Car (2006) and American Le Mans Series (2013) competition; and was the first woman to win a major open-wheel race in North America in 2005.
“This is a race that I’ve wanted to compete in since I first heard of it, which is for as long as I can remember,” Legge said. “The legacy of this event is enormous, and so many famous drivers have tackled the mountain: the Unsers, the Dallenbachs – including my friend Paul – Parnelli Jones, Mario Andretti, Rick Mears and Michele Mouton. I can’t wait to get there! It’s magical and something I’m not taking lightly!”
Like the 11th generation Civic Si FE1 race car, the Integra Type S DE5 is designed, developed, and assembled inside Honda’s state-of-the-art North American facilities employing groundbreaking technologies in weld, body construction, painting, final assembly and quality confirmation to ensure the highest levels of precision and craftsmanship.
The Acura Integra Type S DE5 will be powered by a modified version of the factory 2.0-liter turbocharged four cylinder K20C8 engine. The racing version of the engine, co-developed by HRC US and HRC Japan produces in excess of 360hp. That power is then directed to the wheels via a six-speed sequential, paddle-shift transmission to HRC US developed suspension and brakes. The body shell is purpose built from a body-in-white which deletes all unneeded street vehicle components – such as soundproofing, underbody coating and seam sealers – and is fitted with a safety roll cage; then completed with aerodynamic components and cooling upgrades.
In addition to the Integra driven by Legge, the Honda-associate run Honda of America Racing Team (HART) will be returning to Pikes Peak with an Acura Integra A-Spec driven by Paul Hubers from Honda’s Auto Development Center (ADC) in Ohio. The HART Integra has received key modifications to the powerplant and chassis to enhance its performance in this year’s 102nd running of the ‘Race to the Clouds.’
The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is one of America’s longest running motorsports competitions. Since 1916, drivers from all over the world, in a wide variety of vehicles and from multiple motorsports disciplines, race against the clock as they take on the 156-turn, 12.42-mile mountain course, starting at 9,390 feet and climbing to the 14,115-foot summit.