In June 2013, Strakka Racing brought their HPD ARX-03c home 1st in the privateer LMP1 class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, only a few laps behind the manufacturer might of Audi and Toyota. That was their last race using the Honda car, and they fell silent for the rest of the season, working on a secret project.
This time last year they announced to the world that they’d been working on a collaboration with Japanese constructor Dome, known mainly for their sportscar prowess but also for their still-born attempt at Formula One in the mid-1990’s. The new car would be christened the S103 and enter into the LMP2 class in the 2014 World Endurance Championship.
Unfortunately the team suffered setback after setback throughout this season, with the car not ready for the season opener at Silverstone they aimed for a Le Mans debut, but a testing crash at Spa put paid to that and called for an extensive redesign.
Then due to enter some of the later rounds, rehomologation issues pushed the date back further. Just last week they announced they wouldn’t make the final race in Brazil in a couple of week’s time, and would hit the ground running in 2015 in what is promising to be a highly competitive LMP2 field.
Although Strakka have fought back the race rust this year by taking wins and podiums in the Formula Renault 3.5 series, they haven’t turned a wheel in an endurance race for 18 months. It’s taken almost 2 years to bring together their impressive looking machine, but here is a video that condenses its preparation from bare tub to full car in just over 2 minutes.
Best of luck in 2015 Strakka, we’ve missed you!