Audi may well be happy they decided against keeping their factory effort alive in ALMS after seeing the lap times the new Acura LMP1 ARX-02a is hitting at this week's American Le Mans Series' annual Winter Test at Sebring.

Simon Pagenaud, the talented French driver, wasted no time making the legendary course — and the new Acura — bend to his will taking the day's fastest lap in the first session with a time 1:44.814 (127.082 MPH). The time was quicker than Marco Werner's standing qualifying record around the demanding 17 turn, 3.7 mile race course set in 2007 in the Audi R-10 TDI. It is a promising start for Pagenaud and co-drivers Scott Dixon and team owner Gil de Ferran with the trio eyeing a historic overall victory at this year's 57th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring presented by Fresh from Florida.

Acuras held the top three positions overall. Adrian Fernandez, driving the Lowe's Fernandez Racing Acura ARX-01b LMP2 prototype, was second at 1:46.540 (125.023 mph). His also set his time in the morning session. For the 12 Hours, he will drive with full-season teammate Luis Diaz and Michel Jourdain Jr.

Fernandez bested his quickest time from Monday's session by more than a second.

Patrón Highcroft Racing's Scott Sharp was third in the team's LMP1 entry. His time of 1:46.824 (124.791 mph) was nearly a second quicker than the car's best time Monday. He will drive with David Brabham and Dario Franchitti in the 12 Hours.

Defending GT2 champion Jörg Bergmeister was quickest in class Tuesday in one of Flying Lizard Motorsports' Porsche 911 GT3 RSRs. The German turned a time of 2:01.866 (109.300 mph) in the car that he will share with Patrick Long.

Bergmeister's time nipped Richard Lietz in the Farnbacher Loles Racing Porsche by just 0.216 seconds. Lietz is driving this week with Dirk Werner and Wolf Henzler, last year's class champion with Bergmeister.

Panoz Team PTG was an encouraging third in class. Dominik Farnbacher, a four-time winner last season in GT2, turned in a time of 2:02.470 (108.761 mph) in the team's Panoz Esperante GTLM. He has split driving duties at the Test with Ian James.

BMW and Rahal Letterman Racing are also seeing the fruits of their labor come together on the runways at Sebring International Raceway. The entire full-season contingent are on hand for the first time this week. BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team's new history begins in the newest-generation BMW M3, a car "trimmed for racing," and fully committed to the challenge and competitiveness of competing in GT2, the Series' deepest — and likely most competitive — class.

The official debut of BMW of North America's newest racing program comes less than one year after the announcement of BMW's return to ALMS competition was made at the Chicago Auto Show on February 11, 2008.

With final design changes made by BMW Motorsport following European and US testing, the new M3 race car was assembled by the BMW Rahal Letterman Racing Team crew over long days and late nights beginning in December. The M3 received its final homologation inspection on Wednesday, January 21.

The testing marks the first time drivers Bill Auberlen, Joey Hand, Tommy Milner and Dirk Müller have driven the ALMS M3 and the very first time the three Americans will be behind the wheel of a fourth-generation race car.

The Winter Test concludes Wednesday at Sebring.

Source: American Le Mans Series