--- title: "Here’s Why Acura’s IMSA GTP Race Car Sounds Just Like Chewbacca" date: "2024-01-24" modified: "2024-01-24" authors: - name: "Jerry Perez" job_title: "Deputy Editor" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/jerry-perez" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/heres-why-acuras-imsa-gtp-race-car-sounds-just-like-chewbacca" categories: - "IMSA" - "News" - "Racing" --- # Here’s Why Acura’s IMSA GTP Race Car Sounds Just Like Chewbacca ![]() *\Getty Images, Caleb Jacobs\* Like most of you reading this blog, I'm a big fan of [race car sounds](). Naturally aspirated, [turbocharged, hybrid](), modified or purpose-built, the Symphony of Horsepower comes in many shapes and volumes. That being said, I don't think I've ever heard a race car and immediately thought; "Yup, that's Chewbacca from [*Star Wars*.]()" Until now. [Acura's IMSA GTP hybrid prototype, the ARX-06](), is powered by a 2.4-liter, twin-turbocharged, direct-injected V6 gasoline engine paired with an IMSA-specified Bosch electric motor and Williams Advanced Engineering battery pack. All of this amounts to roughly 700 horsepower and a series of funky noises that sound unmistakably like that hairy creature from the popular sci-fi movie. Motorsport journalist [Marshall Pruett]() and the [IMSA]() folks put together a fantastic [YouTube video]() bringing to light these unique sounds ahead of this weekend's [Rolex 24 at Daytona](). And in order to explain *how* they happen, Pruett interviewed the mastermind behind all the complex engineering: [HRC US president David Salters](). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fj56Rn2qUnM As the big boss of Honda Racing Corporation US—[up until recently known as Honda Performance Development (HPD)]()—Salters knows a thing or two about engines. Previously, he was the head of [Formula 1]() engine development for [Mercedes]() from 2003-2006 and also ran the [Ferrari]() F1 engine and KERS program from 2006-2015. In a nutshell, he gets it. I won't transcribe everything Salters says in the video mostly because *it's a lot*, but also because he and Pruett do a phenomenal job of breaking down something super complex into easy-to-understand words. Salters teaches an ICE+Hybrid 101 class and even uses his daughter's horse-jumping experience to describe what the ARX-06 and its driver go through when they enter a corner, drive through it, and ultimately exit it. I suggest you watch all six minutes of the video—which includes many Chewy sounds—but in a nutshell, it comes down to the physical reactions caused by the interaction between the combustion engine, the electric motor generator, and the traction control system. Happy watching. *Got a tip? Email us at tips@thedrive.com* ## Author Jerry is responsible for upholding The Drive's ethos as an audience-first, enthusiast-driven car blog that serves up industry-leading news, reviews, culture, and motorsport coverage. Overseeing a staff of writers and editors from his home base in Indianapolis, he helps curate the site's daily rundown, as well as its medium- and long-term content strategies. Jerry joined The Drive in 2018 as a writer and worked as news editor and managing editor before becoming the deputy in 2023. As a lifelong car enthusiast and racing fan, Jerry believes that all cars are cool, but the people behind the machines are even cooler. This belief often gives The Drive a slightly different focus from most other car sites, where we explore the humanity behind the machines. When he's not obsessing over the day's biggest stories or hanging out at a race track, Jerry can be found behind the wheel of a car, most likely sharing a laugh with his teenage son or daughter. ### Author social links [Instagram]()