TheCourage LC70 is a Le Mans prototype of the LMP1 class developed byCourage Competition and used in sports car racing since 2006. The nameCourage remembers F1 driverPiers Courage. During development, however, Courage Compétition has been taken over byORECA, so the original name Courage LC70 has been changed. TheCourage-ORECA LC75 is almost identical in construction but was designed for the LMP2 class. Other modifications of the LC75 are theAcura ARX-01a and Acura ARX-01b, which has been used in the American Le Mans Series since 2007. The type designation LC stands for Lillian Courage, the wife of Yves Courage who died in 2004.^[1]

The LC70 has been used since 2006 byCourage Compétition andORECA itself, as well as teams such as Swiss Spirit andSaulnier Racing. In addition to being used in the24 Hours of Le Mans, the chassis is primarily used in theLe Mans Series. The LC70, equipped with aJudd V10, made its racing debut in the hands of Swiss Spirit at1000 km of Istanbul in 2006. Courage Competition itself relied on a brand new V8 unit fromMugen. In 2008, at the second round of theLe Mans Series inMonza,Stéphane Ortelli had a serious accident when his LC70 under-inflated before the first chicane and took off.^[2]

The LC70 was also successful on other continents. An LC70 used by Mugen was able to win the 1000 km of Okayama in theJapan Le Mans Challenge twice. The Courage chassis were also successful in North America, albeit modified LC75s under theAcura banner.^[3]

• 1000 km Spa-Francorchamps: 2nd overall (2nd LMP1)
• 1000 km Donington: 5th overall (4th LMP1)
• 1000 km Jarama: 3rd overall (2nd LMP1)
• 1000 km Okayama : 1st overall (1st LMP1)
• 24 Hours of Le Mans: no car finished

• 1000 km Monza: 5th overall (5th LMP1)
• 1000 km Okayama: 1st overall (1st LMP1)
• 24 Hours of Le Mans: 26th overall (12th LMP1)

• 1000 km Monza: 6th overall (6th LMP1)
• 1000 km Spa: 3rd overall (3rd LMP1)
• 1000 km Nürburgring: 6th overall (6th LMP1)
• 1000 km Silverstone: 8th overall (7th LMP1)
• 24 Hours of Le Mans: 8th overall (8th LMP1)
• Le Mans Series: 6th Constructors' Championship LMP1

The vehicle was developed in accordance with theACO andFIA rules applicable in 2005 so that it is eligible to start in all sports car races up to and including 2010. Courage officially unveiled the prototype at the 2006Geneva Motor Show. The car has been designed to compete in both the LMP1 and LMP2 classes with minor modifications. The LC70 thus also forms the basis for the smaller sister car, theCourage-ORECA LC75 for the LMP2. The six-speed gearbox used comes fromXtrac. The engines are sourced from various suppliers such asAER,Mugen, orJudd.^[4]

For 2008 the aerodynamics of the LC70 has been significantly revised byORECA. For example, the central air intake at the front was converted into two lateral ones in the wheel arches. In addition, the front spoiler has been heavily modified. The project by students fromTokai University brought further significant changes. They modified the entire aerodynamics and only adopted the underbody and monocoque for their Le Mans participation in 2008. They also used a YGK engine for the first time.^[5]

All built chassis of the LC70 or the LC75 were numbered consecutively, since they are largely identical. So chassis 2 was converted from LC70 to type LC75. WhenAcura officially entered theAmerican Le Mans Series in2007, three LC75 chassis were purchased, but these were used as theAcura ARX-01a and in 2008 as the Acura ARX-01b. In 2008 another chassis was added forDe Ferran Motorsports. The chassis were also further developed by Acura itself.^[6][7]

• Le Mans Prototypes
• 24 Hours of Le Mans race cars
• Rear-wheel-drive vehicles
• Mid-engined cars
• Sports prototypes
• Cars of France
• 2000s cars
• Courage racing cars
• Cars introduced in 2006

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