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(⏱ 10 minutes, 4 pictures, 4 links)
Daytona Beach, Florida, January 29 – Defend Rolex 24 in Daytona and series champion – Acura and meyer Calf Race – combined to score a second successive Rolex 24 win today at the Daytona International Speedway, at the start of the GTP hybrid racing era in the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship.
The event marked a successful racing debut for the electrified Acura ARX-06 the sports car prototype (below), the second consecutive Daytona win for the Meyer Shank Racing team, and third in a row A Rolex 24 win for Acura in the crown jewel of North American endurance sports car racing.
Starting from pole position, the line of MSR Acura racers Tom Blomqvist, Colin Braun, Helio Castroneves and Simon Pagenaud leading the opening hours, and dominating the early part of the twice-daily contest; until a series of warning flags closed the course for the final eight hours of the race.
However, a warning flag also allowed Wayne Taylor Racing with the Andretti Autosport Acura ARX-06 to recover from a series of minor delays earlier, moving up to second place in the final hours. Together, the two Acura teams battled through the final laps to score Acura’s second straight 1-2 at Daytona.
Acura NSX GT3 Evo22
In the production-based GTD class, Acura NSX GT3 Evo22s from Gradient Racing and Racers Edge Motorsports with WTR both held on to take home fourth and sixth finishes.
Gradient Racing, with a line-up of veteran Acura NSX racers Katherine Legge, Mario Farnbacher and Mark Miller, partner with beginners Monk Sheena at the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship debut for the Rolex 24. The team overcame a late-race fuel fire that fueled their strategy, coupled with a massive fuel-saving effort at the end, to take their Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 #66 (below) fourth home.
At Racers Edge Motorsports with WTR, Ashton Harrison, The reigning Fanatec GT World Challenge America is brought to you by AWS champions for Acura, partnered with Super Trofeo racer Wayne Taylor Racing Danny Formal and Kyle Marcelli, as well as the winner of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES competition Ryan Briscoe to take home a sixth-place finish to open their 2023 Michelin Endurance Cup campaign.
Rolex 24 Race Results
• 1st place overall – #60 Tom Blomqvist, Colin Braun, Helio Castroneves and Simon Pagenaud; Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-06
• Ranked 2nd overall – #10 Filipe Albuquerque, Louis Spellers, Brendon Hartley and Ricky Taylor; Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosport Acura ARX-06
• 4th GTD – #66 Mario Farnbacher, Katherine Legge, Marc Miller and Sheena Monk; Gradient Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo22
• 6th GTD – #93 Ryan Briscoe, Danny Formal, Ashton Harrison and Kyle Marcelli; Racers Edge Motorsports with the WTR Acura NSX GT3 Evo22
DPi Manufacturers Championship Team Championship (after 1 of 9 rounds)
1. Acura 385 / Meyer Shank Racing 378
2. Cadillac 350 / Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosport 355
3. BMW 328 / Cadillac Racing with Chip Ganassi 332
4. BMW 312 / 304 Action Express Racing
Michelin Endurance Cup Manufacturing Team (after 1 of 4 races)
1. Acura 15 — Meyer Shank Racing 13
2. Cadillac 12 — Race Wayne Taylor in Andretti 10
3. Porsche 8 — Express Action 10
4. BMW 7 — Cadillac Racing with Chip Ganassi 8
Fast Facts
• Acura has now won the last three Rolex 24s in a row at Daytona, and Meyer Shank Racing has successfully defended its race wins from 2022.
• Meyer Shank Racing successfully defended its title with a repeat victory today. At the last race of the Daytona Prototype International (DPi) era last year, the MSR-winning Acura ARX-05 was driven by Tom Blomqvist, Oliver Jarvis, Helio Castroneves and Simon Pagenaud.
• Wayne Taylor Racing lineup of Filipe Albuquerque, Ricky Taylor, Helio Castroneves and Alexander Rossi claimed victory in the contest twice all-time in 2021, 20 years after Acura’s first Daytona-class victory in 1991.
• This is Acura’s ninth Rolex 24 as a prototype manufacturer (1991-93, 2018-23). In addition to overall wins in 2021 and 2022 – and in 2016 under the HPD/Honda banner – Acura won the Camel Lights class at Daytona in 1991 and again in 1992.
Quote
tom Blomqvist, #60 Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-06: “This was a team effort. What’s great at MSR is that everyone can achieve and achieve their potential and that’s very important. What Mike and Jim have done to create a good atmosphere within the team, it’s an open book and I think it allows everyone to work to the best of their ability. Especially for me, I’m confident because they put a lot of trust and faith in me and I’m very grateful for that. Last year I was on the stand watching at the end and this year I feel so much better to be in the car because I control our own destiny. The feeling I got when I came out of Le Mans Chicane on the last lap and of course seeing the smiles on everyone’s faces was incredible.”
Ricky Taylor, #10 Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosport ARX-06: “First of all, this is a great job from Acura and HPD for giving us two cars to fight for victory. I don’t think it can be overstated how amazing that accomplishment is when considering the likes of Porsche and BMW and the struggles they’ve had. Our car runs perfectly. For our team, the achievement of consecutive top two finishes is completely unprecedented, especially considering it persisted through different manufacturers and car specs. This is our ninth top two since 2013, and I don’t think any other team in the world has that consistency in 24 hour races. Lastly, all my teammates went like champions. It’s so inspiring to watch Filipe in the finale, bursting through the pitch like that. He always gave his all and left nothing on the table. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the pace to win and ended up second.”
Monk Sheena#66 Gradient Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 (finished fourth in its GTD debut): “I [am] obviously excited to finish fourth in my first ever IMSA GTD race. But, come Monday morning, it will be ‘back to the drawing board’ to try to keep improving. I’m really looking forward to the rest of the season. My goal is still the same: to try to finish on the podium in every race and be the top ‘Bronze’ [rated] driver. It was scary at first, but I was so aware [of my] role: maintain a strong speed and keep the car safe. I am very happy with my efforts. I’m just growing and learning; and very grateful to be with a group of experienced people for that.
Ashton Harrison, #93 Racers Edge Motorsports Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 (bottom): “It feels pretty good. We had one show at Acura, with two GT3 NSXs in addition to the GTP class. I am very excited for the brand. I’m sad about how we ended, but we did an amazing job, the team did very well for our first Rolex 24. Time to get back to work and hopefully finish on the podium or win. I’m so proud of Kyle and Danny – and Ryan walks in like he’s been driving this NSX for a year. We had a lot of fun, and I really enjoyed playing around with my friend Mario out there. We look forward to Sebring.
David Salters, President, Honda Performance Development on Rolex 24 win by Acura and Meyer Shank Racing: “Winning today was amazing, to be honest. This program involved a lot of people, all working very, very, very hard to do this. So the real privilege is working with those people, and getting to days like today. And it doesn’t happen all the time. So when it pays off, it becomes even more special. In two years [it took to design, build and develop the Acura ARX-06], I think it is the best thing I have ever participated in. Congratulations everyone at Acura Motorsports, Honda Performance Development, ORECA, Meyer Shank Racing and Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosport. If this weekend wasn’t a demonstration ‘Precision Crafted Performance’, I don’t know what it is. This game isn’t rocket science, it’s getting the right people, in the right place, and letting them do their thing. So, ‘is it worth it’? Geez. And that’s because of the people you get to share it with.
Next Race
The 2023 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is now moving to central Florida for the 71st year Car-1 Sebring Twelve HoursSaturday, March 18th in Sebring, Florida.
Acura Motorsports social media content and video links from the Rolex 24 at Daytona can be found on Instagram (www.instagram.com/hondaracing_hpd), Twitter (twitter.com/HondaRacing_HPD) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/HondaRacingHPD). Additional features and full-length videos can be found on the Honda Racing/HPD YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/HondaRacingHPDTV).
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