RealTime Racing Acura NSX Squad Ready For Canadian Challenge
• New SprintX format requires pit stops and driver changes during 60-minute races
• Tom Dyer and Mark Wilkins join Acura squad for year’s second SprintX event
• Acura NSX GT3 team looks to reprise last year’s podium from CTMP visit
TORRANCE, Calif, (May 19, 2017) – The Acura NSX GT3 team is heading north of the border this weekend, hoping that a trip to Bowmanville, Ontario’s Canadian Tire Motorsports Park (CTMP) will provide the same launching point for the team that it did a year ago.
The RealTime Racing Acuras had yet to score a podium in 2016 when they visited the venerable CTMP layout, but Ryan Eversley’s third-place run jump-started the squad. After the Georgia-born driver climbed the podium, it sparked an eight-race run of top-six finishes that included a pair of victories at Road America.
This weekend’s event at the 2.458-mile road course formerly known as Mosport will again be in the SprintX format that was introduced to the GT class this year, requiring each Acura NSX GT3 entry to conduct a pit stop and a driver change as part of the 60-minute race. As was the case in the first two SprintX rounds, Ryan Eversley will partner with Tom Dyer in the #43 machine, while Mark Wilkins joins Peter Kox in the #93 Acura NSX GT3.
“We should have great support from the associates at Acura Canada, after the RealTime team put the cars on display at their home office earlier this week,” said NSX GT3 Project Leader Lee Niffenegger. “It’s also a home race for Mark Wilkins, so maybe we’ll get some home cooking for him and the team! We continue to make progress with the new NSX GT3, and now just need some luck to go our way.
Pirelli World Challenge competitors are well-versed in what it takes to tame the 10-turn track, which once hosted Formula 1 competition. The storied layout hasn’t changed much since that time, meaning that it is one of the few tracks on the PWC schedule this year that won’t be new to Kox.
“Last time I was here was 2006, and there have been a lot of onsite improvements made to the track. But luckily, they didn’t make changes to the track layout, which is just fantastic with its long fast sweeps and elevation levels,” Kox reported. “I hope that we can continue to make progress with our NSXs here and add to the long standing history of this circuit.”
Eversley is optimistic that he and Dyer can use their knowledge of the circuit to make some gains in the SprintX Pro-Pro championship standings, where they are just eight points out of the top 10.
“I really enjoy racing in Canada as the fans are very welcoming and knowledgeable,” Eversley said. “Our NSX GT3 race cars found some more speed at VIR, and I’m optimistic we can fight in the top 10 this weekend. Tom and Mark have been excellent additions to our team and have made the development process with our new cars much easier. It should be a great weekend! “
The Acura quartet will get its weekend underway Friday with qualifying at 4:55 p.m. The first of the weekend’s two 60-minute races takes place Saturday at 1:45 with Sunday’s finale getting the green flag at 4 p.m.
Rounds 3 and 4 of the SprintX campaign can be seen on May 28 at 6 p.m. ET on the CBS Sports Network. Fans can also follow the action live via streaming video at World-ChallengeTV.com.