Acura NSX GT3 Claims Pole at Watkins Glen

Acura NSX GT3 Claims Pole at Watkins Glen
• Andy Lally scores first GTD pole for Acura at Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen
• Jeff Segal qualifies fourth in his Michael Shank Racing NSX GT3
• Six-hour North American Endurance Championship contest runs Sunday

WATKINS GLEN, NY (July 1, 2017) – Andy Lally piloted his Michael Shank Racing Acura to the GTD class pole Saturday at Watkins Glen International Raceway, in qualifying action for Sunday’s Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen, marking the first pole for the new Acura NSX GT3 in international sports car racing.

The pole for the Lally and co-driver Katherine Legge follows their victory last month at the Detroit Grand Prix, the first win for the NSX GT3. Jeff Segal qualified the second MSR Acura in fourth, the best combined qualifying effort for the NSX GT3 in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship since the car made its debut just six races ago at the Rolex 24. Segal and co-driver Oswaldo “Ozz” Negri will start from the outside of the second row in the 17–car GTD field.

This weekend’s six-hour contest also marks the third round of the North American Endurance Championship, a series-within-a-series, for the four longest races on the WeatherTech series calendar: the Rolex 24, 12 Hours of Sebring, Watkins Glen and the 10-hour Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta in October.

The Acura NSX GT3s compete in the GTD class of the WeatherTech series, campaigning against premium automotive brands including Audi, BMW, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche.

Developed from the production Acura NSX, the NSX GT3 utilizes the production NSX’s ultra-rigid and lightweight multi-material body with aluminum-intensive space frame, which is produced at the Performance Manufacturing Center in Ohio, exclusive worldwide manufacturing facility for the NSX. The 3.5-liter racing engine uses the same design specifications as the production Acura NSX, including the block, heads, valve train, crankshaft, pistons and dry-sump lubrication system. A six-speed, sequential-shift racing gearbox delivers power to the rear wheels.

Video recaps from this weekend’s Acura WeatherTech SportsCar Championship activities at Watkins Glen are being posted on the “Honda Racing/HPD” YouTube channel. Produced by the Carolinas Production Group, the video packages can be found in the 2017 HPD Trackside Video Playlist at: https://www.youtube.com/HondaRacingHPDTV.

Andy Lally (driver, #93 Michael Shank Racing Acura NSX GT3) GTD pole qualifier: “It’s all a testament to these guys at Michael Shank Racing, Acura and HPD. I don’t get a chance to qualify too much, so this is great. Watkins Glen is my favorite track and my home track. When you put one of those crazy laps together you’re breathing so hard! I [also] have to thank Continental Tire – we beat the heck out of those tires!”

Jeff Segal (driver, #86 Michael Shank Racing Acura NSX GT3) qualified fourth: “The car was good, but we’re just missing a little bit. But we have good confidence after that [qualifying] lap. I know where there is a bit more time, and it’s nice to have a strong car like the #93 as our teammates to be able to understand where they found their little extra bit [of time]. The team is doing a great job, the cars are both running really well. We have great momentum from the last race at Detroit, so we’re looking to make sure the race tomorrow is strong, as well. Six hours is an endurance race but it’s a sprint race, [and] we’re going to be flat out the entire time.”