Acura Teams Return to Road Course Competition at Watkins Glen
• Acura Team Penske seeks second victory of 2018 for ARX-05 prototype
• Defending GTD winner Meyer Shank Racing on a roll following 1-2 Detroit result
• Honda of America Racing Team, C.J. Wilson Racing return to GTD with Acura NSX GT3s
TORRANCE, Calif. (June 27, 2018) – Acura teams return in force this weekend at Watkins Glen International Raceway, with the manufacturer represented by four teams fielding six entries in the Prototype and GTD divisions for the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen.
Sunday’s six-hour endurance contest on the fast, flowing Watkins Glen circuit marks the return of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship to a traditional road course, following the tight confines and short overall race distance of the Belle Isle Park temporary street circuit.
In addition to full-season entrants Acura Team Penske and Meyer Shank Racing, both the Honda of America Racing Team and C.J. Wilson Racing return to series at Watkins Glen for the third round of the North American Endurance Championship, the series-within-a-series for the four longest races on the IMSA schedule.
“We’ve been encouraged by the performance of all our Acura Motorsports teams during the first half of the 2018 WeatherTech championship,” said Art St. Cyr, president of Honda Performance Development and Acura Motorsports. “Acura Team Penske continues to build momentum, following our 1-2 result at Mid-Ohio with a pair of podium finishes for both ARX-05’s in Detroit. In GTD, the Meyer Shank Racing organization has been equally impressive with their 1-2 finish in Detroit, along with podiums at Daytona and Mid-Ohio. In addition, we’ve added depth this weekend to our Acura NSX GT3 effort with the return of both HART and C.J. Wilson Racing.”
Acura Team Penske
Acura Team Penske has seen steadily improving results in the inaugural season for the new ARX-05 prototype, finally breaking through for the first victory of the season – a 1-2 Acura finish no less – last month at Mid-Ohio.
While victory eluded the team in Detroit, the pair continued their individual podium finish streaks, with Mid-Ohio race winners Helio Castroneves and Ricky Taylor finishing second in the Motor City, with teammates Dane Cameron and Juan Pablo Montoya running third in their ARX-05.
In addition, the Acura ARX-05 has led in all six races this season, and has recorded two poles, with Montoya qualifying fastest at Long Beach and Castroneves at Mid-Ohio.
The four drivers sharing Acura Team Penske’s two ARX-05 prototypes – Cameron and Montoya in the #6 Acura, and Castroneves and Taylor in the #7 – account for four Rolex 24 overall victories, two WeatherTech Championship titles, five Indianapolis 500 wins and seven Formula One trophies.