Acura Teams, Legge Chase IMSA Championships
• Meyer Shank Racing, Katherine Legge in close battle for GTD title
• Acura in contention for Prototype, GTD endurance championships
• 2018 season ends with Petit Le Mans endurance contest
TORRANCE, Calif. (October 8, 2018) – The 2018 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship comes to a close this weekend with the 10-hour Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta, with Katherine Legge and her Meyer Shank Racing team seeking the GTD class championships; while Acura contends for both the Prototype and GTD manufacturer crowns in the Tequila Patron North American Endurance Championship.
Legge and Meyer Shank Racing come to this weekend’s season finale at Road Atlanta ranked second in the GTD title fight, just six points out of the lead. In the TPNAEC, a “series within a series” consisting of the four long-distance rounds and concluding with the Petit Le Mans, Acura is ranked second in both Prototype and GTD, two points behind in Prototype and trailing by just a single point in GTD.
“Katherine and Meyer Shank Racing have kept themselves and the Acura NSX GT3 in title contention from their podium finish at the Rolex 24 to winning from the pole last month at Laguna Seca,” said Art St. Cyr, president of Honda Performance Development and Acura Motorsports. “It’s been an intense battle all season long, and we expect this weekend’s season finale to be no different.
“In Prototype, Acura Team Penske have continued to improve throughout this first season for the Acura ARX-05, highlighted by a 1-2 finish at Mid-Ohio. We’d like nothing more than to finish out the season with another race win and the NAEC title.”
Meyer Shank Racing Acura NSX GT3s
The MSR team has contended for GTD class honors at nearly every race this season. The #86 Acura of Legge and regular co-driver Parente come to Road Atlanta after a dominating performance at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, where Legge set a new track record to claim the pole, and the #86 NSX GT3 scored its second victory of the season.
Partnered with Mario Farnbacher, Legge won at Detroit and was third at VIR, a race highlighted by a three-way battle for the class win in the closing laps. In addition, the #86 Acura finished second at Daytona, Mid-Ohio and Watkins Glen; and led for extended periods at the 12 Hours of Sebring. Trent Hindman returns as third-driver for the team this weekend, a role he also filled at Daytona and Sebring.
In the overall championship rankings, Legge comes to Road Atlanta trailing Bryan Sellers and Madison Snow by just six points (303-297), with up to 35 points on offer. Acura trails Lamborghini by 12 points (310-298) in the Manufacturers’ Championship.
In the TPNAEC, Acura lies second to Mercedes-AMG by just a single point (32-31); with Legge and Parente two points (31-29) behind Ben Keating, Jeroen Bleekemolen and Luca Stolz in the drivers’ championship. A maximum of 15 NAEC points are up for grabs at Petit Le Mans, awarded at the four-, eight- and 10-hour marks.
The #93 NSX GT3 of Lawson Aschenbach and Justin Marks finished second in Detroit, completing the first 1-2 sweep for MSR in the team’s IMSA racing history, and was leading at Watkins Glen before being taken out of the race as a result of contact from a Prototype. Aschenbach and Marks also led several times during the 12 Hours of Sebring, and contended for a podium at Mid-Ohio, finishing fourth. “Super Sub” Farnbacher returns to MSR for the fifth time this season to complete the three-driver lineup for the #93 Acura.
Acura Team Penske
Acura Team Penske has seen steadily improving results in the inaugural season for the new ARX-05 prototype. Breaking through for its first victory in May at Mid-Ohio, the Acura ARX-05 has led in eight of nine races this season, scored six podium finishes and has recorded two poles (Juan Pablo Montoya at Long Beach and Helio Castroneves at Mid-Ohio).
Full-season drivers in the #6 ARX-05, Juan Pablo Montoya and Dane Cameron, are currently fourth in the Drivers’ Championship standings; with Helio Castroneves and Ricky Taylor, who share the #7 Acura, are seventh. Acura currently lies second in the Manufacturers’ Championship, 11 points out of first (297-286).
For this weekend’s final TPNAEC round at Road Atlanta, IndyCar Series race winner Graham Rahal joins the #7 driver lineup for the first time since Sebring; with former Indy car champion Simon Pagenaud returning as third driver for the #6 ARX-05.
Acura heads into the Petit Le Mans race weekend just two points (38-36) in a tight battle for the TPNAEC manufacturers’ championship. Castroneves and Taylor are tied with their teammates Montoya and Cameron for third in the chase for the endurance drivers’ crown, 24 points each.
Where to watch the Petit Le Mans
The 2018 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season finale Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta starts at 11 a.m. EDT Saturday, October 13. Live television coverage begins on Fox Sports 1 at 10:30 a.m. EDT; then moves to Fox Sports 2 from 12-9:30 p.m.
Fans can listen to audio commentary via IMSA.com, RadioLeMans.com and Sirius XM Radio; and follow the race live via in-car cameras, IMSA Radio and timing & scoring available worldwide on IMSA.com and the IMSA mobile device App.
Social media content and video links from this weekend’s Acura IMSA prototype and GTD racing action are available on HPD’s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/HondaRacingHPD) and on Twitter at (https://twitter.com/HondaRacing_HPD).
Produced by the Carolinas Production Group, YouTube video packages can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/HondaRacingHPDTV.