Acura Teams Ready for Rolex 24
• Acura Team Penske returns with race-winning two-car prototype effort
• Meyer Shank Racing debuts Evo model of successful Acura NSX GT3
• Twice-around-the-clock endurance classic opens the 2018 racing season on Saturday

TORRANCE, Calif. (January 21, 2019) – Acura Motorsports returns to Daytona International Speedway this weekend as Team Penske seeks to build on its race-winning prototype effort with the Acura ARX-05, and Meyer Shank Racing debuts the new Evo version of the Acura NSX GT3 as the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season kicks off this weekend with the Rolex 24.

A dozen major automobile manufacturers from around the globe – including Cadillac, Nissan and Mazda in prototype; and Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche, Mercedes-Benz and Lexus in GTD – will take to the high banks and challenging turns of the Daytona road course for the classic, twice-around-the-clock endurance contest.

“Nothing gets your attention like starting off the season with the longest – and in many ways, most difficult – race of the year.” said Steve Eriksen, vice-president and COO of Honda Performance Development, the racing arm of Acura Motorsports. “We’re excited about the start of the new season, and the opportunity to chase after championships in both Daytona Prototype International and GTD. With so many great teams and drivers, the competition will be fierce, as always, but that’s why we race. We can’t wait for the green flag on Saturday.”

Acura Team Penske ARX-05
The combination of Acura Motorsports, Team Penske and the new Acura ARX-05 DPi resulted in an encouraging first year of IMSA competition, including a 1-2 finish at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, two poles and five podium finishes in 2018. For 2019, all involved are looking to build on that foundation and contend for the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

The Acura ARX-05 is the latest in a line of endurance prototypes to be fielded by the company, dating to 1991, just five years after the launch of the Acura brand. Based on the successful ORECA 07 chassis, the ARX-05 DPi features Acura-specific bodywork and utilizes the race-proven, production-based Acura AR35TT twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 engine.

Former rivals with Acura in the American Le Mans Series a decade ago, the Team Penske organization demonstrated the performance potential of the ARX-05 right from the start, with Helio Castroneves qualifying on the front row for the Rolex 24 and Juan Pablo Montoya claiming the first pole at Long Beach. A dominating performance saw Castroneves and Ricky Taylor win from the pole at Mid-Ohio, with Montoya and Dane Cameron finishing second. A double-podium result in Detroit and podium finishes at Watkins Glen and WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca were additional highlights to the 2018 season.

To celebrate IMSA’s 50th year of endurance sports car racing, both Acura Team Penske entries this year feature “throwback” orange and white liveries commemorating the consecutive IMSA Camel GT Comptech Acura NSX “Camel Lights” prototype champions of 1991-93.

The six drivers sharing Penske’s two Acura ARX-05 prototypes – Montoya, Cameron and Simon Pagneaud in the #6 Acura; and Castroneves, Taylor and Alexander Rossi in the #7 entry – account for five Rolex 24 overall victories, three IMSA titles, six Indianapolis 500 wins, two IndyCar Series championships, and seven Formula One trophies.
Meyer Shank Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo
After scoring two class wins and seven podium finishes to contend for the GTD title last season, Meyer Shank Racing returns with the new “Evo” edition of the successful Acura NSX GT3 and another strong two-car effort for 2019.

Based on information generated throughout the global NSX GT3 Customer Racing Program, the Acura NSX GT3 Evo features performance gains, improved drivability, a 25 percent increase in engine life and greater component durability. The result is a racing platform designed to appeal to a wide range of professional and amateur drivers.

In 2018, MSR began the season with one full-time #93 NSX GT3 entry, and a second car intended to contest the four endurance rounds of the GTD championship. However, a strong start for the #86 Acura saw the effort develop into a full-season campaign. Katherine Legge paired for the season with Alvaro Parente and Mario Farnbacher rotating as co-drivers. Legge won with Farnbacher in Detroit, and with Parente at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. The trio also combined to complete every lap of the season – 2,374 in all – and lead 202 of them.

For 2019, MSR has entered into a partnership with businesswoman/racer Jackie Heinricher and sponsor Caterpillar to field the #57 Acura NSX GT3 Evo for an all-female driver lineup anchored by the returning Legge, and including fellow Indianapolis 500 veteran Bia Figueiredo. Two-time IMSA GTD champion Christina Nielsen and experienced IndyCar driver Simona de Silvestro complete quartet for the Rolex 24. Rising stars Farnbacher and Trent Hindman return to drive the #93 MSR Acura for the full season, with NASCAR race winners Justin Marks and A.J. Allmendinger joining for the endurance and Daytona rounds, respectively.

Where to watch the Rolex 24
Television coverage of the Rolex 24 begins Thursday, January 24, with a one-hour season preview show, at 2 p.m. EST on the NBC Sports Network. Qualifying coverage, also on the NBC Sports Network, follows at 3 p.m. EST.

Full television coverage of the Rolex 24 starts Saturday, January 26, at 2 p.m. EST on the NBC Sports Network. Nighttime coverage will be found on NBC Sports Network from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. Race coverage concludes with the final hours of the contest and finish on NBC Sports Network from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. Additional coverage can be found on the NBC Sports Gold App, from 5-9 p.m. EST Saturday and again from 3-6 a.m. EST on Sunday.

Fans can also listen in 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.

Video recaps from this weekend’s Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway will be posted on the “Honda Racing/HPD” YouTube channel. Produced by the Carolinas Production Group, the video packages can be found in the 2019 HPD Trackside Video Playlist at: https://www.youtube.com/HondaRacingHPDTV.