Michael Shank Racing Acura NSX GT3s Look To Rebound in California
• Team seeks return to winning form at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
• Mid-season run included victories at Detroit and Watkins Glen, Canadian podium
TORRANCE, Calif. (September 20, 2017) – Michael Shank Racing brings its pair of Acura NSX GT3s to Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca for this weekend’s penultimate round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, seeking to add to an already impressive podium total in the inaugural season of GTD class competition for both the team and manufacturer.
Consecutive victories at the Detroit Grand Prix sprint race and the six-hour endurance contest at Watkins Glen International Raceway in June and July, respectively, proved the speed and versatility of the Acura NSX GT3. Those victories were backed up by a second-place run at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park, a “standard” two hour, 40-minute IMSA event.
Two recent events – at Road America and Virginia International Raceway – were less successful for Acura and the MSR team, as the cut-and-thrust of GT competition took its toll on the team’s pair of NSX GT3s. But despite these setbacks, Acura remains in the thick of the competitive GTD Manufacturers’ Championship, just five points out of third place among nine manufacturers.
“While the last couple of weekends have been frustrating for Acura and MSR, the NSX GT3 has demonstrated great pace all season long in IMSA competition, as evidenced by our victories at Detroit and Watkins Glen,” said Art St. Cyr, president of Honda Performance Development, the racing arm for Acura in North America. “With two races to go, we’re looking forward to contending for victory this weekend in Monterey, continuing right through to the series finale at Road Atlanta in October.”
Honda Performance Development (HPD) and J.A.S. Motorsport of Italy are now offering the race-winning NSX GT3 for sale around the world for the 2018 season.
The NSX GT3 chassis, including the multi-material body structure and TIG-welded chrome-molly roll cage, is built alongside the production NSX at the Performance Manufacturing Center in Marysville, Ohio, exclusive worldwide manufacturing facility for the NSX. PMC also operates a repair facility for the NSX GT3.
The production-based 3.5-liter, twin-turbocharged V6 racing engines are likewise built alongside their production-vehicle counterparts at the Anna Engine Plant in Anna, Ohio. The racing engine uses the same design specifications as the production 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 NSX GT3’s rear wheels.
Competing in GTD, the Acura NSX GT3s race against premium automotive brands including Audi, BMW, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche. The Acura NSX GT3 adds to a rich legacy of Acura sports car racing championships, including the 1991, 1992 and 1993 IMSA Camel Lights manufacturer and driver championships, and the 2009 American Le Mans Series manufacturer, driver and team championships in both the LMP1 and LMP2 classes.
The Continental Tire Monterey Grand Prix starts at 5 p.m. EDT Sunday, September 24, with live television coverage on Fox Sports 1. Live coverage also can be found the Fox Sports Go app and at www.imsa.com.
Video recaps from this weekend’s Acura racing activities at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca will be posted on the “Honda Racing/HPD” YouTube channel. Produced by the Carolinas Production Group, the video packages can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/HondaRacingHPDTV.