Another Podium Run for Michael Shank Racing, Acura in Monterey
• Andy Lally, Katherine Legge finish second at the America’s Tire 250
• Fourth podium finish of 2017, including two wins, for Acura in IMSA competition
• Acura NSX GT3 continues to impress in inaugural North American racing season
MONTEREY, Calif. (September 24, 2017) – A mid-race decision to split pit strategies between the pair of Michael Shank Racing Acura NSX GT3s paid dividends Sunday at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The driver pairing of Katherine Legge and Andy Lally made opportunistic passes for position – all while saving fuel – to score a second-place finish in the GTD class in the penultimate round of the 2017 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
The podium finish was the fourth of the season for Lally and Legge in the #93 MSR Acura, including race victories at Detroit and Watkins Glen, and a second-place finish at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park.
Starting 11th in GTD, Legge gained four positions in the first 40 minutes of the 2 hour, 40-minute contest, then stretched her fuel mileage to run to the 55-minute mark, moving up to second as other GTD competitors pitted for their first scheduled service.
With Lally at the wheel of the #93 NSX GT3, a full-course caution period led the MSR team to call him in for a final scheduled pit stop with an hour and 10 minutes remaining, requiring Lally to save fuel in order to complete the race without a third pit stop.
Meanwhile, the #86 MSR Acura, started by Oswaldo “Ozz” Negri from seventh, soon moved up to fourth as the veteran Brazilian completed his own impressive stint. With Negri handing off to co-driver Jeff Segal at the 53-minute mark, the MSR team elected to keep the #86 NSX GT3 on its original pit plan, as the 16-car GTD field effectively split into two groups.
As the race entered its closing stages with no additional cautions, Lally was running fourth, but moved up to second in the final laps as two other competitors ran short of fuel and were forced to pit. Meanwhile, Segal improved from 12th to 10th, but was unable to advance further in the run to the checkers.
The Acura NSX GT3s compete in the GTD class of the WeatherTech series, campaigning against premium automotive brands including Aston-Martin, Audi, BMW, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche.
Honda Performance Development (HPD), the racing arm for Acura Motorsports in North America, and J.A.S. Motorsport of Italy are now offering the race-winning NSX GT3 for sale around the world for the 2018 season. In addition to its success in the IMSA WeatherTech series, the NSX GT3 also has recorded a victory in Pirelli World Challenge competition this year.
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.