Cookie Consent by Free Privacy Policy website Front Row Qualifying Sweep for Acura at Watkins Glen Sprint Race
luglio 02, 2021 - Acura

Front Row Qualifying Sweep for Acura at Watkins Glen Sprint Race

Comunicato Stampa disponibile solo in lingua originale. 

  • Ricky Taylor's Wayne Taylor #racing #acura on the pole
  • Olivier Pla notches front row strart in his Meyer Shank #racing ARX-05
  • Till Bechtolsheimer for Gradient #racing and Jeff Kingsley for Compass #racing both score top-five starts 

Acura scored their second front row sweep in as many races, with Wayne Taylor Racing's #rickytaylor taking pole position for the IMSA WeatherTech 240 at #watkinsglen. Fellow ARX-05 driver #olivierpla will start alongside for Meyer Shank #racing to complete the second consecutive all-Acura qualifying sweep.

In damp, but drying, conditions for qualifying, Taylor edged Pla by 0.346 of a second—with the entire six-car DPi field was covered by just over one second. 

In the production-based GTD category, #tillbechtolsheimer led the charge in his #66 Gradient #racing #acura NSX GT3 Evo, qualifying in the fourth position. Bechtolsheimer will start just one spot ahead of another #acura NSX, the #76 Compass #racing machine piloted by Jeff Kingsley.   

Sahlen's Six Hours of the Glen Qualifying Results

Quotes

Ricky Taylor (#10 Wayne Taylor #racing ARX-05) pole qualifier; race co-driver will be Filipe Albuquerque: "Watching the other [qualifying] sessions, it seemed like the track was improving all the time, since it was drying out [from earlier rain].  We [DPi] were the luckiest ones of all the classes as the track was really quite dry for the start of our session.  I think everyone decided to run the entire session to make sure they got a good lap in.  So we went out right away and obviously, the track continued to improve throughout.  That alone gave you some pace as the laps increased.  But I think the biggest factor is that, after a week [since the six-hour race here last Sunday], everyone has a little bit of data on how to go a bit faster, but it was still very much a game of 'how much tire do I have left' vs. 'how much is the track drying'. Luckily, we got it right on that last lap [for pole]."

Till Bechtolsheimer (#66 Gradient #racing #acura NSX GT3 Evo): Qualified fourth; co-driver will be Marc Miller: "We'll see how the conditions are for tomorrow's race. If it's a dry race, I am a little bit worried because most of the teams were here for the six-hour last weekend and we haven't done a single dry lap yet at #watkinsglen, but if it's similar to today's conditions or fully wet, we're feeling really good. The car felt great during qualifying, it's pretty well-known that the #acura NSX is good in the wet. It was really confidence-inspiring once we got some temperature into the tires—it felt great! This team has made such huge strides; last time out we ended up with our first podium in WeatherTech, which is a huge achievement, and to qualify P4, that is far and away the best position I've qualified in WeatherTech. It just feels like every time we're out, we're learning a bit more and getting more confident and just making huge strides."  

Fast Facts

  • The pole position is Ricky Taylor's 23rd in #imsaweathertechsportscarchampionship competition.
  • Gradient #racing is coming off of their strongest-ever finish, and first-ever podium, in IMSA WeatherTech competition at the last Sprint Cup round last month in Detroit.

Where to Watch the IMSA WeatherTech 240

Live television coverage from #watkinsglen begins at 6 PM EDT Friday on the NBC Sports Network.  Live flag-to-flag race coverage will also be available on NBC Gold Track Pass and the NBC Sports App.

Fans can listen to audio commentary via IMSA.com, RadioLeMans.com and 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.

Acura Motorsports social media content and video links from #watkinsglen International

Raceway can be found on Instagram (www.instagram.com/hondaracing_hpd), Twitter (twitter.com/HondaRacing_HPD) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/HondaRacingHPD).  Additional features and long-form videos can be found on the Honda Racing/HPD YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/HondaRacingHPDTV).