- Ricky Taylor, Wayne Taylor Racing qualifies second for Acura
- Olivier Pla to start fourth in his Meyer Shank Racing ARX-05
- John Potter, Andy Lally to start 13th in their Acura NSX GT3 Evo
Defending IMSA series champion and Rolex 24 winner Ricky Taylor secured a front-row start for Acura today at Sebring International Raceway for Saturday's Mobil-1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, qualifying second fastest in his Konica Minolta Wayne Taylor Racing Acura ARX-05.
The 15-minute session, to set the starting field for this weekend's endurance classic, saw Olivier Pla also have a strong run, posting the fifth-fastest time in his Sirius XM Meyer Shank Racing Acura prototype, just a second off the pole around the nearly four-mile long Sebring circuit.
In the production-based GTD category, John Potter qualifying his Magnus with Archangel Acura NSX GT3 Evo 11th; and will share driving duties tomorrow with Andy Lally and Spencer Pumpelly.
Twelve Hours of Sebring Qualifying Results
- 2nd overall - #10 Ricky Taylor, Wayne Taylor Racing Acura ARX-05 DPi
- 5th overall - #60 Olivier Pla, Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-05 DPi
- 11th GTD - #44 John Potter, Magnus with Archangel Acura NSX GT3 Evo
Quotes
Ricky Taylor (#10 Wayne Taylor Racing ARX-05) qualified 2nd; race co-drivers will include Filipe Albuquerque and Alexander Rossi: "Really happy with our Konica Minolta Acura. Everyone on the team has been working really hard since [the season opening race at] Daytona. Alex [Rossi] and Filipe [Albuquerque] are both really fast as well. Our plan for tomorrow is to really start to put the pressure on as we approach the night time and the track cools down. We're really looking forward to a good race."
Olivier Pla (#60 Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-05): Qualified 5th; co-drivers will be Dane Cameron and Juan Pablo Montoya: "We worked a lot on the car balance yesterday. With good balance, we will be in a better position for the end of the race tomorrow. Our qualifying session was difficult and we aren't in the position that we wanted to be, but now it is time to focus ahead on the race. The Meyer Shank Racing team will get the car setup for tomorrow so that we can race through the field and be in the front in the last few hours."
David Salters (President, Honda Performance Development) on today's qualifying: "A reasonable day at Sebring, fighting for pole, the difference [0.110 seconds] is about as close as it gets in sports car racing. Well done to Ricky [Taylor] and the Wayne Taylor Racing organization, maintaining their momentum from the victory at the [season-opening] Daytona race. Looking forward to another great race tomorrow from our teams, all of whom know how to race well here, and another demonstration of Acura's performance on track."
Fast Facts
- Acura comes to this year's Twelve Hours of Sebring as two-time defending IMSA Manufacturers' Champion in the premier DPi category with the Acura ARX-05 prototype, and defending Manufacturers' Champion in the production-based GTD class with the Acura NSX GT3 Evo.
- Following the Rolex 24 season-opening victory for Acura and Wayne Taylor Racing and fourth-place finish for Meyer Shank Racing, Acura leads the IMSA Manufacturer, Driver and Endurance Cup championships.
- In the premier Manufacturers' Title chase, Acura has 380 points to 335 for second-ranked Cadillac. Acura holds a two-point lead over Cadillac in the Endurance Cup standings. In the drivers' points chase, Taylor, Albuquerque and Rossi have a 31-point advantage over Jimmie Johnson, Mike Rockenfeller and Simon Pagenaud, in second with 345 points.
- New for 2021 Type S graphics on the two ARX-05 prototypes are intended to reinforce the connection between Acura's racing and productions vehicles, and our theme of Precision Crafted Performance.
- Acura has recently announced production plans for Type S versions of the TLX performance sedan and MDX. Both models will be powered by turbocharged V6 engines, similar to the production-based engine used in the ARX-05 prototype.
Where to Watch the Rolex 24 at Daytona
Television coverage from Sebring begins at 10 a.m. ET Saturday on the NBC Sports Network. Complete, flag-to-flag race coverage also will be available on the NBC Sports App and TrackPass on NBC Gold.
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.
Acura Motorsports social media content and video links from Sebring 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).
# # #
