2020 MOTORSPORTS SPECIAL

302
RACER.com ACURA.com/motorsports
 (MAIN) Dane Cameron and Juan
Pablo Montoya celebrate their victory
at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna
Seca – the third of the 2019 season
for the DPi drivers’ title winners.

4 6 8
IT’S WHY THE ULTIMATE TEST EXHILARATION
WE RACE After its successful 2019, TAKES MANY FORMS
Winning races and nobody’s getting complacent Acura Team Penske’s
championships is at Acura Team Penske. championship-winning drivers
confirmation of the Bring on the next challenge. are big fans of the MDX and
performance DNA RDX family of SUVs.
within every Acura.

02 RACER.com WALKING THE WALK ON PERFORMANCE

 Gavin Baker/LAT
ACURA’S BANNER SEASON
Martin Barkey and Kyle Marcelli took the Racer’s
Edge Motorsports Acura NSX GT3 Evo to an SRO
GT World Challenge America Pro-Am drivers’ title –
one of seven championships secured for Acura.

IT’S WHY WE RACE

Claiming to be a performance brand is one thing; it’s A WINNING
another to prove it. For Acura, racing delivers the proof. SEASON
A cura was created as a
performance brand, so it’s
essential to walk the walk in order to
In 2019, Acura Motorsports
and its teams worked hard,
raced hard and celebrated
live up to the talk, says Acura’s vice
a year of precision crafted
president and brand officer, Jon Ikeda.
“We’re reorienting ourselves back
performance by winning
to our roots,” he explains. “Acura multiple championships.
Jake Galstad/LAT
began as the performance division
of Honda. Relaunching the NSX 2019 IMSA WEATHERTECH
[in 2016], we got back on track with SPORTSCAR CHAMPIONSHIP
precision crafted performance. Daytona Prototype
“As we were developing the NSX, (ABOVE) Mario Farnbacher and Trent Hindman international (DPi)
we decided right away that if we are earned GTD drivers’ crowns in the WeatherTech Manufacturers champions
going to be a performance brand, we Championship driving for Meyer Shank Racing. Acura
can’t just make fast cars. We have to Drivers champions
prove ourselves,” he adds. “It’s in the racing with the potent NSX GT3 Evo. Dane Cameron/
DNA of our company to race and to But that was then, this is now, and
Juan Pablo Montoya
compete, so motorsport is integral last season’s celebrations have given
to what we make and what we say.” rise to 2020’s goals and ambitions.
Teams champions
In 2019, Acura Motorsports enjoyed “Our mindset is to be better in Acura Team Penske (ARX-05)
a multi-championship-winning season. everything we do and to measure
Competing in the IMSA WeatherTech ourselves against other like-minded GT Daytona (GTD)
SportsCar Championship’s headlining manufacturers,” says Ikeda, who believes Drivers champions
Daytona Prototype international (DPi) better on the track means better on the Mario Farnbacher/
class, Acura Team Penske’s pair of road. “There’s a big connection between Trent Hindman
ARX-05 prototypes delivered a drivers’, our road cars and racecars. Racing Teams champions
manufacturers’ and teams’ title triple. creates the connection that we are a Meyer Shank Racing
In GT Daytona, the class for performance brand and that we truly (NSX GT3 Evo)
production-based sports cars, Meyer care about how we engineer our cars.”
Shank Racing secured drivers’ and With Acura Team Penske and
2019 SRO GT WORLD
teams’ top honors with its NSX GT3 Evo. Meyer Shank Racing getting ready to
Over in SRO GT World Challenge put their titles on the line in the 2020
CHALLENGE AMERICA
America, RealTime Racing scored a WeatherTech Championship and Racer’s Pro-Am Cup
Pro-Am Cup teams’ championship, Edge Motorsports up for the fight again Drivers champions
Richard Dole/LAT

while Racer’s Edge Motorsports duo in GT World Challenge America, Acura Martin Barkey/Kyle Marcelli
Martin Barkey and Kyle Marcelli will aim for nothing less than another Teams champions
secured the Pro-Am Cup for drivers, all championship-winning season. RealTime Racing (NSX GT3 Evo)

10 12 14 16
IT’S ALL ABOUT BORN ON THE BLURRING FOLLOW THE ACTION
TEAMWORK RACE TRACK THE LINES Catch Acura Team Penske
At the race track and in As soon as Acura With the NSX, form and Meyer Shank Racing in
Acura’s Performance pushed the button on and function merge to the 2020 IMSA WeatherTech
Kevin Hipp

Manufacturing Center, its second-gen NSX, provide the ultimate SportsCar Championship.
teamwork is the key. racing it was always driving experience.
part of the gameplan.

ACURA.com/motorsports Acura Acura acura Acura 03

 THE NEXT
CHALLENGE
For Acura Team Penske, the championship
successes of 2019 are in the rearview mirror.
The focus now is on 2020 and the next challenge.

In 2019, Acura Motorsports celebrated seven

championships across two series and three
classes, including a trio of titles with Acura Team 2020 ACURA
Penske in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar TEAM PENSKE ROSTER
Championship’s headlining DPi class. But that
was then, this is now. For 2020, with new goals
and challenges, the scoreboard is reset to zero. Dane CAMERON
“Last year was an earned effort. The level No. 6 / Full season
of competition in all the series we race in is
incredibly high, so the question now is, ‘Can we Alexander ROSSI
sustain it?’” says Ted Klaus, president of Honda No. 7 / Enduros only
Performance Development (HPD), which
develops the racecars Acura puts out on track.
For Acura Team Penske, racing against the Helio CASTRONEVES
toughest competition is what motivates it. For No. 7 / Full season
2020, there are new goals and new challenges.
“Last year we were fortunate enough,
together with Acura, to put all the pieces in
Ricky TAYLOR
place and win three championships,” says No. 7 / Full season
Team Penske president Tim Cindric. “But
nothing ever stands still in sports car racing, Juan Pablo MONTOYA
Michael Levitt/LAT

and we still have a lot of unfinished business.” No. 6 / Full season

That unfinished business includes taking a win

04 RACER.com UNFINISHED BUSINESS IN 2020

 INDY 500 CHAMP IN FOR ENDUROS
Team Penske IndyCar Series driver and 2019

Michael Levitt/LAT
Indianapolis 500 winner Simon Pagenaud joins
Juan Pablo Montoya and Dane Cameron for the four
endurance races that kick off with the Rolex 24.

Motorsport Images
SUM OF
THE PARTS
Take a three-time winner of
the Indianapolis 500, plus a
young-gun sports car ace
who’s won all of IMSA’s biggest
races, not to mention a
prototype championship, and
you’ve got one of the most
dynamic driver pairings in the
WeatherTech Championship’s
DPi class. That’s Helio
Castroneves and Ricky Taylor,
who share the No. 7 Acura
Team Penske ARX-05.
“We come from totally
different experiences and
backgrounds as drivers,”
says Taylor, “but, amazingly,
we both like the same things
in terms of car balance and
Those championships were cool, but for setup. It doesn’t matter who
Acura Team Penske, preparing for the is qualifying the car, we both
2020 season (MAIN) was the prime focus. know we will get behind the
wheel of something we like.”
For highly-competitive
racecar drivers, sharing isn’t
in one of the WeatherTech Championship’s
marquee endurance events, starting with the
“I’m the one putting pressure the most natural thing, but it’s
a big part of sports car racing.
Rolex 24 At Daytona and Mobil 1 Twelve Hours on myself to make sure we’re “It has to be give and take,”
of Sebring. While Team Penske took the Acura even better than last year. says Castroneves. “We’re
ARX-05 DPi into the winner’s circle three times different heights, so we have
in 2019, none came in a long-distance classic – That’s the same for everybody” to compromise on the seat
and that rankles with the ultra-driven band of and pedals, for example. But
racers at Team Penske and Acura Motorsports. JUAN PABLO MONTOYA in terms of what we want from
“Winning an endurance race is a big focus a car, we’re the same, and
for this year,” says Klaus. “We’ve learned the that’s what makes it work.”
hard way through some failures, but we’re “That’s the same for everybody. We’re all
confident those past gremlins are behind us.” driven to win, and the goal is to earn more
When you come up short, how you react is victories and championships for Acura.”
everything. At Acura and Team Penske, the Even after last year’s multiple successes,
desire to succeed and to win comes from within complacency isn’t a trait you’ll see in anyone
and, as Klaus notes, every single person, from in the team, but confidence is. The belief
Michael Levitt/LAT

the drivers to the engineers and mechanics,
is focused on pushing the program forward.
“I’m the one putting the pressure on myself
to make sure we perform even better than
last year,” says Juan Pablo Montoya, who
co-drove the No. 6 ARX-05 with Dane Cameron
to the 2019 DPi class drivers’ championship.
that comes with winning can be a powerful
motivator. Yet, as every racer knows,
you’re only as good as your last result.
“Knowing that we ticked a lot of boxes last
season does help you come into the new (ABOVE) Ricky Taylor and Helio
season happy and confident,” adds Cameron. Castroneves make a mid-race
“But no way are we resting on our laurels.” driver swap in their Acura ARX-05.

ACURA.com/motorsports Acura Acura acura Acura 05


Pushing street-car parts
and concepts to the limit
in the ARX-05 DPi racer is
helping Acura build even
better street cars.
The world’s fastest test bed... Acura’s
ARX-05 DPi is ground zero for mixing
production and racecar engineering.
06 RACER.com RACING IMPROVES THE BREED
P lus Ultra. Translated from Latin it means
further beyond, and it aptly describes
Acura Motorsports’ philosophy for improving the
breed through sports car racing. Simply put, you
include production parts and concepts into your
racecars and you push them to the edge and
beyond. If it works in the extremes of racing,
there’s nothing it can’t handle on the street.
To that end, the engine in Acura’s ARX-05
DPi prototype sports car shares a block with
the MDX SUV, and more than 400 parts on
the exotic racing machine could be found in the
service department of any Acura dealership.
Similarly, the Acura NSX GT3 Evo racecar is
80 percent identical to the street version.
“We are taking stock Acura parts and
pushing them to the limit on the race track
because we fundamentally have confidence
in our production engineering,” says HPD
president Ted Klaus. “The Acura brand exists
to create technologies that can go out ahead
of the parent Honda brand. So we are able to
“Racing’s the perfect environment
to push things to their absolute
limit, and occasionally to their
breaking point”
TED KLAUS
demonstrate our craft on the race track in
absolute terms, which in turn gives us the
platform to back up the precision crafted
performance of our production cars.
That’s how it goes beyond a tagline.”
The two-way street between production
engineering and motorsports engineering is
a well-traveled one at Acura. Klaus even goes
so far as to say that he doesn’t know which
comes first, the racing or the production.
They are so intertwined that it’s hard to know
where one ends and the other begins. Both
 Honda
ROAD TO RACE TRACK
The 3.5-liter, V6 J35 engine (LEFT) found in
Acura’s MDX, RDX, TLX and RLX street vehicles is
the starting point for the race-ready, twin-turbo
AR35TT powering Acura’s ARX-05 DPi prototype.

groups constantly confer on how hard a part

Alessandro Prada
can be pushed, or brainstorm on how a part
can be adapted for use in racing. And just as
THE FACE
production parts in the ARX-05 include OF ACURA
everything from the engine block and crank to The championship-winning
electronics and sensors, there’s also a stream ARX-05 isn’t only a testbed
of data feeding back to the production side. for road-car engineering;
“Racing is the perfect environment to push styling and aerodynamic
things to their absolute limit, and occasionally development are also integral.
to their breaking point,” explains Klaus. “The Acura DPi project
“Sometimes that means literally breaking serves as an ‘incubator’ for
something, but mostly it means that we are SAME, BUT DIFFERENT... Acura Design & Engineering to
simply breaking and pushing forward our Acura’s NSX GT3 is 80 percent the same develop ideas for future Acura
ability to predict performance. That applies to as the street car. The other 20 percent? concepts and production cars,”
everything from aerodynamics to safety and That could lead to even better road cars. explains HPD president Ted
stability, and what it means is that we are Klaus. “For us, two major
accelerating know-how based on data, which priorities were aero and
trickles down through the entire company.” cooling. For example, the
Proof point. Innovator. Motivator. Acura front end of the ARX-05 not
Motorsports is a fundamental part of Acura’s only carries the key styling
performance DNA in ways we can see and, cues for Acura, but it also
perhaps more importantly, in ways we can feel. conditions the airflow for
downstream components to
Michael Levitt/LAT

make efficient downforce, and

meet the cooling requirements
of the drivetrain and brakes.
“The front hammerhead –
EVERY LAP IS KNOWLEDGE or what some call the ‘hockey
The massive amount of data generated by stick’ – was interesting
Acura’s racecars at the track (ABOVE) because we wanted to design
feeds back to its road car engineers. something that looks like a
wing, but have it be pretty
aero neutral so as to not
upset the aerodynamic
balance. While many think it
makes significant downforce,
it’s actually pretty invisible
to the overall aerodynamic
performance of the ARX-05.
“Also, the design of
headlights, while not an aero
performance item per se,
required a lot of effort to
make them both Acura-
specific while delivering
high-performance for running
at night in the endurance
races the car competes in.”
Honda

The ARX-05 DPi’s front end is the

dramatic-looking result of combining
aero and styling requirements.

ACURA.com/motorsports Acura Acura acura Acura 07

 EXHILARATION
TAKES MANY FORMS
Acura Team Penske’s drivers enjoy the stellar
performance of the ARX-05 DPi in their day job,
and the MDX delivers fun away from the track.
(MAIN) Acura’s ARX-05, NSX GT3
Evo, RDX and MDX all offer an
exhilarating driving experience,
but only two will handle the grocery
run and take the kids to soccer...
08 RACER.com PERFORMANCE DNA IN EVERY ACURA
O rdinarily, racecar drivers who pilot some of
the fastest, most sophisticated vehicles on
the planet can be pretty hard to impress when
it comes to production automobiles. But when
you ask Acura Team Penske’s drivers about
the Acura MDX, the superlatives start to fly...
“I love my MDX!” exclaims reigning DPi class
co-champion Juan Pablo Montoya.
“I’m not just saying this because I have Acura
on my chest, but it’s great fun to drive,” teammate
Helio Castroneves interjects, matching Montoya’s
enthusiasm as he points to his firesuit. “I got an
Acura when I started driving for Team Penske 20
years ago and was so impressed. I’ve had many
more since, and each was better than the last.
“The quality of every Acura is on the level
of a car that you would expect to pay a lot
more for,” continues Castroneves. “Plus, the
 MDX GETS THE PMC TREATMENT
Acura’s MDX PMC Edition (available in early 2020
along with a TLX PMC Edition) gets a hand-crafted
makeover to give the already-potent SUV a little
something extra. Just 300 will be sold in the U.S.

technology they load in – man, it’s amazing.” Montoya’s co-driver, Dane Cameron, does
Montoya notes that the twin-turbo, 3.5-liter have kids, and he finds the MDX suits his
V6 in his Acura ARX-05 racecar is derived from lifestyle to a tee, especially on the 250-mile
the engine in the MDX. He loves the way his drive from Charlotte to Atlanta for family visits.
racecar delivers the power; so, too, the MDX. “It just flies by in the MDX,” he says.
“My MDX is such a comfortable and smooth
ride, but when you want some performance,
Acura’s performance-focused approach
doesn’t stop with the NSX, or even its sedan
TYPE S
it’s right there,” he says. lineup. Its SUVs benefit from performance IS BACK!
Castroneves’ co-driver, Ricky Taylor, doesn’t know-how honed by motorsports and running “The return of Type S is
fit the profile of your typical SUV buyer, but he’s through the entire model line. In A-spec trim instrumental in our mission
excited to have an Acura MDX in his driveway. with Sport Hybrid All-Wheel Drive, an MDX puts to return Acura to its
“I don’t have kids, but the space is great for out 321hp, and can go from 0-60mph in performance roots,” says
my bike and just going out for a fun adventure. 6.3sec, all while returning a combined 27mpg. Acura vice president and
I even towed my brother’s truck out of the sand The Sport Hybrid All-Wheel Drive system makes brand officer Jon Ikeda.
on the beach,” laughs Taylor. “But what I really for precision handling with remarkable efficiency. Putting performance back
love about the MDX is that it drives like a car. And With impressive performance, plus comfort into Acura was kick-started
when you click the Sport button, it goes from and utility, it’s no wonder Acura Team Penske’s by the NSX, followed by a
comfortable cruiser to back-road performer.” drivers enjoy their MDXs so much. full-throttle return to
top-level motorsports with
the DPi and GT3 programs.
HEADING UP The bold, aggressive
THE MOUNTAIN Type S concept was unveiled
With three-row seating, last August, offering a glimpse
Acura’s MDX is ideal for toward the future shape of
driving the family up Acura in its sedan lineup.
scenic Pike’s Peak. Or, as Previously, four Acura
Acura did, turn it into a models have worn the
400hp hybrid and blast Type S nameplate with pride,
to the top in the storied beginning with 2001’s CL 3.2
Honda

hillclimb race (LEFT). Type S and most recently

with the 2008 TL Type S.
Each one took the top-line
Acura of its day to the harder
edge where performance
lives. The Type S Concept
promises a return to that
same elevated edge of
performance, so stay tuned
as concept is transformed
into exciting reality.
Jake Galstad/LAT

Acura’s recently-revealed Type S

concept (ABOVE) has the looks to
match its performance credentials.

ACURA.com/motorsports Acura Acura acura Acura 09

IT’S ALL ABOUT
TEAMWORK
Whether it’s behind the wheel,
leaping over the wall, or poring
over a computer, it takes many
talented people working as
one to deliver championships.
10 RACER.com WORKING TOGETHER TO A COMMON GOAL
H ow do you sweep all three championships
you’re eligible for in a single season?
In the end, for Acura, Team Penske and
drivers Dane Cameron and Juan Pablo
Montoya to celebrate DPi manufacturers’,
teams’ and drivers’ championship, respectively,
in the 2019 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar
Championship, it came down to teamwork.
In the simplest terms, Acura Motorsports
is responsible for designing and building the
ARX-05 DPi racecar, while Acura Team Penske
is responsible for running it at the track. But
that ignores the enormously complex layers
within two organizations renowned for the
high standards they continually strive for.
“It’s fascinating to watch the collaboration
to root out the weak points and strengthen
the points that are critical to success,” says
HPD president Ted Klaus. “It truly is teamwork
between the two organizations.”
Team Penske President Tim Cindric can
rattle off the specific roles and responsibilities
of Acura Motorsports and Team Penske by rote,
the result of almost 15 years at the helm of
one of the most successful racing organizations
in the world. Yet roles and responsibilities are
only a frame to work within. It’s not the what,
but the how that makes the difference.
“We complement each other,” says Cindric of
Penske’s collaboration with Acura. “The main
thing in any relationship is open and honest
communication, and we have the mutual
respect to have the accountability on both
sides to address any situation that comes up.”
The resulting way of working maximizes the
respective strengths of each organization,
 Dan Howell

Honda
PERFORMANCE MANUFACTURING CENTER
Every NSX sold globally is assembled at Acura’s PMC
in Marysville, Ohio. The high-tech, but human facility
is also set to produce limited-run, hand-assembled
specials such as the TLX PMC Edition sedan (LEFT).

(MAIN) Acura Team

Penske’s pit crew leaps
into action with a
choreography so well
timed it’s an art form.

A RACING MENTALITY
Racing organizations such as Acura Team Penske are renowned for
their laser focus on process and detail. Acura’s Performance
Manufacturing Center (BOTTOM) shares that ethos, with much of its
work done by hand in the super-clean, custom-made facility.

MOVING FAST
Acura was born in 1986,
which is why its racecars so
often carry the number 86.
Conceived from passion
and hustle, and defined in
secret night meetings
between dedicated Honda
engineers, Acura’s mission
was – still is – to push the
engineering and performance
envelope in a way that would
Michael Levitt/LAT

have been untenable within

the Honda requirements for
cost and production.
For more than three
decades, the Acura badge
has graced milestone
vehicles, including two
generations of NSX, the
Integra Type R, the CL Type S,
and the current TLX sedan.
Straight out of the gate,
Acura launched as the first
manufacturer to have
multi-valve engines standard
across its entire model line.
Michael Levitt/LAT

It’s since followed that with

at least four other “world-
Honda

“We complement each other.
The main thing in any
relationship is open and
honest communication”
TIM CINDRIC
allocating resources, skills and knowledge to
where they can be put to greatest effect.
A similar philosophy permeates Marysville,
Ohio, where a former Acura logistics building
has been reimagined as the Performance
Manufacturing Center. PMC takes everything
exceptional from 30 years of Acura know-how
in engineering and motorsport and hyper-
first” innovations.
And virtually every year
focuses it. It’s the birthplace of the current
NSX, and it’s also where special performance
since the brand’s inception,
Acuras have been actively
variants of other models will be handcrafted competing on the track,
in the future. Acura vice president and brand picking up 139 North
officer Jon Ikeda calls it, “A place where Acura American road-racing wins on
can make things offline and on another level.” the way – and a marque that
PMC’s 200,000sq.ft. of pristine white floors, was born to perform isn’t
work stations and manufacturing equipment about to stop counting yet.
resembles an advanced race-team facility. It’s
largely a human operation, where a close-knit
group of Acura engineers and production
associates meticulously build one NSX at a time.
“To create PMC, we went back to the first NSX
factory in Japan for inspiration, which in turn
got its inspiration from the Honda Formula 1
facility in the 1980s,” says Klaus. “PMC is now (ABOVE) Statement of intent: Early
the third generation of Acura’s commitment sketches of the first-gen NSX hinted
to precision crafted performance.” at the supercar’s purposeful form.

ACURA.com/motorsports Acura Acura acura Acura 11

 BORN ON THE RACE TRACK
The new Acura NSX was always going to be a racecar as well as a road
car, because that’s the essence of precision crafted performance.

W hen Acura committed to building the

second-generation NSX, it also
committed to go racing. Of course.
shape. I’ll say it again, but 80 percent of
the racecar is the same as the street car.”
From the baseline street car, the NSX’s
Michael Levitt/LAT

“If we make a supercar, we’re making a
racecar,” says Acura vice president and brand
officer Jon Ikeda. “You want to be a performance
brand? You have to be on the race track.”
Beginning in 2017, Meyer Shank Racing
took the lead developing the NSX GT3. Team
owner Michael Shank knew he would be
starting from a great place with the NSX.
“The NSX is a fantastic car,” enthuses
Shank, who also happens to be an NSX owner.
“It’s super fast; super balanced. So when we
got the NSX, together with HPD, to turn it into
the NSX GT3, we were starting with a car that
has a great chassis, a great engine and a fast
evolution to racecar has been more focused on
enhancing its inherent strengths, rather than
reinventing it, according to Shank. In other
words, the groups involved in creating the
NSX GT3 and, later, GT3 Evo weren’t about
to throw out the baby with the bath water.
“In the NSX, you feel like you’re driving the
car, not the car driving you,” says Meyer
Shank Racing driver Mario Farnbacher who, A RACER’S RACER
along with co-driver Trent Hindman, took the Michael Shank is admired throughout the
GTD-class drivers’ and teams’ championships paddock for his no-nonsense, hands-on
in last year’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar approach to getting things done.
Championship. “In the racecar it’s the same;
it goes exactly where you want it to go.”

12 RACER.com NSX: THE CAR THAT PUT ACURA BACK ON TRACK

 Jake Galstad/LAT
DOUBLE SUCCESS
In its third season racing the Acura NSX GT3, Meyer
Shank Racing took both the teams’ and drivers’
titles (LEFT, co-champs Trent Hindman and Mario
Farnbacher) in IMSA’s super-competitive GTD class.

(MAIN) Morphing seamlessly from

street car to racecar, the Acura
NSX GT3 Evo retains 80 percent
of the NSX street machine’s
componentry in track-ready trim.

Barry Cantrell/LAT
ACURA GRAND PRIX
OF LONG BEACH
One of the biggest, most
eagerly-anticipated events on
the U.S. motorsports calendar,
the Acura Grand Prix of Long
Beach’s festival of racing, and
much more, runs for the 46th
time, April 17-19. For a second
“In the NSX (street car), you year, Acura will be the event’s
enthusiastic title partner.
feel like you are driving the car, As the doyen of American
not the car driving you. In the street tracks, winning in Long
Beach is a sought-after
racecar it’s the same” achievement on every driver
and team’s resume, with the
MARIO FARNBACHER list of winners reading like a
who’s who of motorsports.
The 2020 edition will
not only showcase the IMSA
WeatherTech SportsCar
Championship, including Acura
Team Penske and Meyer Shank
Racing, but also features a
host of other racing, including
the NTT IndyCar Series with
more than a dozen Honda-
powered machines in the field.
Farnbacher points out that in the ultra- Supporting events include
competitive world of GTD where every race, everything from drifting to
from the Rolex 24 At Daytona, to Motul Petit historic racecars to high-flying
Le Mans, and every one between, is run flat-out, race trucks to keep the action
the car’s drivability is one of the essential keys on track going non-stop. Check
to success. Keeping in mind the constant out the many vendor displays
challenges of speed differences among the in the Expo and stick around for
various classes, and that the other seven live music in the evening, too.
manufacturers involved in GTD are pushing to There’s something for
be at the top of their game, having a racecar everyone, which is why
that is both fast and nimble can’t be overstated. the Acura Grand Prix of
The second-gen NSX began with all the DEFENDERS OF THE CROWN Long Beach is a southern
essential attributes to be a successful racecar. Meyer Shank Racing will again field two California rite of spring.
It’s slick, responsive, balanced and powerful. Acura NSX GT3 Evos in the WeatherTech For tickets go to gplb.com
So is the NSX a racecar for the street, or a Championship’s GTD class for 2020.
street car for the track? Fact is, with very little (TOP) The Long Beach skyline
modification required, it’s both. provides the classic backdrop
to America’s biggest street race.

ACURA.com/motorsports Acura Acura acura Acura 13

 (MAIN) Sinuous roads are what Acura’s
NSX was made for, and drivers will
delight in exploring its performance.

14 RACER.com ACURA NSX: A TRUE DRIVER’S CAR

 Gavin Baker/LAT
WINNING COMBO
Co-driving with Dane Cameron, Mike Hedlund joined
Acura RealTime Racing for the final three 2019 SRO
World Challenge GT America race weekends and
helped deliver a Pro-Am Cup teams’ title.

INTERWOVEN
DYNAMICS
The design of the second-
generation NSX was led by the

BLURRING THE LINES

philosophy of form following
function, so much so that
Acura gave it a name:
Interwoven Dynamics.
The same attributes that make the Acura NSX so potent on the race The concept, followed by
track are the keys to delivering driving pleasure on the open road. the NSX design team, is based
on four key principles: low
weight, advanced materials,

B e it a racecar like the Acura NSX GT3 Evo,

or the road-going NSX, a driver wants to
feel at one with the car, from the feel through
the Pro-Am Cup. Together, the pair won four
of the five final races and duly secured the
teams’ title. Until their first race together, at
airflow and ergonomics.
The low weight ethos
involves the development of
the steering wheel, to the support of the seats, California’s Sonoma Raceway, Hedlund had lightweight parts, such as the
to the transfer of every road nuance through never competed for RealTime Racing, nor NSX’s wheels and carbon-
the chassis. In short, everything drivers need, driven an Acura NSX GT3 Evo. That he was fiber and aluminum in the
and nothing they don’t. Acura calls this able to step in and win first time out is space-frame chassis, that not
“Interwoven Dynamics,” the elusive blend of all testament to the form and function of both only optimize the low center
things material, design and efficiency that fulfill RealTime Racing and the NSX GT3 Evo. of gravity, but also bring
the mandate of form following function. “RealTime Racing and the Acura NSX GT3 gains in dynamic handling
With only three race weekends left in the Evo really made it plug and play for me,” and feedback. That feedback
2019 SRO SRO GT World Challenge America recalls Hedlund. “The team had a baseline reaches the driver via a
series, Acura RealTime Racing called up fast, setting on the car at the start of the weekend suspension that includes
consistent, non-pro driver Mike Hedlund to and it was fast from the first practice, so we third-gen magnetorheological
step in alongside pro driver Dane Cameron didn’t really stray far from it.” (MR) dampers responding to
and add momentum to the team’s bid to win For a gentleman driver (racing’s quaint way the road more than 1,000
of saying “amateur”), the NSX in race and times per second.
road trim is everything Hedlund appreciates. The suspension interacts
“The electronics on the NSX top the list,” with a body shape that
says Hedlund, who comes from a tech produces three times the
industry background. “In the racecar, the downforce at the rear of the
electronics are tuned to help us go faster and car than at the front for the
squeeze every drop of performance out of ultimate sports car balance.
Gavin Baker/LAT

the car for the quickest lap possible. The road Airflow is managed not just
car’s electronics take a different approach. It’s for performance on the road,
not about going fast for a lap time, but about but for comfort in a cockpit
being able to use all of the car’s performance designed with ergonomics that
safely on the open road. From a driver’s accentuate the drive, all while
perspective, it amounts to the same thing – keeping its occupants safe.
more enjoyment behind the wheel.” In the Acura NSX, form and
As a daily driver, the NSX is as benign to drive function truly become one.
as any other Acura. In Sport and Sport+ mode,
Gavin Baker/LAT

it becomes a full-throated supercar capable of

mind-bending acceleration and sublime
American Honda Motor Co.

handling. With its driver-centric ergonomics,

TWO BY TWO
RealTime Racing (TOP) and Racer’s Edge
Motorsports competed in SRO GT World
Challenge, each finishing 2019 with a title.
lightweight, agile chassis, slippery aerodynamics
and precision-focused electronics, the balanced
integration approach that the NSX and NSX
GT3 Evo share on the road and the race track
delivers exactly what a driver wants. When your guiding principles dictate
that form must follow function, the
chosen path is Interwoven Dynamics.

ACURA.com/motorsports Acura Acura acura Acura 15

 2020 IMSA WEATHERTECH SPORTSCAR CHAMPIONSHIP
JAN. 22-26 ROLEX 24 AT DAYTONA
24 HOURS DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY, DAYTONA BEACH, FLA.

MARCH 18-21 MOBIL 1 TWELVE HOURS OF SEBRING PRESENTED BY ADVANCE AUTO PARTS
12 HOURS SEBRING INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY, SEBRING, FLA. For news, TV, tickets and
more, go to IMSA.com
APRIL 17-18 ACURA GRAND PRIX OF LONG BEACH
1H 40M STREETS OF LONG BEACH, LONG BEACH, CALIF.

MAY 1-3 ACURA SPORTS CAR CHALLENGE AT MID-OHIO

2H 40M MID-OHIO SPORTS CAR COURSE, LEXINGTON, OHIO

MAY 29-30 CHEVROLET DETROIT GRAND PRIX PRESENTED BY LEAR

1H 40M STREETS OF BELLE ISLE, DETROIT, MICH.

JUNE 25-28 SAHLEN’S SIX HOURS OF THE GLEN

6 HOURS WATKINS GLEN INTERNATIONAL, WATKINS GLEN, N.Y.

JULY 3-5
2H 40M
MOBIL 1 SPORTSCAR GRAND PRIX PRESENTED BY ACURA
CANADIAN TIRE MOTORSPORT PARK, BOWMANVILLE, ONT.
WATCH US RACE
Tune in to the 2020 IMSA
JULY 17-18 NORTHEAST GRAND PRIX* WeatherTech SportsCar
2H 40M LIME ROCK PARK, LAKEVILLE, CONN. Championship live on
JULY 31-AUG. 2 ROAD AMERICA
NBCSN, NBC, CNBC, the
2H 40M ROAD AMERICA, ELKHART LAKE, WIS. NBC Sports App and IMSA
Radio, and for the latest
AUG. 21-23 MICHELIN GT CHALLENGE AT VIR* news and insight from
2H 40M VIRGINIA INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY, ALTON, VA. Acura Motorsports, head to
ACURA.com/motorsports
SEPT. 11-13 WEATHERTECH RACEWAY LAGUNA SECA
2H 40M WEATHERTECH RACEWAY LAGUNA SECA, MONTEREY, CALIF. or check out…

OCT. 7-10 MOTUL PETIT LE MANS Acura Acura

10 HOURS MICHELIN RACEWAY ROAD ATLANTA, BRASELTON, GA.
acura Acura
*No DPi class at these events – Acura Team Penske gets the weekend off…

Jake Galstad/LAT

Published by Racer Media & Marketing, Inc. Editorial Office 17030 Red Hill Ave., Irvine, CA 92614 Tel (949) 417-6700 Editor-in-Chief Laurence Foster Art Director Rob French
Words George Tamayo, Laurence Foster Photography Richard Dole, Jake Galstad, Michael Levitt, LAT Images, Richard Prince Illustrations Ricardo Santos CEO & Executive Publisher Paul Pfanner
VP & Associate Publisher Bruce Kukuk Pre-press Miguel Vega Printing R.R. Donnelley © 2020 by Racer Media & Marketing, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is prohibited.

16 RACER.com FOLLOW THE ACTION ACURA.com/motorsports