Acura Scores Pole, Leads, But Finishes Fourth at Watkins Glen
It was a strong day with a difficult end for the Acura contingent at Watkins Glen, as what looked like a potential double podium finish for the Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti pair of Acura ARX-06s wound up fourth and 10th at the end of the six-hour race.
Louis Delétraz and Jordan Taylor in the #40 Acura ARX-06 come home just shy of the podium in Sunday’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race at Watkins Glen
Sister #10 Acura ARX-06 of Filipe Albuquerque and Ricky Taylor suffer mechanical failure in closing stages after leading 15 laps.
Rain causes cautions, red flag over course of the six-hour event
WATKINS GLEN, NY (June 23, 2024) – It was a strong day with a difficult end for the Acura contingent at Watkins Glen, as what looked like a potential double podium finish for the Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti pair of Acura ARX-06s wound up fourth and 10th at the end of the six-hour race.
Louis Delétraz led the field to green after scoring pole in the #40 Acura machine, before handing over to teammate Jordan Taylor for the middle stages of the race. Taylor would contend with on-and-off rainstorms during his time in the car, often having to push through on the ‘wrong’ tire for the conditions in order to make the team’s race strategy work.
Delétraz would take back over for the finish, restarting first after a 42-minute long red flag due to weather. Unfortunately, Delétraz would fall to fourth in the final stint of the race, where the #40 would ultimately finish.
The sister #10 Acura ARX-06 also showed strong pace during the day, with co-drivers Ricky Taylor and Filipe Albuquerque combining to lead 15 laps over the six-hour event. The duo were looking strong to make it a double-Acura podium finish before the race resumed following the red-flag period, even battling for the lead with the #6 Porsche with two hours to go. However, a mechanical part failure – potentially due to contact in that battle – caused the wheel to detach before racing action resumed. The #10 would be classified in 10th place.
The premier GTP prototypes return to action with the full IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship field August 2-4 at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.