• Louis Delétraz charges to victory in the final hour to win the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring
•Delétraz and teammates Jordan Taylor and Colton Herta take their #40 Acura ARX-06 prototype to the first overall win for the Acura brand at Sebring and the second 12-Hour victory for HRC US
•Teammates Filipe Albuquerque, Ricky Taylor and Brendon Hartley finish fifth in their #10 WTRAndretti Acura
After 12 hours of hard-fought IMSA endurance racing it was Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Global on top, with the #40 Acura ARX-06 taking the honors in the 2024 Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.
Starting third, the #40 crew of Deletraz, Jordan Taylor and Colton Herta led just 18 laps en route to victory, but a thrilling late-race pass in GT traffic with just four laps to go was all they needed to catapult themselves to the win.
On the way to said victory, Deletraz also set the fastest lap time in the IMSA GTP class of 1:49.497. With tonight's win, Acura moves into an early-season three-way tie for the IMSA GTP Manufacturers' Championship; while drivers Deletraz, Jordan Taylor and Herta are tied for first in the drivers' title chase.
The sister #10 Acura ARX-06 driven by Ricky Taylor, Filipe Albuquerque and Brendon Hartley led 55 laps on the day before losing a lap in pitlane after the team noticed smoke trailing from the rear of the car. Thankfully, it was a quick fix and the #10 crew was able to continue to the end where they would wind up fifth.
Acura NSX GT3 Evo22
The #66 Gradient Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo 22 of Tatiana Calderon, Katherine Legge and Sheena Monk appeared headed for a strong finish in the production-based GTD class. But in the ninth hour, contact from the #6 GTP car of Fred Makowiecki while Legge was running in the top six sent her Acura hard into the Turn 17 wall, ending Gradient's day with major damage.
Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Acura Race Results
•Race Winners - #40 Louis Deletraz, Jordan Taylor and Colton Herta; Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Acura ARX-06
•Finished 5th overall - #10 Filipe Albuquerque, Ricky Taylor and Brendon Hartley; Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Acura ARX-06.
•Finished 17th in GTD - #66 Katherine Legge, Sheena Monk and Tatitana Calderon; Gradient Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 not running – contact
Quotes
Louis Delétraz (#40 Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Acura ARX-06) Race winner, first win in IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship competition: 'I can't believe it. It was a long final hour, to be honest. I caught Sebastien Bourdais, race leader, but we all know he is a hard racer and I didn't want to take too much of a risk initially. But at the end I had to send it because it was now or never. I saw a gap and went for it. We had a few contacts, but we won, and that's what matters. We really wanted to win this. It means a
lot to the team. Colton Herta, co-driver and Jordan Taylor, co-driver both were amazing. The car was perfect, our pit stops were excellent, everything was perfect.'
Colton Herta (#40 Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Acura ARX-06) Race Winner: 'To win this race, and to win it overall, is just incredible. I'm really fortunate to be a part of this WTRAndretti group, and Louis Delétraz did everything tonight. He got us in position to win with his moves. You wouldn't want anyone else in the car in that situation.'
Jordan Taylor (#40 Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Acura ARX-06) Race Winner: 'We were up and down throughout the day, but Louis was awesome. You could tell even back when we were testing here last month that he was the guy for the job. It was an unbelievably respectful battle for the lead. They both kept it clean, and it is a great night for the team, for the Dex Imaging Acura and for HRC.'
Tatiana Calderon (#66 Gradient Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo22) 17th in GTD (not running, contact): 'It's a shame to lose what I think would have been a top-five finish. I think we were all three drivers running really well, and the team was working so well together, until the collision. The important thing is Kat Legge is okay. Every time I get in the Acura, I feel more and more confident. I'm understanding the car and the tires a bit more all the time. I think we were doing a great job. So it's a real shame not to finish, but that's racing sometimes.'
David Salters (President, HRC US) on this weekend's Acura victory at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring: 'So, thanks to the efforts of our marvelous team of people at HRC US, ORECA and WTRAndretti; brilliant drivers and brilliant teamwork, we won Sebring. That's a biggie. This place means so much to everyone involved in this sport. It's iconic. To win here is just awesome. Plan A: have a fast car, fast drivers and a fast team. Plan B: refer to plan A. Well done team, amazing job.'
Fast Facts
•With tonight's victory, Acura and its performance arm, Honda Racing Corporation USA (formerly Honda Performance Development), have recorded a total of nine victories at the 12 Hours of Sebring, including two overall wins (2016 and tonight); three class wins for Acura; and four LMP2 class wins under the HPD (now HRC US) umbrella.
•HPD was renamed HRC US in January to reflect the new role of the company in Honda's global racing efforts. With this change, HRC US will take on an increased role in Honda's global motorsports activities.
•This weekend's 12-hour contest was the 72nd race for endurance sports cars on the famed former World War II training facility and airport.
Next
The 2024 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship now moves west to Southern California for the April 19-20 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.
Photo credit: Acura posted on conceptcarz.com
