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Michael Shank Racing Acura NSX GT3s Daytona Roar report

The Michael Shank Racing effort, featuring a pair of new Acura NSX GT3 race cars and an eight-driver lineup of proven race winners, made its public debut at the "Roar Before the 24", an open test conducted at Daytona International Speedway in preparation for the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season-opening Rolex 24 later this month.

The Acura NSX GT3s will take part in the GTD class of the multi-category championship, racing against other premium automotive brands including Aston Martin, Audi, BMW, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche. The 12-race season gets underway January 28 with the Rolex 24, a 24-hour endurance contest at the high-banked Daytona International Speedway road course.

Both the No.86 and No.93 Acuras posted competitive lap times and completed all three days of the test without any major issues. The No.93 Acura will be driven by Rolex winner Andy Lally, Indy car race winner Graham Rahal and veteran endurance pilots Katherine Legge and Mark Wilkins.

The No.86 NSX driving lineup includes Rolex and Le Mans class winner Jeff Segal, Indianapolis 500 and IndyCar series champion Ryan Hunter-Reay, and endurance specialists Oswaldo "Ozz" Negri Jr. and Tom Dyer.

Art St. Cyr (President, Honda Performance Development) said, "It's sure good to be back at the race track again for the start of the 2017 season. The last few days have been intense, but very productive for our new Acura NSX GT3 program. It's always dangerous to read too much into the lap times at this point in the pre-season, but we believe we have enough understanding to show very competitively at the season-opening Rolex 24, here at Daytona in three weeks."

Developed from the production Acura NSX, the NSX GT3 utilizes the production NSX's ultra-rigid and lightweight multi-material body with aluminum-intensive space frame, which is produced at the Performance Manufacturing Center in Ohio, exclusive worldwide manufacturing facility for the NSX. The 3.5-liter racing engine uses the same design specifications as the production Acura NSX, including the block, heads, valve train, crankshaft, pistons and dry-sump lubrication system. A six-speed, sequential-shift racing gearbox delivers power to the rear wheels.

Photographs - Mike Bratton - Gary Becker

01/11/17

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