Honda claim fastest lap, top ten in Daytona

• Matt Pombo turns the fastest TCR race lap
• Two Honda Civic Type R TCR cars finish in the top ten
• Bad luck prevents better results

The LA Honda World Racing and Atlanta Speedwerks teams both scored top-ten finishes Friday at the first IMSA MICHELIN Pilot Challenge race of the season at Daytona International Speedway. 

Starting fourth, Matt Pombo and Mike LaMarra brought their LA Honda World Racing Honda Civic Type R TCR car across the finish in eighth place. The pair fought for a podium position before a cut tire forced the car down pit lane for an unscheduled pit stop. In addition to the top-ten finish, Pombo set the fastest lap of the TCR class, turning a 2:00.004 on the 62nd lap of the contest. 

Atlanta Speedwerks drivers Todd Lamb and Brian Henderson fought their way to tenth before the race was red flagged due to a crash in the closing minutes. The duo started fifth and were consistently running in the top ten before a cut tire also ended their chances at a better result.

Cut tires plagued several competitors during the race, with Ryan Eversley and Taylor Hagler also suffering during the four-hour event. In her MICHELIN Pilot Challenge debut, Hagler qualified 14th and finished 12th with co-driver Eversley, struggling with two cut tires along the way. 

Their LA Honda World Racing teammates, Shelby Blackstock and Chris Miller, also had a difficult day.  An off-sequence pit stop for a plastic bag on the grill put them back in the pack early in the race before they were eventually collected by a spinning Audi just after the one-hour mark. 

The HART racing trio of Cameron Lawrence, Chad Gilsinger and Steve Eich ended their race behind the wall with a drivetrain failure. The second Atlanta Speedwerks car of Brian Ortiz and Nikko Reger started strong, moving from eighth to second in the opening laps but, was forced behind the wall due to damage after contact with the #18 Audi RS3.

Next
The MICHELIN Pilot Challenge travels to Sebring Raceway, in central Florida, for the March 19 Alan Jay Automotive Network 120. The race can be streamed live on TrackPass on NBC Sports Gold.

Quotes
Mike LaMarra (#73 LA Honda World Honda Civic Type R TCR) TCR fourth place qualifier, finished eighth: “We’re happy to have a top ten finish for sure. It’s important to do the best you can in every race for the championship. We were able to fight, but we also had some challenges. We had some overheating and had to back it down and find clean air whenever possible. Whenever we were in a pack, it was difficult to run because we were losing horsepower to protect the engine. But, I think with all the challenges we had, with a punctured tire and some of the overheating that we had, I think a top ten finish is a pretty fantastic finish. I’m anxious to get back to Sebring, last year we didn’t have a very good result, we got crashed out on the first lap. I think the car is starting to handle really well, it’s our second year in it and it’s starting to feel more comfortable to us and I think Sebring is going to be good.”

Matt Pombo (#73 LA Honda World Honda Civic Type R TCR) finished eighth, TCR fastest lap: “Our car is fast, we know that. This track was going to be tough, last year things fell in our favor a lot—the fastest Audis wrecked each other. We knew the Audis were going to be strong and the Hyundais are always strong. Our car is really good, but we don’t have the straight-line speed that those guys do, we get it all in the grip and the turns. LAP and LA Honda World Racing, they’ve given these cars so much grip and they’re handling so well that we’re putting the Michelins a little bit to test. Had a ‘pop’ going into Turn One, right front flat, and then I felt another one going down, so I pitted that lap and, sure enough, it was about to fail. So, we had a couple extra pit stops. But, the team did great, and we controlled everything we could. We nailed the pit stops every time; Mike drove a great first stint; no mistakes and you control what you can control. The things that happened to us were out of our control. HPD and LA Honda World, we put everything we could control together.”

John Whiteman (Manager, Commerical Motorsports, HPD) “Races like this are a bit of a gut punch. Our Honda Civic Type R TCR teams demonstrated plenty of speed today, and were capable of podium results. Unfortunately, a mechanical issue for HART and multiple cut tires for both LA Honda World and Atlanta Speedwerks made for a disappointing end to our day. We’ll get together with our teams and suppliers, work hard, and come back stronger at Sebring.”

MICHELIN Pilot Challenge Daytona Endurance Challenge
Circuit:    Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, FL
Weather: Partly cloudy, high humidity, 75 degrees F

Top Five TCR, Honda Race Results:

# # #