- Filipe Albuquerque claims pole for Acura and Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosport
- Tom Blomqvist to start second in Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-06 in Saturday's Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach
It's an all-Acura front row for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, as Filipe Albuquerque and Tom Blomqvist qualified 1-2 for Saturday's third round in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship on the Southern California street circuit.
Albuquerque took his #10 Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosport Acura ARX-06 to the pole with a time of 1:09.909 around the 1.968-mile temporary circuit, edging fellow Acura driver Tom Blomqvist by just over three-tenths of a second in his #60 Meyer Shank Racing ARX-06; and a full second clear of the rest of the GTP starting field.
Acura NSX GT3 Evo22
The #93 Racers Edge Motorsports with WTRAndretti Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 of Ashton Harrison and Mario Farnbacher qualified 10th in the production-based GTD category, just prior to a crash that resulted in a red flag to end the session.
The #66 Gradient Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 qualified 12th for Saturday's 100-minute race. Sheena Monk made the qualifying run in the car she will share tomorrow with co-driver Katherine Legge.
Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Qualifying Results
- 1st overall - #10 Filipe Albuquerque, Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosport Acura ARX-06. Co-driver will be Ricky Taylor.
- 2nd overall - #60 Tom Blomqvist, Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-06. Co-driver is Colin Braun.
- 10th GTD - #93 Ashton Harrison, Racers Edge Motorsports with WTRAndretti Acura NSX GT3 Evo22. Co-driver is Mario Farnbacher.
- 12th GTD - #66 Sheena Monk, Gradient Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo22. Co-driver will be Katherine Legge.
Fast Facts
- Acura is a two-time series champion in the premier prototype division since joining the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in 2018, claiming the Manufacturer, Driver and Team Daytona Prototype International (DPi) titles in both 2019 and 2020 with the Acura ARX-05.
- For 2023, the new Acura ARX-06 GTP effort continues to be spearheaded by a pair of IMSA championship-winning teams: Meyer Shank Racing and Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosport.
- Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosport is a two-time IMSA championship team and winner of the 2021 Rolex 24 for Acura. The diver lineup for the #10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06 includes Filipe Albuquerque and Ricky Taylor.
- The 2022 IMSA GTP champion and two-time IMSA champion in the GTD division campaigning the Acura NSX GT3, Meyer Shank Racing fields Tom Blomqvist, and Colin Braun in the #60 Sirius/XM AutoNation ARX-06.
- Acura's full-season IMSA GTD effort is headed by Gradient Racing's #66 Acura NSX GT3 Evo22. The Gradient lineup includes multiple IMSA race winner Katherine Legge, with Michelin Pilot Challenge race winner Sheena Monk moving up to GTD competition in 2023 as co-driver.
Quotes
Filipe Albuquerque (#10 Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosport Acura ARX-06) Pole qualifier: "It was a tough qualifying, the grip just wasn't there at the start of the session. That made it quite hard – harder than Daytona or Sebring, to be honest. So, it was about being patient and waiting for conditions to be better. We knew we had a good car, better than our competitors. Both our car and the #60 were fast, so it's a great day for Acura and our partners at HPD."
Tom Blomqvist (#60 Meyer Shank Racing Acura ARX-06): Qualified second: "We didn't judge quite right for the track conditions, maybe looking a bit too much at the data from last year, and that didn't really work on this car. The balance went away from us in the cool conditions and we struggled out there. P2 is a good result for Acura, especially at Acura's home event. We've struggled here in the past, so hats off to everyone at HPD and MSR - they've done a great job. Our race pace is strong, we just need to stay out of trouble and see what that brings us."
Sheena Monk (#66 Racers Edge Motorsports Acura NSX GT3 Evo22) Qualified 12th in GTD: "It was not the result we hoped for today. After the two practice sessions [prior to qualifying] things looked pretty promising for us. Even though it's my first time at Long Beach, I just instantly felt comfortable in practice. But unfortunately, for whatever reason, I just couldn't make it work in qualifying. The track felt a bit greasy to me, but I still should've figured out a way to get it done. We'll review things tonight and see what we need to improve for the race."
Where to Watch the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach
Television coverage from Long Beach begins at 5 p.m. ET Saturday with complete, flag-to-flag coverage on the USA Television Network and streaming on NBC Peacock.
Fans can listen to audio commentary via IMSA.com , RadioLeMans.com and Sirius XM Radio; and follow the race live via in-car cameras, IMSA Radio and timing & scoring available worldwide on IMSA.com and the IMSA mobile device App.
Acura Motorsports social media content and video links can be found on:
- Instagram (www.instagram.com/hondaracing_hpd)
- TikTok (www.tiktok.com/hondaracing_hpd)
- Twitter (www.twitter.com/HondaRacing_Hpd)
- Facebook (www.facebook.com/HondaRacingHPD)
- YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/HondaRacingHPDTV)
