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Acura Leads But Ultimately Finishes Fourth In Watkins Glen Endurance Race
Louis Delétraz and Jordan Taylor, driving the #40 Acura ARX-06, narrowly missed a podium finish in Sunday's IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race at Watkins Glen. The sister car, #10 Acura ARX-06 driven by Filipe Albuquerque and Ricky Taylor, experienced a mechanical failure after leading for 15 laps.
The race was marked by rain-induced cautions and a red flag during the six-hour event. Despite these challenges, the Acura team showed strong performance throughout the day. Louis Delétraz started from pole position in the #40 car and handed over to Jordan Taylor for the middle stages of the race.
Taylor faced on-and-off rainstorms, often driving on unsuitable tires to adhere to the team's strategy. Delétraz resumed driving after a 42-minute red flag due to weather conditions but eventually finished fourth after losing positions in the final stint.
The #10 Acura ARX-06 also displayed impressive pace with Ricky Taylor and Filipe Albuquerque at the wheel. They led for 15 laps and were in contention for a double podium finish before a mechanical failure occurred. This issue, likely caused by earlier contact during a battle for the lead, resulted in a detached wheel, relegating them to 10th place.
In the GTD class, Gradient Racing's #66 Acura NSX GT3 Evo faced its own set of challenges. Drivers Sheena Monk, Tatiana Calderon, and Stevan McAleer encountered a clutch problem mid-race but managed to persevere. However, two penalties in the final minutes dropped them to 13th place.
Driver Reactions
Louis Delétraz expressed his disappointment despite acknowledging the team's overall strong performance: "First of all, I want to thank all of WTRAndretti and HRC because we've had, I think, a strong weekend overall. Obviously, the result is disappointing because we just really struggled on restarts. I lost three spots on lap one of the start and three spots again on the final restart. I could hardly do better. But we still had a good race."
Filipe Albuquerque shared his frustration over their race outcome: "I don't know what to say. What a frustrating race. After a great race from Ricky and ups and downs in the rain, we got a penalty from IMSA, which dropped us to last. We made the right call on the slick tires which enabled me to go to second and eventually to first."
Stevan McAleer also commented on their tough day: "Tough day, I'm really bummed. Bummed for Sheena, bummed for Tatiana, bummed for Gradient Racing; I love these guys."
Race Results
| Position | Car | Drivers | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4th overall | #40 Acura ARX-06 | Louis Delétraz and Jordan Taylor | Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti |
| 10th overall | #10 Acura ARX-06 | Filipe Albuquerque and Ricky Taylor | Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti (mechanical) |
| 13th in GTD | #66 Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 | Stevan McAleer, Sheena Monk and Tatiana Calderon | Gradient Racing |
The next round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship will take place from July 12-14 at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park near Toronto. The premier GTP prototypes will return at Road America in Elkhart Lake from August 2-4.
The Acura Motorsports team has previously achieved six victories at Watkins Glen, including a notable 1-2 finish in 2022 with Meyer Shank Racing and Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti battling it out until the end.
The team remains optimistic about future races despite recent setbacks.
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