Acura on Sunday dominated the debut of hybrid engines in North American sports car racing with a one-two finish at the Rolex 24 at Daytona, Florida, where Helio Castroneves and the automaker won the prestigious endurance race for a third consecutive year.
Castroneves won the Rolex in 2021 in an Acura with Wayne Taylor Racing and won with Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) the past two seasons.
Castroneves, who turns 48 in May, was overcome with emotion after Tom Blomqvist closed out the victory.
Photo: AP
The Brazilian then led his teammates, which included Simon Pagenaud and MSR newcomer Colin Braun, in his signature “Spiderman” celebratory climbing of the fence.
“I love climbing the fence with Helio,” said Pagenaud, who won for the second consecutive year and is teammates with Castroneves in IndyCar.
Castroneves said he got emotional at becoming the first driver to win three consecutive Rolex 24s.
“It’s a very tough sport. You lose more than you win,” Castroneves said. “That’s why I love this sport so much. It is very hard, and when you get it, you celebrate.”
The twice-round-the-clock endurance race this year marked the launch of a new hybrid era of racing, and the change in technology for IMSA’s top GTP class makes it the only motor sports series in North America to race with hybrid engines. It has been a massive draw to automakers eager to compete in motor sports with technology that relates to their road cars.
However, the buildup to the launch turned into a nervous hand-wringing over durability concerns, as all nine GTP teams worried that the new technology and supply chain issues would prevent the cars from completing a 24-hour race.
“Ye who have little faith,” said David Salters, head of Honda Performance Development. “Apparently, our car can do 24 hours.”
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