The Acura driven by Gradient Racing won! They beat everyone at the GTD class of the 25th annual Motul Petit Le Mans at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. It is the season finale of the 2022 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
It was a dominant performance by the team, as they led nearly every lap of the 10-hour race. The victory capped an excellent comeback season for the Acura brand. It had struggled in the early part of the year.
The win was also a vindication of sorts for Gradient Racing. The team had been embroiled in a controversy earlier in the year. But they put that behind them and focused on the task at hand, and the result was a historic victory.
It was an excellent day for Acura, as the brand won three of the four classes that competed at Petit Le Mans. It was a fitting end to a great season, and Acura will no doubt be a contender again in 2023.
The Gradient Team
Kyffin Simpson started the car from the pole and led for the first hour. He turned the car over to Till Bechtolsheimer. Till raced hard but was unable to pull away from the McLaren. With over an hour to go, Mario Farnbacher took the wheel and put the pressure on the McLaren. The No. 66 Acura NSX GT3 took the win by less than a second.
Acura also claimed the Daytona Prototype international and overall in the race. Meyer Shank Racing went with Curb-Agajanian. Tom Blomqvist and Oliver Jarvis earned the DPi season championship.
They worked toward the front before gaining the lead during a green flag pit stop. It was under an hour remaining. With the field bunched back up, the Gradient drivers were in a prime position to take the lead. But a mistake on the restart would cost them dearly.
It was 22 green flag laps to go. The battle for the lead in the GTD class was heating up between drivers Farnbacher and Pepper. The two were closely matched, with their lap times within a thousandth of a second. Pepper never got close enough to make a move, and the race ended under yellow flag conditions. It denied him a final opportunity to take the lead.
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Acura is celebrating an impressive victory at the Petit Le Mans race.
The win is a significant accomplishment for Acura. It is sure to generate a lot of interest in the brand. Are you curious about Acura's success at the Petit Le Mans? Visit our dealership in Arlington, TX. We are happy to share more details about the race and Acura vehicles.
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