Ricky Taylor of Wayne Taylor Racing-Andretti Autosport has one steal and two podiums on the occasion, but his elephantine-time teammate Filipe Albuquerque has a 2nd and two third areas, and his patience teammate Louis Deletraz will be making only his 2nd starting up within the occasion and only his fifth starting up within the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
“Sebring is consistently an memoir battle, however the video display and the urge itself stand out on the agenda as potentially the most grueling and toughest to steal,” acknowledged Taylor. “Our #10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06 proved to be up to the suppose in Daytona, and Sebring will set up us to an even more challenging take a look at. But every person at WTRAndretti hang prepped for it and if truth be told feel we hang now a monumental shot to steal.”
Added Albuquerque, “We now hang been checking out at Sebring attributable to the muse of the Acura ARX-06. We now hang lined loads to be obvious we hang now a extraordinarily competitive vehicle, especially coming from the DPi era the build we would battle at Sebring.
“In my CV, I don’t hang a steal at Sebring, so a steal would near on the supreme time with the LMDh. I’m taking a scrutinize ahead to it. We hang been the quickest on the legitimate take a look at which reveals the level of competitiveness of the vehicle and we can give it our all as consistently.”
“Sebring is a in point of fact diversified video display to Daytona,” acknowledged Louis Deletraz, “and [we have] somewhat just a few contemporary challenges ahead of us. I’m taking a scrutinize ahead to being reunited with my group and teammates within the Acura ARX-06. We’re leading the championship and the aim is to lengthen that!”
Despite being beaten by fellow Acura group Meyer Shank Racing within the Rolex 24 in January, WTRAndretti leads the choices urge attributable to IMSA punishing MSR for a tire power infraction .
“All people from WTRAndretti is hooked in to the 12 Hours of Sebring,” acknowledged group proprietor Wayne Taylor. “It’s one in all the races that we haven’t won since 2017 and now that we’re leading the championship, it may possibly possibly presumably well well obtain it that great sweeter to steal here as effectively.
“We now hang additionally been awarded with pit-out which is consistently a real advantage as the fundamental vehicle on the grid. This on the entire signifies that you just won the last urge or are leading the championship. Louis [Deletraz] shook the vehicle down in south Florida this weekend and he acknowledged the vehicle is real. HPD hang near up with a contemporary engine and power, there used to be contemporary BoP https://www.motorsport.com/imsa/files/acura-gets-supreme-weight-penalty-but-vitality-enhance-for-sebring-imsa/10441686/ , but except we collect to the video display we don’t know the way in which it’ll affect us.
“We’re very most moving certain entering into and we hang now the three supreme drivers within the paddock. Filipe [LMP2 United Autosports] and Louis [LMP2 WRT] are additionally doing the WEC urge on Friday, so that they would presumably well presumably hang a wonderful deal of time to gather acclimated the video display and Ricky will attain the majority of the follow to put collectively for qualifying.
“As for the climate, it’s so uncommon that we hang now had no rain in Florida, but on urge day it appears to be like fancy there may possibly be a 99 percent likelihood of rain. But we’re all within the identical boat and it’s if truth be told the drivers’ danger. It’s been a difficult lengthy ruin attributable to the Rolex 24, so I’m very enraged for the weekend and I can’t wait to scrutinize all our sponsors on the video display.”
Tom Blomqvist, Colin Braun and four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves will all return to Meyer Shank’s #60 AutoNation / SiriusXM Acura after their steal, alongside with Simon Pagenaud, on the Rolex 24. Braun twice won the Prototype Mumble class in this occasion, and in 2021 won in LMP3.
He acknowledged: “We had a monumental take a look at on the video display just a few weeks wait on the build we hang been ready to flee via some diversified setup programs. That helped us brand more in regards to the capabilities of the worthy tools within the Acura LMDh vehicle. Sebring has been an unheard of video display for me, so I am unable to wait to gather to work.”
Blomqvist completed seventh in GTLM class at Sebring in 2019, and fifth last year for MSR within the DPi Acura. Admire Albuquerque and Deletraz, he’s going to compete in Friday’s WEC urge, for United in LMP2, but acknowledged of his IMSA tasks, “Sebring is one in all, if no longer the toughest races on the calendar. The video display is aggravating on the vehicle, the drivers and the group.
“No stone may possibly presumably well well be left unturned to gather a consequence here. The group has been doing a ton of labor on the wait on of the scenes to gather us ready for this weekend, so let’s win out about what we can attain.”
Remarkably, Castroneves has only flee 5 cases at Sebring, the fundamental time to this level being the real, when he completed third in LMP2 in Penske’s Porsche RS Spyder in 2007. The last four events at Sebring for Castroneves hang been onboard an Acura DPi machine, with a supreme enact of fourth in 2019 when Penske ran the Acura imprint.
“Sebring is a form of areas that I if truth be told hang no longer had the privilege to steal at but,” he acknowledged. “I if truth be told hang known this video display my entire racing life and I’m hoping we can change that this year.
“We had some real exams here with the group, so now we can win out in regards to the build that puts us this weekend.”
Rolex 24-a success #60 Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb Agajanian Acura ARX-06: Tom Blomqvist, Colin Braun, Helio Castroneves, Simon Pagenaud
Photo by: Jake Galstad / Motorsport Photos
