WTR Gets rolling at the ROAR
The blue and black Konica Minolta outfit and drivers Ricky Taylor, Filipe Albuquerque, Louis Delétraz and Brendon Hartley will be joined in the pitlane by the GTD class #93 Harrison Contracting Company Acura NSX GT3 Evo22, piloted by WTRAndretti drivers Ashton Harrison, Kyle Marcelli, Danny Formal and Ryan Briscoe, completing WTRAndretti’s first multi-class effort at the Rolex 24. This year’s event appropriately features a 61-car grid for the 61st running of America’s most prestigious endurance event.
Wayne Taylor Racing (WTR) with Andretti Autosport’s #10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06 hits the track this weekend for the Roar Before the Rolex 24. The event is comprised of the first competitive testing sessions of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTP era and capped by a traditional qualifying session on Sunday afternoon to set the grid for the 2023 Rolex 24 At DAYTONA. WTRAndretti has won the Rolex four times in the past six years, and is focused on continuing that run of success in a totally new era that resets the sport and has attracted the largest and most diverse prototype field in years.
#10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06 drivers quotes
Ricky Taylor
“The whole team can’t wait to get to the Roar,” said Ricky Taylor, who helped qualify the #10 Konica Minolta Acura on pole for the 2022 Rolex 24 At DAYTONA. “We have all enjoyed the development phase and the process of building this beautiful car with Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosport, HPD and Oreca. At the end of the day, we are all competitors, so we are ultimately the most excited when we get to compete. The Roar will be the first time we get to truly test ourselves and battle for the pole for the Rolex 24 in our all-new, electrified Acura machinery, and that is incredibly exciting.”
Filipe Albuquerque
“The new era is just starting,” said Filipe Albuquerque, who also drove a stint in the pole-winning qualifying race effort in 2022. “We have been testing the new car a lot. It’s a great regulation that is being introduced, the car is very exciting to drive and we just can’t wait to start. Less than a week to go—I’ve been so engaged by the process of developing a car with my teammates. We can’t wait to see what all the other manufacturers brought and what ideas they have. It’s a new program with the hybrid engine and qualifying will be different than past years at the Roar. With a combustion engine, we were solely focused on the balance of the car, but now with a new chassis there are other concerns and priorities. I’m training hard and as excited as I was when I started karting!”
Louis Delétraz
“I’m really excited for the Rolex 24 At DAYTONA!” said Louis Delétraz, 2022 ELMS Champion. “It’s a new category, new cars, new opponents, and the first time with our new partners Andretti Autosport. So many things to look forward to, and it’s the culmination of so much testing and development. The whole team, Acura and HPD have worked hard the last few months and we still have a lot to do and learn, but I feel ready. I can’t wait to get back behind the wheel of the Acura ARX-06.”
Brendon Hartley
“I have had a really nice break back in New Zealand with family,” said 2022 WEC Hypercar Champion, Brendon Hartley. “As much as I have enjoyed it, I’m looking forward to getting back to the racetrack. It’s going to be exciting to see all the new cars lined up at the Roar heading into the new era of sports car racing. I’m so pleased to be joining WTRAndretti and Acura. They know how to win this race and I feel as though I’ve fit right into the team together with Ricky, Filipe, and Louis. I have had a little track time in the car already and feel we are well prepared to tackle the week at Daytona.”
Wayne Taylor introducing a GTD car
“We’re excited to go to the Roar and it’s the first time the world will see the new partnership between Wayne Taylor Racing and Andretti Autosport,” said six-time Rolex 24 At DAYTONA winner, Wayne Taylor. “HPD has been working so hard behind the scenes and our team has been working flat out. There have been supply chain issues and hurdles, but we are ready to go to put the car on the track. We’ll use the practices to prepare for qualifying and understand the electronics even better. We’ve done as much testing as possible, but you always want more. The Roar will be a bit of a test, and we’ll go as hard as we can for qualifying and see where we come out.
“We’ll be running a GTD car as part of the Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosport team, with John Mirachi and Racers Edge Motorsports. Ashton Harrison, Ryan Briscoe, Danny Formal and Kyle Marcelli are a great lineup and it’s nice to have to be competing in two different classes with two chances to win! Having Harrison Contracting Company sponsor the car is great for our team and for them, and I couldn’t be more excited.”
The #93 Harrison Contracting Company Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 hits the track this week for practice and qualifying as the team begins their maiden campaign in the 2023 IMSA WeatherTech Series Michelin Endurance Cup at the Roar Before the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway. The RELY on Red Acura machine will be piloted by Ashton Harrison, Kyle Marcelli, Danny Formal and Ryan Briscoe.
Ashton Harrison made her IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar series debut in the 2022 Mobil 12 Hours of Sebring in the GTD Pro class with Racers Edge Motorsports and then went on to claim the 2022 SRO Pro-Am championship with the team, winning 4 races along the way. Harrison is also a veteran of four seasons in the IMSA sanctioned Lamborghini Super Trofeo (LST) series with Wayne Taylor Racing. For 2023, she enters her first full season in the top-tier IMSA series with the first green flag at the Roar. Seasoned sportscar veteran Kyle Marcelli also joined Harrison at Sebring in 2022 for a top-10 result in the Acura NSX GT3 Evo22. Marcelli and the teams’ third endurance driver, Danny Formal, have shared the stable with Harrison, so the three will bring their experience together into the Racers Edge with WTRAndretti pit box. Three-time Rolex 24 winner Ryan Briscoe will join the trio for the twice-around-the-clock kickoff of the 2023 season.
#93 Harrison Contracting Company Acura NSX GT3 Evo 22 drivers quotes:
Kyle Marcelli:
“I’m very much looking forward to the 61st running of the Rolex 24 in the No 93 Harrison Contracting Acura NSX GT3 Evo22. It’s obviously a challenging and grueling race- essentially The Super Bowl of sportscar racing to start off the season. There’s no question that the GTD class is arguably the most competitive category and most difficult category to win. We have good tools and a strong driver lineup, strong team in Racers Edge Motorsports with WTR Andretti, strong car in the NSX platform, and we definitely have a chance at that podium. We need to execute to the best of our ability and hope for a little bit of luck, and the result will take care of itself. We have a great shot at it, and I’m very excited for the race.”
Ashton Harrison:
“I’m super excited for the Roar and to get back behind the wheel of the No 93 Harrison Contracting Company Acura NSX GT3 Evo22. I’ve been preparing and working hard since our test in December. We’ve had some calls and meetings as a team to really start to gel and everyone has high expectations for each other and for WTR Andretti, so I think the Racers Edge team is planning to come out of the gate strong. We’ll see how we stack up to the other teams after this week, and can then be even more prepared for the 24. I’m anxious to get started at my first Roar event. I think it’s just so special I get to share this experience and this season with Racers Edge Motorsports with WTR Andretti and my teammates.”
Ryan Briscoe:
“I’m excited to head back to Daytona and get behind the wheel of the No 93 Harrison Contracting Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 with a chance to win another Rolex. When I last teamed with WTR in 2020, we finished on the top step of the podium. But my wife is super needy and says she needs one for each wrist. I also have 2 daughters who really like shiny objects. Most importantly, the partnership between Racers Edge Motorsports and WTR Andretti puts us in a great spot to win in a very competitive GTD class, and I really look forward to working with Ashton, Kyle and Danny. You never take these opportunities for granted.”
Danny Formal:
This will be my first Roar Before the 24 and Rolex 24, and I’m super excited to be a part of the Racers Edge Motorsports with WTR Andretti and this amazing racing family, and to share the No 93 Harrison Contracting Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 with Ashton, Ryan and Kyle. We developed a great relationship in the test we did in early December, and I’m getting to know everyone on the Racers Edge crew. Their resume speaks for itself and I’m looking forward to being part of this Michelin Endurance Cup program this year in IMSA. I’m ready to give all I have, and hopefully in two weeks’ time, we’ll all have that shiny new Rolex.”
The Roar Before the Rolex 24 is the traditional lead up event to the prestigious Rolex 24-hour race to kick off the 2023 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season. The event is comprised of the first official 2023 on-track sessions for competitors, culminating in the Sunday afternoon qualifying sessions to set the grid for the 61st running of America’s most prestigious endurance event which will appropriately include a field of 61 entries in five classes of sportscars.
The #93 Harrison Contracting Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 begins practice sessions this Friday around Daytona International Speedway’s historic 3.56-mile, 12-turn road course circuit.
The Roar Before the 24, the qualifying event for the 2023 Rolex 24 At DAYTONA, runs January 20th-22nd with qualifying at 1:25 p.m. ET on the 22nd. Full coverage can be streamed on IMSA.TV starting at 1:20 p.m. ET. Practice for the Rolex 24 starts on January 26th, with the green flag for the legendary endurance race waving on the 28th at 1:40 p.m. Live coverage is available on Peacock for the full 24-hour cycle, alternate coverage on USA Network, and the final hours and victory celebrations available on NBC starting at 12:00 p.m. ET on the 29th.
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