Video: Acura NSX GTD class Rolex 24 preview

#86 Meyer Shank Acura NSX

After scoring two class wins and seven podium finishes to contend for the GTD title last season, Meyer Shank Racing returns with the new “Evo" edition of the successful Acura NSX GT3 and another strong two-car effort for 2019.

Based on information generated throughout the global NSX GT3 Customer Racing Program, the Acura NSX GT3 Evo features performance gains, improved drivability, a 25 percent increase in engine life and greater component durability. The result is a racing platform designed to appeal to a wide range of professional and amateur drivers.

In 2018, MSR began the season with one full-time #93 NSX GT3 entry, and a second car intended to contest the four endurance rounds of the GTD championship. However, a strong start for the #86 Acura saw the effort develop into a full-season campaign. Katherine Legge paired for the season with Alvaro Parente and Mario Farnbacher rotating as co-drivers. Legge won with Farnbacher in Detroit, and with Parente at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. The trio also combined to complete every lap of the season – 2,374 in all – and lead 202 of them.

For 2019, MSR has entered into a partnership with businesswoman/racer Jackie Heinricher and sponsor Caterpillar to field the #57 Acura NSX GT3 Evo for an all-female driver lineup anchored by the returning Legge, and including fellow Indianapolis 500 veteran Bia Figueiredo. Two-time IMSA GTD champion Christina Nielsen and experienced IndyCar driver Simona de Silvestro complete quartet for the Rolex 24. Rising stars Farnbacher and Trent Hindman return to drive the #93 MSR Acura for the full season, with NASCAR race winners Justin Marks and A.J. Allmendinger joining for the endurance and Daytona rounds, respectively.