Tough Day at VIR for Acura, Gradient Racing

August 26, 2024 - DANVILLE, VA

• Gradient Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 starts eleventh at VIRginia International Raceway
• Sheena Monk, Stevan McAleer climb as high as eighth before contact halts their charge

It was a difficult day at VIRginia International Raceway for the #66 Gradient Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 squad, after contact halted the team's charge through the field.

Starting 11th in the hands of Sheena Monk, the #66 began its climb through the field before handing over the car to Stevan McAleer while running in the top 10. Stevan would continue to climb before contact with another competitor resulted in damage to the suspension that was too severe to repair on pit lane.

The Gradient Racing crew would go behind the wall to make the repairs, but did not retire the car. The #66 is in a tight battle for the season-long Bob Akin Award for Bronze-rated drivers, and when the competing #70 suffered a mechanical failure, it became priority one for the Gradient Racing team to get the #66 Acura back on track to secure further points towards the Akin Award.

The Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 would be classified 13th at the finish.

Michelin GT Challenge Acura Race Results

• 13th in GTD - #66 Stevan McAleer and Sheena Monk; Gradient Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo22

Quotes
Sheena Monk (#66 Gradient Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo22) Finished 13th:  "Our car showed decent pace, I was happy to get a little bit of a power increase [through a pre-race Balance of Performance adjustment] and I felt like it was fair. It put us, you know, in the fight at least. Not any crazy advantage over anybody else, but at least we were right there with them. I felt like I drove a pretty good race. Handed the car over to Stevan. I thought we were in a position to fight. But he had some seriously unnecessary contact with a Porsche. It eventually broke a toe link on the left rear wheel. That put us down a bunch of laps, but kudos to the Gradient Racing guys for getting our JG Wentworth car back out! We gained some valuable bronze points."

Stevan McAleer (#66 Gradient Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo 22) Finished 13th: "Obviously disappointed with today. I'm bummed for Gradient. You know, we had a reasonably fast car. I think we were much better in clean air than we were in traffic. We struggled a little bit in traffic. Unfortunately, the #120 car finished our day off. He had contact with me in turn four, hit the left rear wheel and we ended up breaking the suspension. Small reward at the end, you know, you never wish this upon anyone. But, #70 car broke down and Andris [Laivins, team owner] and his crew were able to get our car back out. I think we were 11 laps down and we just got out in the nick of time to leapfrog the #70. So, small victory. I'm not happy, you know, we're obviously at the back of the field, but we gain a little bit of points on a car that's ahead of us and that's important in the long run with just two races left."

Fast Facts

• Sunday's two-hour, 40-minute Michelin GT Challenge at VIR was a stand alone IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship event for the GTD Pro and GTD classes only.

• For 2024, Acura's full-season IMSA GTD effort in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship is headed by Gradient Racing's #66 Acura NSX GT3 Evo22. The Gradient driver lineup includes IMSA veteran Stevan McAleer, with Michelin Pilot Challenge race winner Sheena Monk completing the driver lineup.

• The duo came to VIR after finishing an impressive third earlier this month at Road America. They also finished fourth in a come-from-behind run in April at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.

Next
After today's GTD-only event at VIRginia International Raceway, the full IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship field returns for the September 20-22 Tirerack.com Battle on the Bricks, on the road course of the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Acura and HRC US social media content and video links can be found on:

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