Acura Wins IMSA Rolex 24 at Daytona

Acura and Wayne Taylor Racing open the 2021 season with a coveted overall victory at the IMSA Rolex 24 at Daytona.

It’s been 30 years since Acura stood atop the podium as class winner at Daytona International Raceway. This weekend, the manufacturer returned to glory.

Acura and Wayne Taylor Racing won this weekend’s 59^th running of the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

This was the season-opening round in the 2021 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, and it was a doozy. The 24-hour endurance contest came down to the final hour, with five teams fighting for the overall victory.

The winning Acura ARX-05 Prototype’s driver lineup consisted of Ricky Taylor, Filipe Albuqeruque, Alexander Rossi and Helio Castroneves. The group held off late charges by the Cadillacs of Chip Ganassi Racing and Action Express, the Mazda-Multimatic prototype, and fellow Acura team Meyer Shank Racing.

This is Wayne Taylor Racing’s third consecutive Daytona victory, and the first with Acura.

As the race entered its final hour, all five contenders were running within 30 seconds of each other. A lightning-quick “short fill” pit stop moved Albuquerque’s Acura to the head of the field. Renger van der Zande’s Ganassi prototype was right on his heels, less than two seconds back.

However, a cut tire with just seven minutes remaining sent van der Zande to the pits, and Albuquerque went on to take the checkered flag, securing Acura’s first overall victory in the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

“I think it was a hell of a show. I could almost see [Renger van der Zande’s] eyes in my mirrors, he was so hungry for this. He was faster than me, but it’s one thing to catch and another thing is to pass. He was really pushing hard. I was lucky that they had a puncture. This was probably the hardest race of my life,” said Filipe Albuquerque (#19 Konica Minolta Wayne Taylor Racing Acura ARX-05), Rolex 24 at Daytona winner.

Here are the overall top 5 finishers of the Rolex 24 at Daytona:

1. #19 Konica Minolta Wayne Taylor Racing Acura ARX-05 DPi

            Laps: 807

            Total Time: 24:00:14.673

2. #48 Ally Cadillac Racing Cadillac DPi

               Laps: 807

               Total Time: 24:00:19.377

3. #55 Mazda Motorsports Mazda DPi

               Laps: 807

               Total Time: 24:00:21.235

4: #60 Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb-Agajanian SiriusXM AutoNation Acura ARX-05 DPi

            Laps: 807

            Total Time: 24:01:09.091

5. Cadillac Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac Dpi

               Laps: 807

               Total Time: 24:01:22.417

To see the full results, click HERE.