Eurasia Operating Rick Ware Racing Acura NSX GT3

Photo: John Dagys

Eurasia Motorsport is set to have a significant presence with Rick Ware Racing this year, with the Philippines-based squad operating RWR’s Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 for the IMSA WeatherTech Sprint Cup races.

The partnership, which began as a joint effort in the 2021 Rolex 24 at Daytona in fielding a Ligier JS P217 Gibson in the LMP2 class, will expand into a season-long program for the Mark Goddard-owned team, which has been out of action since last year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans largely due to COVID-19-related travel restrictions.

Ryan Eversley, who will team up with Aiden Read to drive the RWR-entered Acura, explained: “The overall gist of it is that [Mark] and Rick had a really good relationship [from the LMP2 effort].

“But right now The Philippines, where that team is based, is still very shut down in [terms of] COVID restrictions. They can’t race too much. It’s really hard to get in and out of the country.

“They needed an opportunity, Rick needed a crew and they had a great experience in the past.

“They’re over here for the next six months through the IMSA season. They’ve rented a house and have them all set up here.

“Robby Benton, who used to run the Change Racing Lambo program, has come on board at Rick Ware and is overseeing a lot of Rick’s stuff but he’s been facilitating getting these guys in the country, getting them set up with housing.”

Eversley, who is set for his first full-time WeatherTech SportsCar Championship campaign, said the unique partnership is something they’re not taking lightly.

“It’s a unique situation because obviously I want to be in a GT car for Acura and doing the best I can for my career but these guys need work because they actually can’t do anything in the Philippines right now,” he said.

“Having them come over here for the next six months, be able to send money home to their families, is keeping that team alive but also keeping these people moving forward in life.

“It’s a pretty neat scenario, under unfortunate circumstances, but to be a part of something like that is something we’re not taking lightly.

“Aiden and I, at the test, we were trying to take care of the car as much as possible because these poor guys have been working so hard and so long to get this car ready and we know they’re not going to see their families for a long time.

“It’s definitely not lost on us on how that’s going to have to work for this program to work.”

In addition to the staff from Eurasia, veteran driver Andy Lally is calling strategy for the team in this weekend’s Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach while RWR has brought in several fabricators from its NASCAR Cup Series program that have been made redundant as a result of the series’ switch to the Next Gen car.

Former Compass Racing engineer Marcos DeLeon, meanwhile, has also come on-board the team.

“There’s been a lot of things behind the scenes happening,” said Eversley. “We actually bought one of the Gradient cars. They’ve been super helpful with getting us started.

“RealTime Racing has been really helpful with us [as well], helping us get parts and ideas.

“We just kept throwing different people at it. It’s just been an all-hands-on-deck [effort].”

RWR Acura Deal Ultimately Came About Through Twitter

Eversley credits his early interactions with RWR on Twitter, which led to his NASCAR Cup Series debut last year at Road America, for ultimately helping put together the Acura GTD effort.

“The whole program came together through Twitter in a fun way,” he said. “Rick Ware and I have been buds for a long time but he had a P2 car entered in the Rolex [24] a couple of years ago.

“I knew they needed funding for that seat so I just started messing with him on Twitter, going, ‘Hey man, put me in that TBD seat.’ 

“He started texting me saying, ‘What are you doing?’

“I said, ‘Hey, I’m just trying to build your social [media following]. It’s blowing up on Twitter.’

“We laughed about it. He saw the response from the fans, which has been really tremendous for me and something I’m very proud of and fortunate to have. 

“That led to the NASCAR event because we had such a strong fan reaction he said, ‘Hey, my real sponsors think that’s pretty cool. Can we do that in a Cup car?’

“I was like, ‘Yeah I guess I’ll drive NASCAR if you want me to. Who wouldn’t?!’

“That was really neat and then we had such a good time and the Nurtec folks were so happy with some of the interviews I did and my on-track performance, so Rick asked how we could get Acura — [which] is my partner — and us together.

“It’s been a lot of work but everybody has been doing a good job. It’s been pretty cool to be a part of it.

“We’re excited and super stocked to get through Long Beach, get out of the streets, and get to some proper tracks where there are little less walls so close.

“I think it’s going to be good.”

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John