Racers Edge, WTR to Run GTD Pro Acura at Sebring

Photo: Racers Edge

Racers Edge Motorsports and Wayne Taylor Racing have joined forces to field a GTD Pro class Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 in next month’s Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring for Kyle Marcelli, Tom Long and Ashton Harrison.

The joint effort will mark Racers Edge’ IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship debut after being a mainstay in SRO America competition in recent years, including winning the 2019 Fanatec GT World Challenge America powered by AWS Pro-Am class title with Marcelli.

More recently, the Jon Mirachi-led team has also worked with Honda Performance Development in the operation of the HPD Academy, with Harrison having been a recent graduate.

Harrison had already been confirmed for a full season of GTWC America competition in a Racers Edge Acura alongside Mario Farnbacher.

“This is a really fun and exciting opportunity for Racers Edge Motorsports,” said Mirachi. “Wayne Taylor Racing has tremendous experience and success in endurance racing and merging that with our expertise and experience with the Acura NSX GT3 is a great combination.

“Add in HPD’s unmatched technical support and we’re confident we have a really strong effort!

“Our two teams and HPD all have a commitment to winning, so we’re looking forward to building on this collaboration for the future.

“And finally, having Ashton take on this challenge gives us yet another opportunity to showcase one of our HPD Academy graduates and we believe, a future star in sports car racing.”

As previously reported by Sportscar365, a link-up with an existing Acura team was likely for WTR’s transition into the GTD ranks.

“It’s an exciting time for Wayne Taylor Racing to be working in collaboration with Racers Edge,” said WTR Vice President and general manager Travis Houge.

“We have been looking for some time on a way to put together a GTD program. It’s the next level for the program that we currently run in Super Trofeo in order to give our drivers a place to grow and develop within the IMSA WeatherTech platform.

“Racers Edge worked really well with HPD and Ashton in the Academy last year and I think they fit the overall brand that Wayne Taylor Racing strives to present.

“The package we have put together is strong. Wayne, Jon and I have had discussions on how to move this program forward in the future with the hope of building a long-term relationship between all our companies.”

The effort will mark Acura’s first GTD Pro entry in the new-for-2022 category.

While featuring Silver-rated Harrison in the lineup, both Marcelli and Long are Gold-rated, meaning the lineup would be ineligible for the standard GTD class.

“We at HPD are very enthused to be able to support Racers Edge Motorsports and Wayne Taylor Racing’s combined effort at Sebring,” said HPD commercial manager John Whiteman.

“Ashton Harrison’s challenging spirit is inspiring and having Kyle Marcelli back piloting an NSX GT3 Evo22 is a welcome reunion. We are very happy to see another HPD Academy graduate make big strides forward in their career.”

The joint effort has yet to announce any potential races beyond Sebring.

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