Salters: NSX Farewell “Bittersweet” for HRC US

HRC US president David Salters has described the impending farewell for the Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 from the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship as “bittersweet” as the car will be making its final series start at Motul Petit Le Mans.

Although the current version of the NSX is homologated through to the end of 2029, the luxury automaker is due to drop off the WeatherTech Championship’s GTD grid amidst a manufacturer switch for its sole remaining customer team.

Gradient Racing announced in August that it will move to the Ford Mustang GT3 for 2025, leaving Acura without representation for the NSX for the first time since the car’s debut in 2017.

“It’s bittersweet to see the end of the NSX in IMSA competition,” HRC US President David Salters said.

“It’s a beautiful car and we’ve seen great success with it. It’s also a very popular car amongst fans both in its race and road car variants.

“We’ve had some great results with the NSX in the GTD class—including two championship years and a victory right here at Petit Le Mans in 2022 for Gradient Racing.

“I would like to sincerely thank all the people who have worked so hard on this program over the years, whose skill, efforts and passion made and fiercely competed a great championship winning racing car.

“Thank you all and thank you NSX.”

The NSX was primarily campaigned by Meyer Shank Racing from 2017 to 2020, a period that most notably featured back-to-back titles as Mario Farnbacher partnered with Trent Hindman and Matt McMurry.

As the German recalls, a shootout with Acura and MSR initially in late 2017 initially led to a role as an endurance driver alongside Justin Marks and Lawson Aschenbach, while he also subbed for Alvaro Parente for two races and notable won at Belle Isle teaming with Katherine Legge.

“Then the big journey began [in] 2019 [with] one of my best friends still around the paddock [in] Trent Hindman, and Shank,” Farnbacher told Sportscar365.

“It was great year with him and obviously also the with the championship title as well in the end. Also the first few real factory rides in the IGTC. It was a fantastic year.

“Then the year after as well, unfortunately the COVID thing happened and everything got a bit mixed up, but that was also a great year even with the circumstances.

“But there’s a lot of great memories with the team, with everybody around and always have a big smile and look back to the past.”

After MSR stepped up to the DPi class in 2021, Farnbacher continued to race the NSX for the likes of Gradient, Compass Racing, Magnus Racing and Racers Edge Motorsports before moving to Heart of Racing Team and Aston Martin.

“Obviously, I felt very [at] home in that car from the very first test I was in there in the car,” said Farnbacher.

“Especially the evolution kit made it even better, which was also the right step for the car.

“Unfortunately yes, now at the end of the when they knew that the car is not going to be in another evolution, they stopped developing the car.

“And in motorsport, once if you don’t develop something anymore, you’re not getting the same results.”