Cameron: California 8H “A Fun Way” to Begin Transition to Acura

Dane Cameron says he can’t wait to get a jump start on his new role as part of Acura’s driver lineup with RealTime Racing this weekend in the inaugural SRO Intercontinental GT Challenge California 8 Hours held at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

The 2014 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GT Daytona champion and 2016 Prototype title winner just wrapped up a successful stint with Action Express Racing and now has his eyes set on the next challenge: returning Acura and Team Penske to Prototype racing glory next year.

The initiation process begins this weekend, and the California native said he’s anxious to get on track with Acura and RealTime in the No. 43 Acura NSX GT3 and get the next phase of his career started.

“It will be a really fun way to begin my transition over to Acura,” he said. “I’ll get to work with some of the guys at [Honda Performance Development] for the first time and get to know a couple of faces.

“Jumping into the NSX GT3 for the first time will be a lot of fun. It’s a nice segue into the brand. It’s always fun doing extra races.

“I enjoy being able to bounce back and forth between GT cars, Prototypes, Touring Cars, or whatever it may be. Just put my name on the door, and I’ll take it for a ride.”

Cameron came close to victory at MRLS with AXR just last month, only to lose the lead in the waning minutes.

The newly-minted Acura man said he is anxious for a bit of redemption.

“It will be nice to not have to wait a year to get a do-over for that one,” he said. “It was a great finish for the Prototypes at IMSA. There was a lot of good hype around that.

“Unfortunately, we got to be on the wrong end of that situation. I’ve won a few races there, and it will be fun to go back there in a GT car and get a stab at another win in a different format and try to get my first win with Acura.”

Cameron added that there will be some level of adjustment to get comfortable this weekend, not just with a new race car to come to grips with, but also a whole different set of regulations.

“A lot of us are still getting up to speed with the rules of that event and figuring it out,” said Cameron. “In general, I think you are going to see some really good, hard racing.

“GT3 cars provide some tremendous racing. You are going to see some of the best drivers in the world go wheel to wheel for eight hours. No one is going to want to give up anything.

“You are putting a bunch of hardheaded guys together in a room. I think you are going to see a really fast pace. I’m sure it will come down to right at the end of the race.

“Fans should find a nice spot to watch, move around to different corners and take advantage of the great vantage points at Mazda Raceway.”