24 Hours of Daytona – The Gradient Racing surprise in GTD?

The Acura at its advantage on the Daytona road layout since the start of the Roar is not what we expected. While the two GTPs have to deal with a significant excess of kilos, the only NSX GT3 from the Japanese manufacturer entered in the GT peloton continues to surprise. Best time in Free Practice 1 of the Roar then in Free Practice 1 of the 24 Hours, the white and green car no. 66 from Gradient Racing also took third place on the GTD category grid thanks to a phenomenal Katherine Legge .

« Third, I think it's good, declared the Briton at the end of the session. For a second I thought we had a chance for the [GTD] pole position. I think today's conditions definitely favored our Acura NSX, as it was cooler. So we tried to take advantage of that and put the car at the front of the field. We are in a good position to have a good race next weekend. » What is there to hope for at least a podium for the quartet formed by Legge, Sheena Monk, Tatiana Calderón and Stevan McAleer?

« I feel like we have a very good car in all conditions, Calderón believes. Last week it was cold and the car was great. This week, it's hot and the car is still performing as well. So I'm very happy with my teammates, the car and the engineers. We just need to bring the car home and be there for the end to become a potential contender. »

« In terms of pace and on paper, the car seems very strong, replied the Colombian when we asked her if a podium was possible. That's what I feel when I ride it. Obviously a lot can happen, but if we can stay in the lead until the last four hours, we should have a good chance of being among the top. »

In 2023, this same Acura NSX GT3 from Gradient Racing, already with Katherine Legge and Sheena Monk, but accompanied by Marc Miller and Mario Farnbacher, managed to finish just off the podium (4th) in its category. Which was the best result of the year for this car. A podium would therefore be a nice surprise for the Texan team.

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