RACERS EDGE MOTORSPORTS TAKES DOUBLE VICTORY IN OPENING GT WORLD CHALLENGE AMERICA WEEKEND
Racers Edge Motorsports swept the GT World Challenge America powered by AWS opening weekend at Circuit of the Americas, beginning its title defense with a dominating weekend from drivers Trent Hindman and Shelby Blackstock in their No 93 Acura Accelerated Services Acura NSX GT3 Evo. The No 80 MBRP Acura NSX GT3 Evo, driven by team veterans Martin Barkey and Kyle Marcelli, finished in the top-five in both races.
Qualifying on Saturday presented a challenge with mixed weather conditions, with rain starting during the first qualifying session and forcing teams to switch to tire setup for their second qualifying drivers. Shelby Blackstock and Martin Barkey put our Acura NSX GT3 Evos in P2 and P6, respectively, on the grid for race 1, in a challenging 15-minutes on track.
Trent Hindman qualified the No 93 Acura Accelerated Services Acura NSX GT3 Evo on pole for race 2, on wets, while Kyle Marcelli threw down his own set of monster laps to start the No 80 MBRP Acura NSX GT3 Evo P4 overall.
With the weather once again dry for race 1, Blackstock battled with James Sofronas early in the race, finally taking P1 and a commanding lead going into the pit stops. Hindman showed his experience in the Acura NSX GT3 Evo, taking the checkered for his first win in GT World Challenge America, and earning Blackstock his first victory in the machine. The duo led the field by more than 21-seconds in the season-opening race.
Barkey had his own fight in mid-pack, and brought his Acura NSX GT3 Evo into the pit stop in P5. Kyle Marcelli took over behind the wheel, pushing hard to eliminate an 18-second gap in his closing stint, to finish a heartbreaking one-second from a podium in P4.
In Race 2 on Sunday, Trent Hindman took the car from pole to lead the field throughout his stint, handing the car off to Shelby Blackstock after a near flawless run, who put in his own impressive drive to the checkered flag. The drivers also recorded the fastest laps in each of the weekend's races.
Kyle Marcelli started in P4 behind the wheel of the No 80 MBRP Acura NSX GT3 Evo, then quickly shot up to P2 behind his teammate with a masterful move in Turn 1 in the starting seconds of the race. He came into the pits in second position, handing the Acura machine over to Martin Barkey after a super quick pit stop by the crew. Barkey held that position during his stint, showing great race pace, but two full-course cautions and multiple incidents resulting in contact from competitors forced Barkey to pit for a tire change. Marcelli and Barkey ultimately scored two top-five class finishes for the weekend overall.
RACERS EDGE MOTORSPORTS TO CAMPAIGN A SECOND
ACURA NSX GT3 EVO IN GT WORLD CHALLENGE AMERICA
Racers Edge Motorsports will campaign a second Acura NSX GT3 Evo in the GT World Challenge America powered by AWS series to be piloted by Acura Motorsports development drivers Trent Hindman and Shelby Blackstock.
Hindman and Blackstock, both silver rated drivers, will partner to compete in the Silver Cup class of the 13-round GT championship series. The team will continue working with Acura Motorsports and Honda Performance Development (HPD), who will provide technical and trackside support for the Acura NSX GT3 Evo at every round of the series and at official test events. The #93 car, in a bright red livery with black accents, will carry Acura Accelerated Service branding. This NSX machine will also be used in the inaugural HPD Racing GT3 Driver Academy program.
While Hindman and Blackstock are new to the Racers Edge program, both drivers bring a wealth of sportscar experience to the program.
Hindman enters his third year racing an Acura NSX GT3 Evo, winning the 2019 IMSA Weathertech GTD Championship with Mario Farnbacher and Meyer Shank Racing. He is driving the No 57 Acura NSX GT3 Evo in the 2020 IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup under the Heinricher Racing/MSR with Curb-Agajanian banner. Hindman is also a 2014 Continental Tire SportsCar Championship Series Grand Sport class champion and won the 2017 Lamborghini Super Trofeo North American and World Championships.
“I’m grateful for any opportunity to hop back into the NSX GT3 Evo especially for a full-time effort in GT World Challenge America competition,” Hindman said. “Racers Edge has success with the NSX GT3, and I’m excited to continue the momentum by bringing my knowledge and experience with the car to this team.”
Blackstock has a background in touring cars and single seaters, with several years of competition in both Indy Lights and Pro Mazda. He is contesting his second season in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge series in a Honda Civic Type R, earning two TCR class wins at Daytona and Sebring and three podium finishes with co-driver Tom O’Gorman in 2019.
Blackstock is excited to take this next step in his career. “I am eager and appreciative for the opportunity in GT World Challenge America this season. With such a great lineup, we are set for success. I am really looking forward to turning my first laps in the Acura NSX GT3 Evo at COTA in two weeks.”
Hindman and Blackstock are both anticipating the opportunity to finally work together in their respective motorsports careers.
“Trent and I have been teammates before, back in 2014, and have raced against one another since we started in Skip Barber in 2010. I am confident we can build on our success working together,” said Blackstock.
Hindman echoes the sentiment. “Shelby and I have known each other for 10 years and have become great friends throughout our time in motorsports. I’m really looking forward to working with him and seeing his transition into the NSX GT3. I think he’ll bring a fresh perspective to the entire team.”
In 2019, Racers Edge Motorsports won the 2019 Pro/Am Drivers’ Championship in GT World Challenge America with drivers Martin Barkey and Kyle Marcelli, and will return the same pairing to this season’s competition along with the Hindman/Blackstock duo.
The 2020 GT World Challenge America season kicks off March 6-8 at Circuit of The Americas in Austin, TX.
NEW HPD GT3 DRIVER ACADEMY FEATURES ACURA NSX GT3 EVO
Honda Performance Development (HPD) is pleased to announce the launch of the “HPD GT3 Driver Academy” that will enable qualified professional racers to accelerate their racing career via ‘on-track’ and ‘off-track’ skills training from experienced Acura NSX GT3 Evo drivers, HPD-supported teams, and HPD personnel.
Supporting driver development is a fundamental value of Acura Motorsports and HPD. The HPD GT3 Driver Academy represents the latest demonstration of this commitment. As talented drivers rise through the sports car developmental ladder, many find that reaching the next level is limited by access to in-vehicle/team experience, promotional ability, and paddock knowledge.
The program will include on-track racecraft coaching sessions in the championship winning Acura NSX GT3 Evo from drivers such as Ryan Eversley, Kyle Marcelli, Mario Farnbacher, and Dane Cameron, as well as off-track instruction relating to effective communication with team personnel and engineers, in addition to driver marketing insights and sponsor searches.
“This program is a natural fit for HPD, as we have seen the growth of the NSX GT3 Evo program and the abundance of talent coming through the developmental touring and sports car series,” said John Whiteman, Manager, HPD Commercial Motorsports. “We are pleased to provide a unique training program that can assist drivers in fully preparing them for GT3 competition.”
The program is available by application-only and is limited to four students per year. The program will include at least four on-track events in 2020, starting at Sebring Raceway in February. Each on-track session will be administered by the Racers Edge Motorsports team, which, with drivers Martin Barkey and Kyle Marcelli, captured the 2019 SRO World Challenge GT Pro/Am Driver Championship.
More details on the program are available here.
RACERS EDGE RETURNS TO DEFEND
GT WORLD CHALLENGE AMERICA TITLE IN 2020
Racers Edge Motorsports is excited to announce the team’s return to GT World Challenge America competition for the 2020 season to defend the GT3 Pro/Am Championship title.
Kyle Marcelli and Martin Barkey continue their partnership behind the wheel of the No 80 MBRP Acura NSX GT3 Evo in which the duo won the 2019 Pro/Am Drivers’ Championship. The team will also continue working with Honda Performance Development (HPD) and the Acura NSX GT3 Evo in the 2020 campaign.
Both drivers eagerly anticipate the team’s return to GT World Challenge America competition to defend their title.
“I look forward to returning to the wheel of the Acura NSX GT3 Evo,” said Kyle Marcelli. “The car is awesome, and HPD provides outstanding trackside support to help win races. We aim to extract the most from ourselves and the race car and do our best to achieve top points each weekend.”
“The Racers Edge team really came together, eager to deliver the best. Their attention to detail was key to our success. Martin did a great job in his rookie season of GT3 competition.”
Martin Barkey echoes his co-driver’s sentiment. “I’m excited to be racing the MBRP Acura NSX GT3 again. The Racers Edge team really know their stuff, Kyle always delivers the goods and the NSX just always seems ready to race.”
“We now have data, knowledge and preparation to our advantage that we didn’t have last year at this time. We have the right car, the best team, and the support required. We’re ready.”
In 2019, Racers Edge Motorsports earned two overall pole positions and three race wins, including the first victory for the new Acura NSX GT3 Evo package at Circuit of The Americas. Overall, Barkey and Marcelli finished on the podium nine times during the season. In addition to the Drivers’ title, the team finished second in the GT3 Pro/Am Team Championship.
“2019 was a fantastic debut season for our program,” Marcelli concluded. “Yet, we aim to make 2020 even better.”
The 2020 GT World Challenge America season kicks off March 6-8 at Circuit of The Americas in Austin, TX.