Acura Integra Type S And Honda Civic Si Come Out On Top As Sports Cars Make A Comeback At Barber Motorsports Park.

On September 9, 2024, in Birmingham, Alabama

Celso Neto secures his fourth TCX win in the new Acura Integra Type S DE5, marking his fourth victory in the last six races.

Honda’s HART Alabama team, led by Honda associates, achieve their first victory in the TCA category with the Honda Civic Si FE1.

Racers Edge Motorsports Acura NSX GT3 EVO22 continues to achieve podium finishes in GT World Challenge races, earning their fourth and fifth consecutive placements.

The previous weekend of the 2024 SRO Touring Car America and GT World Challenge America season at the Barber Motorsports Park was marked by Acura and Honda securing two significant victories.

The intricate and condensed layout of the Barber track has been a defining factor in several races, as contact between drivers has led to penalties being issued by race officials. The SRO sportscar drivers were faced with elevation changes, blind corners, and technical turns at the 17-turn 2.38-mile track, which they hadn’t raced on since 2016.

The weekend was marked by two significant victories: Celso Neto secured his 4th win in the TCX class driving the HRC-developed TCX Acura Integra Type S, while the HART Alabama team achieved their first victory with a Honda Civic Si FE1 in the TCA class.

TC America is being supported by Skip Barber as they operate.

TCX Acura Integra Type S DE5 – TCX Acura Integra Type S DE5

Races 11-12 in the 2024 SRO season were fiercely competitive. Acura Integra Type S driver Celso Neto has consistently placed in the top two since May, and he was motivated to continue his streak.

After qualifying less than 0.2 seconds off pole in race one, Neto kept the nose of the Integra right on the tail of the leader throughout most of the contest, setting fastest lap of the race. With 17 minutes remaining, the two competitors split a lapped car on either side giving Neto the inside line going into turn 10. The two front runners made contact door-to-door with the Acura pulling away with the lead. Unfortunately, the move was penalized with a drive thru penalty. Returning to the track in 3rd, Neto was able to work his way back into 2nd and finished just 12 seconds behind the leader. Cooper Broll was able to continue his very successful season coming across the line in 3rd with his Integra.

Starting from the pole in race 2, Neto faced pressure from his rival the entire race with never more than a half second separating them. After leading for the first 25 minutes, the two exchanged positions a couple times. Neto used the Acura’s power along the front straight to regain the lead going into turn one and never give it back up winning by less than half a second.

These were Neto’s 9th and 10th podiums of the season and his 4th victory in the last 6 races, where he celebrated by flying the Brazilian flag out of this car window. Especially quick throughout the weekend in the turns 14-16, Cooper Broll used that area to make a move for 3rd on the last lap but made contact, causing a puncture and suspension damage resulting in a fifth-place finish. Fellow Acura driver Christopher DeFreitas was able to take advantage and slide into 4th.

FE1 TCA Honda Civic Si

Although the TCA drivers were unfamiliar with the Alabama track set among the rolling hills, one team believed they could have a slight edge. The HART Alabama team, comprised of Honda employees from the nearby Honda Manufacturing of Alabama plant, views this as their local raceway.

HART driver Karl Hertel is frequently seen driving a Honda Odyssey minivan that is race-ready, and his expertise was evident. LA Honda World, a fellow Honda team, assisted HART in obtaining a Honda Civic Si FE1for Barber, allowing him to secure 3rd place in their first SRO event of 2024 and achieve their inaugural podium. Alex Garcia kept up his good performance in his Honda Civic Si with a strong second-place finish.

Hertel stated that the team had a strategy in place for the second race, and it certainly paid off. Following their dominant performance in the race, the whole team stood on the wall, cheering and waving signs (some with tears in their eyes) as Hertel finished first in race two with his Honda. The HART Alabama team had a very impressive start in 2024.

FANATEC GT WORLD CHALLENGE AMERICA SUPPORTED BY AWS

The Acura NSX GT3 is a high-performance racing car.

In practice, the Racers Edge Motorsports Acura NSX appeared fast, securing the second position in the season’s last sprint race. The racetrack known as the “Augusta National” for racecars was particularly enjoyable for ex-IndyCar racer Zach Veach, who discovered the Acura to be smoother on the track compared to an IndyCar. Luca Mars seemed to have secured the pole position, but in the final moments, a rival overtook them by a mere 0.035 seconds.

Regrettably, the plan to start from the front row did not work out as expected, as some drama in the first turn caused Mars to lose positions and settle for 5th place. He managed to stay alongside the leader, never trailing by more than 4 seconds during his 45-minute period. The Racers Edge team’s exceptional pit stop allowed Zach Veach to move up to 4th place, where he remained until just 2 laps left. Employing a technique picked up from IndyCar, Veach experimented with a high line on turn 16 before swiftly transitioning to the inside on turn 17 to position himself behind the car ahead on the front stretch. This boosted him to finish the pass into turn 1, enabling him and Mars to celebrate on the podium with champagne once more.

In the second race, Veach started 5th in the Pro division in an Acura, but was pushed back initially before regaining his position on the track. Once more, the Racers Edge team assisted in advancing by one position when Luca Mars stepped in for the latter part. Mars seemed to have observed Veach’s actions from the day before and once again, with 2 laps left, he started working. Following a similar pattern as the day prior, Luca executed a pass for 3rd place using Veach’s renowned IndyCar maneuver. After two exciting races in a row, the NSX passed its way to the podium in the last 2 laps, resulting in the Acura achieving five consecutive podium finishes.

Quotations

Celso Neto (#22 Skip Barber Racing Acura Integra Type S DE5) describing race 1 as a challenging battle. Throughout most of the race, we maintained pressure on the race leader. After successfully passing a car in our path, we had a chance to overtake the leader. However, there was contact during the maneuver, leading to a punishment from the commissioners for an unsportsmanlike overtake. Despite disagreeing with the decision, both I and the team continued to push until the end, ultimately securing a P2 finish and the fastest lap of the race. The pole is tomorrow! “Let’s get moving!”

Celso Neto (#22 Skip Barber Racing Acura Integra Type S DE5) expresses joy after race two with a shout of “Victory!” Today we had a challenging race against our rival, facing pressure throughout the entire competition, ultimately finishing with a half a second lead at the finish line. 4th victory achieved this year! The track was extremely filthy, which resulted in difficulty. The entire competition involved remaining composed, simply do not let go. A strong performance in sector 3 was essential for our chances, and that is exactly what occurred. The battle was good on both days. I am grateful to the Skip Barber Racing team and Honda Racing HRC, the car performed excellently today. I am extremely happy.

Following:

It is now the moment to conclude the season with the customary finale at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The TC America drivers from Skip Barber Racing School will participate in their usual two sprint races to end the 2024 season. The season finale for the Fanatec GT World Challenge America powered by AWS will be an 8-hour endurance race. The Indianapolis season finale is October 4-6.

Results of Saturday’s race at TCX Barber.

2nd place in the TCX category was awarded to Celso Neto from Skip Barber Racing driving an Acura Integra Type S and also received the Fastest Lap Award.

3rd place in the TCX category was awarded to Cooper Broll of Skip Barber Racing driving an Acura Integra Type S, earning him the Hard Charger Award.

5th place in the TCX category was secured by Christopher DeFreitas driving for Racers Edge Motorsports in an Acura Integra Type S.

Results of the TCA Barber Saturday Race.

2nd TCA – #14 Alex Garcia from Skip Barber Racing won the Hard Charger Award in a Honda Civic Si FE1.

Third in the Touring Car A class is #93 Karl Hertel from HART Alabama driving a Honda Civic Si FE1.

Barber Saturday Race Results for GT World Challenge America

3rd place was taken by Luca Mars and Zach Veach from Racers Edge Motorsports driving the NSX GT3.

Sunday Race Results from TCX Barber

1st place goes to #22 Celso Neto from Skip Barber Racing driving the Acura Integra Type S and setting the fastest lap time.

4th place in the TCX category was achieved by #39 Christopher DeFreitas driving for Racers Edge Motorsports in an Acura Integra Type S, earning the Hard Charger Award.

Cooper Broll, driving for Skip Barber Racing in an Acura Integra Type S, finished in 19th place at the 5th TCX.

Results for the Sunday race at TCA Barber.

1st place in Touring Car A went to #93 Karl Hertel of HART Alabama driving a Honda Civic Si FE1 (Recipient of the Hard Charger Award).

3rd place in the Touring Car America – #14 Alex Garcia representing Skip Barber Racing driving a Honda Civic Si FE1.

Results of Sunday’s race at Barber for GT World Challenge America

#93 Luca Mars and Zach Veach of Racers Edge Motorsports, driving the NSX GT3, finished fifth (third in class).