Double Victories, Historic Win for Acura Drivers at Indianapolis Endurance Run
Double Victories, Historic Win for Acura Drivers at Indianapolis Endurance Run
The #77 Compass Racing trio of Ashton Harrison, Mario Farnbacher and Matt McMurry took Silver Cup class honors today in their Acura NSX GT3 Evo at the Indianapolis 8 Hour Intercontinental GT Challenge. The class win followed a breakthrough victory earlier in the day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, as Harrison and McMurry claimed the overall and Pro/Am class win in the opening three-hour Fanatec GT World Challenge America portion of the race.
In her GT3 racing debut, Harrison became the first female overall race winner in SRO GT World Challenge history, driving the opening and closing stints. In the first hour, Harrison made up six positions to gain the SRO lead, with co-driver McMurry maintaining their advantage through his hour-long stint. Harrison returned to the drivers’ seat for the final hour to complete the historic run, claiming both the overall and Pro/Am class wins.
The GT World Challenge America contest was a race within a race, with the finishing order for World Challenge cars determined by their position after three hours of the Indianapolis eight-hour SRO Intercontinental GT Challenge. Following the Compass Racing duo to the three-hour finish was the Racers Edge Acura NSX GT3 Evo of Dakota Dickerson and Taylor Hagler, second in the Pro/Am class and third overall.
Following the conclusion of the GT World Challenge America portion of today’s race, McMurry and Harrison were joined by third driver Farnbacher, and the trio went on to the Silver Cup class victory – and sixth overall – despite contact from a Ferrari that sent McMurry off course less than 25 minutes from the finish. McMurry fell to second in the resulting spin, but quickly recovered to finish second on track, with the trio awarded the class victory when the leading #26 Audi was penalized for entering a closed pit lane late in the race.
In the #93 Racers Edge Acura, Jacob Abel joined Dickerson and Hagler after the three-hour mark, and the trio went on to finish third in the Silver Cup class and eighth overall to complete a historic day for Acura and for the SRO championship, featuring a pair of talented women racers on the podium for both the Intercontinental GT Challenge and the GT World Challenge America.