(Long Beach, Calif.) April 15, 2023 — The No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06 gave it everything they had as Ricky Taylor went for the win with under two minutes remaining in the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. Saturday’s Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach marked the first sprint race of the 2023 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season for the Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosport (WTRAndretti) team. Full season co-driver, Filipe Albuquerque qualified the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06 on pole position to lead the field to the green flag and had a very smooth first stint. As Albuquerque brought the blue and black machine from the lead for the sole pit stop and driver change of the day, a troublesome pit stop made a challenge for the reminder of the race.
Ricky Taylor hustled around the tight corners of the Long Beach streets and worked his way up into second position during the last 15 minutes of the race. As the checkered flag was nearing, Taylor went for the lead on the front stretch into Turn 1, before unfortunately making contact with the wall – ending the team’s day with just under two minutes before the clock expired.
“It’s not the ending that we wanted,” said Wayne Taylor. “We really had a good car, and both the drivers did a great job. We had things going on that snowballed throughout the race, starting with a radio problem, then it went to something else. We had problems with the driver change that caused us to lose time in the pits. Then we had another situation where the rev limiter came on, so we lost seven seconds. We lost 13 in the pits and then we lost another seven, then we were 27 seconds behind. Ricky would then make his way all the way up there and then something else would happen. He got by everybody, and I began to think that we could definitely get a second place, then he closed on the first car, and I thought ‘We’re going to win this race.’, then we just went into the wall. However, when you have car as good and fast as this and use it to the maximum, you can’t really blame anybody for that. This is the Acura Grand Prix and Ricky wanted to win. We just have to get ready and go for the next one.”
“I’m very sorry for Acura, HPD and the WTRAndretti team,” said Ricky Taylor. “We had a lot to learn from the past five years with the Acura ARX-05. This was always our track where we had the most performance deficit to the field and it just says so much about Acura, HPD, Oreca and Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosport to turn our weakest track into our strongest track. At the end of the day when you have the strongest car you want to repay those people and win the race. Unfortunately, we got behind with a little issue mid race and we had such a strong car while fighting back. It came down so close in the end, if we had more time maybe I would have been more patient, but we just wanted to win this for Acura. Everyone at Acura, HPD and Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosport deserved to win this today and it’s just disappointing, but I’m just so proud to drive an Acura and be part of this team.”
“What a crazy day today,” said Filipe Albuquerque. “There is so much to say. You could write a drama book about this race today. We started well today, although it was chaotic for the No. 60 and I could see a sideways car that was about to take me out in Turn 1. Okay— we avoid that, then the car is fine, and we pull a gap, but lost everything just before pitting in on traffic. We had some setbacks in the pit stop and, on the track, but Ricky recovered that as he was flying on the track and chasing everybody – overtaking everybody at the hardest track of the year. He made us believe that the win was still possible out of a crazy race. For him, it was all or nothing and things happen when we push hard for the win. He locked up and crashed, but I can believe him because when you’re pushing for the win that happens.”
The WTRAndretti and the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06 team will return to California in under one month’s time for the Motul Course de Monterey Powered by Hyundai N on May 14, 2023 at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
ABOUT KONICA MINOLTA
Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. is reshaping and revolutionizing the workplace to achieve true connectivity through the Intelligent Connected Workplace. The company guides and supports its clients’ digital transformation through its expansive office technology portfolio, including IT Services (All Covered), intelligent information management, managed print services and industrial and commercial print solutions. Konica Minolta has been included on CRN’s MSP 500 list nine times and The World Technology Awards named the company a finalist in the IT Software category. Konica Minolta has been recognized as the #1 Brand for Customer Loyalty in the MFP Office Copier Market by Brand Keys for fifteen consecutive years, and is proud to be ranked on the Forbes 2021 America’s Best-in-State employers list. The company received Keypoint Intelligence’s BLI 2021 A3 Line of The Year Award and BLI 2021-2023 Most Color Consistent A3 Brand Award for its bizhub i-Series. Konica Minolta, Inc. has been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index for nine consecutive years and has spent four years on the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World list. The company recognizes 150 years in global business in 2023. Konica Minolta partners with its clients to give shape to ideas and works to bring value to our society. For more information, please visit us online and follow Konica Minolta on Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn and Twitter.
The No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06 effort and Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosport is supported by an outstanding lineup of partners including Harrison Contracting Company, Acura Motorsports, Honda Performance Development and Hammer Nutrition .
