(Deland, Fla.) May 1, 2023 — Returning to the site of the pair’s first win in 2022, Ashton Harrison and Mario Farnbacher had their sights set on repeating last year’s success in the No. 93 Harrison Contracting Company Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 with Racers Edge Motorsports and Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti (WTRAndretti) at NOLA Motorsports Park.
The driver pairing displayed impressive speed inside the No. 93 Rely on Red Acura as Harrison qualified third for Saturday’s Race 1 and Farnbacher claimed pole position for Sunday’s Race 2 in the Fanatec GT World Challenge PRO class. As the field finally saw the green for Race 1 after a two-hour delay due to rain and standing water, track conditions played a heavy hand in the action on track. Harrison held steady in the first stint before handing over the car to Farnbacher. At first, the wet track conditions appeared manageable, but as the track began to dry, an unfortunate mistake occurred when Farnbacher hit a puddle, causing the car to go off the track and into the gravel trap, ultimately resulting in the team’s elimination from Race 1.
Sunday’s Race 2 brought better weather conditions and Farnbacher led the PRO class to the green flag from pole position. First lap contact created difficulties for the Farnbacher, but he was able to work his way back up into the lead of the PRO class. Once Harrison took over inside the No. 93 Rely on Red machine, it looked to be a promising result, possibly even a class win, before contact with the second-place class competitor forced the No. 93 Rely on Red Acura off track and into the gravel, placing the team multiple laps down and out of podium contention.
The No. 93 Harrison Contracting Company Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 with Racers Edge Motorsports and WTRAndretti team next head to the Circuit of the Americas on May 19 for Rounds 5 and 6 on the Fanatec GT World Challenge schedule.
No. 93 Harrison Contracting Company Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 DRIVER QUOTES:
Ashton Harrison:
“Obviously, not the way we expected the weekend to go. I’m really proud of everyone’s efforts at Racers Edge Motorsports, HPD and the support from Harrison Contracting and WTRAndretti because we came into the weekend really strong, and we obviously had high expectations, but I know we went into each race full push the whole time and I think we did our absolute best. Even though the results aren’t what we wanted, I do believe that we continue to showcase the performance of Racers Edge, Mario and I and the competition that we have the rest of the season. I’m looking forward to regrouping and getting ready for COTA in a few short weeks.”
Mario Farnbacher:
“It wasn’t our weekend. We had good pace, not our strongest car, but I think we had good overall pace to perform. We were able to collect some good points through the race week. Unfortunately, with the wet track in Race 1 drying, I personally made a mistake. Ashton did a fantastic opening stint, her first time in this car in the rain, so that was a very good start for her, and she gave the car to me in a good position to fight on track. Unfortunately, I had a slight mistake but that’s what happens sometimes. We’re all human and there is always room for error, even as a pro driver. Really sorry to the team and the points lost. In Race 2, we had contact from a competitor that caused damage to the car and I drove the entire stint with the effects of that damage. Ultimately, even with not the best car, we were able to get by the leading class car. Then I gave the car over to Ashton, and she did a really good job defending the lead from the second-place class car before unfortunately he made contact and took the position away and we ended up in the gravel. Very disappointed about the outcome of this weekend. We had a good car, just couldn’t make a lot of it. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Obviously, this weekend wasn’t meant to be. We’ll put our heads up, learn from our mistakes and focus on Texas where we are going to come back strong and turn around from what we lost this weekend”
About Harrison Contracting
Harrison Contracting Company, Inc. (HCC) is a commercial painting and facility maintenance contracting company headquartered in Villa Rica, GA with divisional offices in Florida and Texas. HCC provides repainting/reimaging and facility maintenance services nationwide, and new construction painting across the southeastern US. At HCC, red is more than the company color, its culture. RED stands for Reliable, Experienced, and Diligent, and is the cornerstone for all we do. We are more than just your painter; we are your partner.
About the HPD Driver Academy Program
The Honda Performance Development (HPD) Driver Academy Program was developed to enable qualified racers to accelerate their racing career via ‘on-track’ and ‘off-track’ training from experienced Acura/Honda professional drivers, HPD-supported teams, and HPD personnel. The program includes sessions in the championship winning Acura NSX GT3 Evo or Honda Civic Type R TCR teaching the special knowledge and various skills required for professional sports car racing. The program is available by application-only and is limited to eight students per year.
About Honda Performance Development
Honda Performance Development, Inc., (HPD) has a rich heritage creating, manufacturing, and supporting Honda Racing and Acura Motorsports customers since 1993 from pinnacle racing in INDYCAR and IMSA to commercial racing programs. HPD is a wholly owned subsidiary of American Honda Motor Co., Inc. and leads all of Honda and Acura’s high-performance racing programs in North America, specializing in the design and development of race engines, chassis and performance parts, as well as technical and race support.
