(Deland, Fla.) September 27, 2023 — Sportscar champion Kyle Marcelli will join Ashton Harrison and Mario Farnbacher behind the wheel of the No. 93 Harrison Contracting Company Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 as Racers Edge Motorsports with WTRAndretti heads to Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) for the SRO Indianapolis 8-Hour slated as the Fanatec GT World Challenge powered by AWS series finale.
Marcelli is a newcomer to the eight-hour race, but far from a rookie in the sportscar world. He recently clinched a back-to-back sportscar PRO championship in Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America and won the GT World Challenge America PRO-AM Driver’s Championship with Racers Edge Motorsports in 2019. Marcelli and Harrison have been Racers Edge Motorsports with WTRAndretti teammates for the 2023 season and together in the WTRAndretti stable for three years.
Ashton Harrison and Mario Farnbacher head to The Racing Capital of the World in a familiar position from last season, with a tight battle at the top of the GT World Challenge America PRO championship standings. The double-points earning eight-hour race will once again be the deciding factor in the title fight in a competitive GT3 field. Harrison and Farnbacher have a successful professional history together on the famed bricks, winning the Indy 8-Hour overall in 2021 and clinching the PRO-AM title in 2022 with Racers Edge Motorsports. The duo has earned five podium finishes this season, including two victories with an overall win at Circuit of The Americas.
Official on-track action for the Indianapolis 8-Hour presented by AWS weekend starts Thursday, October 5, with GT3 practice at 6:45 p.m. local time. Green flag flies on Saturday, October 7, at 12:15 p.m. and will be streamed live at GT World on YouTube.
No. 93 Harrison Contracting Company Acura NSX GT3 Evo22 DRIVER QUOTES:
Ashton Harrison:
“The championship is still the top priority, so that’s our focus for Indy. We’re in a similar position at the end of this season as we were last season, and won the championship. This Racers Edge Motorsports with WTRAndretti team never gives up, and we’ll have our elbows out and be ready to push like we always do. Indy is a track that’s treated us well in this series, and I’ve had really good success there personally so I’m looking forward to another strong run to finish out the season. Mario and I have a good history together at Indy already, and now having Kyle with us is going to be a really strong lineup. The NSX is a strong platform at IMS, and Kyle and I both just had some solid track time there. Thanks to Honda/HPD Racing, Acura Motorsports and Harrison Contracting for giving us such a strong platform and support every race weekend.”
Mario Farnbacher:
“The championship is not over, the fight continues. We still have a chance to win the championship, so that’s our main focus going into Indy. The 8-hour has more strategy than the sprint rounds, and then we also have the IGTC competitors joining us, so I’m really looking forward to those two challenges, and hopefully ending the season with another championship. We’ve had good success here in the past, so we’re looking to build on that with the support from Racers Edge Motorsports with WTRAndretti and HPD Racing.”
Kyle Marcelli:
“I’m excited to join the Racers Edge Motorsports with WTRAndretti driver line-up in the Acura NSX GT3 for the SRO Indy 8H. I feel we’ve got some unfinished business at Indianapolis this year. This will be my first SRO 8H event, but I have followed it the last few years and it proves to be an exciting, intense, GT-only endurance race! It will be mostly familiar faces amongst the team and a familiar car, so it should be rather plug-and-play. It will be my first time sharing a car with Mario, and I’m looking forward to that! He comes with a wealth of experience and knowledge with this car – I think he’s got more laps in this car than anybody else and it’ll be fun to work with him and learn from him. Overall, I think we’ve got a great lineup! Ashton is really strong at Indy and I think we’re all extremely motivated to finish 2023 on the podium or better yet, in victory lane! Thanks to Harrison Contracting for their trust in me.”
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.
