After setting the pace early in Sunday afternoon’s qualifying session, concluding the 2023 Roar Before the Rolex 24, Ricky Taylor piloted Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosport’s (WTRAndretti) No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06 to a starting position of third for the 61st Running of the Rolex 24 At DAYTONA.
A strategy decision by the team, opting to stay in the pits on used tires at the end of a red-flag-impacted session, was ultimately the deciding factor in the result. The team is confident in their ability to fight to the front over the 24 hours of hard GTP racing ahead.
“The session all came down to tires,” said two-time IMSA Champion Ricky Taylor. “It was an intentional decision by us to take one set, and MSR took two. Based on the risk of red flags with everyone running new cars, I still think that was the right decision. If the session had stayed red for 30 more seconds, we were on pole. As it turned out, the No. 60 got to use that second set properly. I thought the car was really, really good and if we couldn’t be on pole, it’s nice for the other Acura to finish first after all the work everyone has put in at HPD, Oreca, and WTRAndretti. We’ll see them in the race.”
Practice for the Rolex 24 starts on January 26th, with the green flag for the legendary endurance race waving on the 28th at 1:40 p.m. Live coverage is available on Peacock for the full 24-hour cycle, alternate coverage on USA Network, and the final hours and victory celebrations available on NBC starting at 12:00 p.m. ET on the 29th.
TOP FIVE STARTING GRID
1. No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb Agajanian (Acura ARX-06) T. Blomqvist, C. Braun, H. Castroneves & S. Pagenaud (136.295 mph)
2. No. 7 Porsche Penske Motorsports (Porsche 963) M. Campbell, F. Nasr & M. Christensen (136.175 mph)
3. No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06 (Acura ARX-06) R. Taylor, F. Albuquerque, L. Delétraz & B. Hartley (136.054 mph)
4. No. 01 Cadillac Racing (Cadillac V-LMDh) S. Bourdais, R. van der Zande & S. Dixon (135.961 mph)
5. No. 02 Cadillac Racing (Cadillac V-LMDh) E. Bamber, A. Lynn & R. Westbrook (135.778 mph)
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 .