Acura Integra Type S Set to Pace Field for Season-opening IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race
Daytona Beach, Fla. (Jan. 23, 2025) – The Acura Integra Type S will serve as the Official Safety Car throughout the 63rd Rolex 24 At Daytona. Additionally, Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) Global President Koji Watanabe will wave the green flag as the race’s Honorary Starter.
Acura has paced the field before, as its NSX Type S split Official Safety Car duties with fellow Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) class participating manufacturers BMW, Cadillac and Porsche during the first race of the new GTP era at the 2023 Rolex 24 At Daytona. The Integra Type S will pace the field on its own in 2025.
Watanabe has had an extensive, successful career with Honda since joining Honda Motor Company in 1987. Throughout his more than 35 years with the company, he has served in a variety of executive leadership roles. He has headed up Honda’s Chinese and European regional operations and helped to lead and elevate the global Honda Racing Corporation brand and corporate communications. He was named President of Honda Racing Corporation globally in 2022.
The high-performance Acura Integra Type S is an award-winner built exclusively at the Marysville Auto Plant in Marysville, Ohio. It won the 2023 North American Car of the Year™, 2024 Car and Driver 10 Best Cars award and 2024 Road & Track Performance Car of the Year after launch.
Standard high-performance hardware includes a turbocharged 2.0-liter VTEC® engine producing 320 horsepower (SAE net @ 6,500 rpm) and 310 lb.-ft. of torque.
As the ultimate Integra, the model’s road holding is improved with an innovative dual-axis front suspension design and performance-tuned Adaptive Damper System that provides precise control of ride and handling with optimized damping curves to suit driving conditions. Powerful Brembo® front brakes and lightweight 19-inch wheels wrapped in sticky 265/30ZR19 Michelin Pilot Sport 4S high-performance summer tires complete the dynamic package.
Two Acura ARX-06 prototypes will compete in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season-opener, fielded by Acura Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian, in GTP. One of them includes the No. 93, a number bearing a nod to Honda Performance Development’s founding year of 1993. In January 2024, Honda renamed HPD to HRC US, combining with HRC Japan to strengthen its overall motorsports programs and capabilities under the Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) global umbrella.
“We are excited to have Acura and HRC represented for this year’s prestigious Rolex 24 in such a significant way,” said David Salters, President, Honda Racing Corporation USA. “Acura electrified ARX-06 race cars on track, our sleek Acura Integra Type S cars pacing the race, and our Global President of Honda Racing Corporation, Koji Watanabe, all being involved in this legendary race just shows our commitment to this sport. We truly value IMSA and the Rolex 24 and especially the partnership we have with them.”
Live coverage of the 63rd Rolex 24 At Daytona begins on Saturday, January 25, at 1:30 p.m. ET on NBC. Flag-to-flag coverage streams on Peacock (U.S.) and on YouTube.com/IMSAOfficial (outside the U.S.).
Guests can experience 24 hours of intense on-track battles during the historic Rolex 24 At DAYTONA starting on Saturday, Jan. 25, at 1:40 p.m. ET and continuing through the wave of the checkered flag on Sunday, Jan. 26.
Fans can get up close and personal to the cars, teams, and drivers as admission includes garage access for all four days of IMSA action. Tickets are available for the 2025 Rolex 24 At DAYTONA at www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP.
About Daytona International Speedway
Daytona International Speedway is a state-of-the-art motorsports facility and was awarded the SportsBusiness Journal’s prestigious Sports Business Award for Sports Facility of the Year in 2016. Daytona International Speedway is the home of The Great American Race – the DAYTONA 500. Though the season-opening NASCAR Cup Series event garners most of the attention – as well as the largest audience in motorsports – the approximately 500-acre motorsports complex, also known as the World Center of Racing, boasts the most diverse schedule of racing on the globe. Some of the exciting racing events include January’s Rolex 24 At DAYTONA and Roar Before The Rolex 24, February’s DAYTONA 500 and Speedweeks Presented by AdventHealth, March’s Bike Week At DAYTONA Presented By Monster Energy, featuring DAYTONA Supercross and the DAYTONA 200, the August Coke Zero Sugar 400 weekend, and much more. The Speedway grounds are also used extensively for other events that include concerts (Welcome to Rockville, Heroes Honor Festival, etc.), sporting events (DAYTONA Soccer Fest, CLASH DAYTONA, etc.) civic and social gatherings, car shows, photo shoots, production vehicle testing and police motorcycle training.
