Acura Plans Multi-Car Entry List For Pikes Peak Intl Hillclimb
A pair of TLX racers and an NSX will be among Acura’s climb to the top.
Acura’s involvement with the 2018 Pikes Peak International Hillclimb just got a whole lot more interesting. RealTime Racing owner Peter Cunningham has announced the factory backed effort of two TLX racers, including one in unlimited class, and one NSX will compete to see who can reach the summit the fastest.
The June 22-24 event will, according to Racer.com, also see the debut of the 2019 RDX in competition. That RDX will be driven by Jordan Guitar and compete in the Exhibition class.
Utilizing a modified Pirelli World Challenge TLX will allow Cunningham to drive in the Open category for his fastest time yet. Cunningham points out a rule change that will add significant speed to the fully paved course, saying “the rules, through last year, required DOT-specification tires, and that has changed so we’ll have Pirelli slicks on the car.”
The other cars in the field will be driven by Honda and Acura regulars, including Nick Robinson, who will be driving a TLX A-spec in Exhibition class and his brother James, who will pilot the NSX in Time Attack 1 class.
It’ll be Cunningham in the TLX to look out for, though. With a different set of rules for Pikes Peak, RealTime Racing has been able to get more power out of the twin turbo V6, and with slick tires on, will be even faster yet. Cunningham notes the updates are significant; “Honda Performance Development engineers have found more power. We have an updated front aero package with new dive planes and a revised splitter.”
For events like this, Honda pulls talent from their Ohio base. It allows them to get involved with the racing and see what the cars are all about. For Cunningham, its great to see that type of involvement from Honda, which typically doesn’t happen at other races through the year.
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