RACER.com - Acura high hopes dashed in wet Sebring 12 Hour start
After Dane Cameron scored the Motul Pole Award in the No. 6 Acura Team Penske ARX-05 DPi and Helio Castroneves put the No. 7 Acura third on the starting grid in Friday qualifying, the two-car squad had high hopes for a strong run in Saturday’s Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.
But the wet conditions early on proved diabolical for both cars. Cameron slipped back as soon as the green flag was displayed, and the No. 6 trio of Cameron, Juan Pablo Montoya and Simon Pagenaud would battle electrical issues throughout the race, leaving them ninth at the end.
The No. 7 of Castroneves, Ricky Taylor and Alexander Rossi, meanwhile, had their own hands full, starting with a Taylor spin in Turn 17 and subsequent unscheduled pit stop.
The No. 7 Acura ended up losing two laps early on, but gamely stayed in the battle and, with some forceful driving, found their way back to the lead lap.
In the end, the No. 7 came home fourth on a day that could have been much worse. That performance coupled with their third-place showing in January’s Rolex 24 At Daytona has Taylor and Castroneves just nine points out of the two-way tie for first in the [READ THE REST ON RACER.COM]
