The Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring will close out the 2020 IMSA season for the No. 57 Heinricher Racing with Meyer Shank Racing Acura NSX GT3. After a historic run to the podium at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, the team is aiming to close out the season on a high note—ideally two steps higher on the podium.
Misha Goikhberg and endurance driver Trent Hindman will be joined by sports car veteran Joey Hand for the 12-hour endurance race on Saturday. Hand will fill in for Alvaro Parente who is racing in Europe.
Heinricher Racing enters the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring event with strong momentum built during the second half of the season. Goikhberg comes into the race weekend with two victories at the 3.74-mile circuit racing in IMSA Prototype Lites. Hindman will make his third Sebring 12-hour start onboard the Acura NSX GT3, having raced for Meyer Shank Racing in the 2018 and 2019 editions of the event.
With nearly 20 race starts at Sebring International Raceway, Hand is equipped with enough knowledge to adapt quickly to the Acura NSX GT3. With six total IMSA WeatherTech outings and two victories in ALMS at Sebring, Hand will now make his GT-Daytona debut at the track.
Team quotes:
Misha Goikhberg:
“Getting a podium finish at Laguna was a result that the entire team needed and deserved. We can now take that momentum and apply it to this weekend. Sebring is probably one of the toughest tracks on both the car and driver. The main focus going into the race will be to have clean stints and keep the car out of trouble. We will be racing in the dark more than we would in March [when the race is typically scheduled] so that will be another factor for us. I’m confident in the team to give us another strong car and hopefully we can finish out the season with another podium result. Of course, a big thank you goes out to Heinricher Racing, Meyer Shank Racing and Acura/HPD for a great year. We’ll be aiming to close out the season strong.”
Joey Hand:
“I’m super excited to be making my GTD debut with Heinricher Racing and Meyer Shank Racing. I’ve known Mike for a while now so it’s awesome that we were finally able to put something together for the final race of the IMSA season. Sebring is one of my favorite tracks because its design always provides good racing. With long straights and slow corners, there are a lot of passing opportunities. It’s of course unique because of the bumps, but once you figure them out, a little bit of knowledge goes a long way. Sebring is one of those races that you’re always going to have a dog fight towards the end and I’m excited to be doing that in the Acura NSX GT3.”
Trent Hindman:
“The Heinricher Racing with Meyer Shank Racing team has a ton of momentum following an excellent win and podium result last weekend at Laguna. It’s especially nice to see the No. 57 up where it belongs after some tough luck throughout the year, so we will be pushing hard to get Heinricher Racing its first GTD win after achieving the organization’s first podium. A big thank you to Alvaro, who will not be with us this week, for all of his efforts and guidance with the team throughout the year. We’ll certainly miss having him but it’s equally exciting to get the opportunity to work with Joey Hand. I’m looking forward to learning as much as possible from him. This is the final race of 2020 and the last race of the MSR Acura NSXs. It’s been an absolute honor to work with this program over the last three years, and we look forward to sending off 2020 on the highest note possible.”
Source. Sunday Group
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