The team encountered challenges as it failed to secure a position within the top three in any of the six sessions, with neither of its two entries qualifying for the same.
The No. 10 Acura ARX-06, piloted by Ricky Taylor, Filipe Albuquerque, Brendon Hartley, and Marcus Ericsson, reached as high as the fourth spot in two separate sessions among a GTP class of 10.
Acura, a three-time winner of the event, had a consecutive victory streak initiated by WTR with Andretti in 2021 and continued by Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) for the subsequent two years. WTR had also clinched victory in the race in 2017, 2019, and 2020, supported by Cadillac.
Interestingly, the team’s No. 40 car, previously handed over by MSR after their victory in last year’s Petit Le Mans, secured fifth place in the qualifying round. Piloted by Jordan Taylor, Louis Deletraz, Colton Herta, and Jenson Button, it outperformed the No. 10 car of the team, which managed to secure sixth place.
Deletraz discussed their aggressive approach, stating, “We definitely pushed hard,” and added, “The car felt good in qualifying. We’ve been struggling slightly from the first test, but the team’s done a great job to keep improving the car.”
Expressing confidence in their performance, Deletraz emphasized the positive changes, saying, “I think we’ve got it in a good window now for the race, and in the end that’s what matters. Qualifying is neat, but what matters next week is the 24-hour race.”
In a different perspective, IMSA Tandy highlighted that Porsche ‘wants to win race, not qualifying’ at Daytona.
Regarding the outcome, Albuquerque was content but believed the car is close to reaching its maximum potential. He stated, “We’re starting P6 for the big race. That’s more than (good) enough for the 24-hours. We’re still working on the balance of the car, which was pretty good. There’s really not much left in the car.”
Albuquerque acknowledged Louis’s performance in the qualifier round and expressed satisfaction with their achievements. He mentioned, “Obviously, Louis did a good job (qualifying fifth), so we’re happy with what we accomplished. We’re going to continue working to improve the car for the race this week.”