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Acura and Honda Racing Corporation USA (HRC US) took their first victory on the streets of Long Beach of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.* The overall result came as rumors emerged from the racing world that Acura is considering leaving competition. Ironically, the win was the first one since Acura became the title sponsor of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach in 2019.
On the 1.968-mile, 11 turn Long Beach street circuit, it was a great double-header weekend for Honda Racing. Alex Palou completed a sweep of the weekend for Honda in the 2026 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, as Honda and Acura powered vehicles scored pole position and the victory Sunday in both the NTT IndyCar Series (Palou) and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.** The first game went to Renger van der Zande on Saturday who drove the No. 93 Acura Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian Acura ARX-06 to the Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) first-place trophy in the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. They controlled the 100-minute sprint race from green to checkered flags.***
The No. 93 Acura of Ringer van der Zande carrying the new 76 Gas Station livery crossed the finish line 0.818 seconds ahead of the No. 31 Cadillac Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R shared this weekend by Jack Aitken and Frederik Vesti, in his Long Beach debut filling in for Earl Bamber.
The Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963s took third and fourth places, with the No. 6 car of Kevin Estre and Laurens Vanthoor just ahead of the No. 7 team car of Felipe Nasr and Julien Andlauer that won the first two WeatherTech Championship races of the 2026 season.
In IndyCar racing, Honda powered six of the Top Ten Winners. In IMSA’s (GTD) and Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) classes that were running, Honda took two of the top ten finishes.**
“A spectacular win for Acura!” he exclaimed. “Not only is it on our home ground, near HRC’s US headquarters in Santa Clarita, but the HRC group is responsible for the trackside engineering on the No. 93 car. It’s a huge win for that group.
“We haven’t won since 2008 (and 2009) at Long Beach and haven’t won here in IMSA’s modern prototype era, so it’s great to be able to finally present ourselves with the trophy from the Acura Grand Prix,” said Chuck Schifsky, National Motorsport Manager for Honda and Acura.
The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship remains in California for its next race, the Monterey SportsCar Championship, May 1-3 at WeatherTech Raceway in Laguna Seca. with the Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) class rejoining the GTD and GTP fields.
The next IndyCar race is the Sonsio Grand Prix on Saturday 9 May, kicking off the Month of May at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on the Speedway’s 14-turn, 2.439-mile road course.
*AutoInformed on
**NTT IndyCar Series
***IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Standings
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
IMSA and IndyCar – Acura Wins 2026 Long Beach Grand Prix!
Click for more.
Acura and Honda Racing Corporation USA (HRC US) took their first victory on the streets of Long Beach of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.* The overall result came as rumors emerged from the racing world that Acura is considering leaving competition. Ironically, the win was the first one since Acura became the title sponsor of the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach in 2019.
On the 1.968-mile, 11 turn Long Beach street circuit, it was a great double-header weekend for Honda Racing. Alex Palou completed a sweep of the weekend for Honda in the 2026 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, as Honda and Acura powered vehicles scored pole position and the victory Sunday in both the NTT IndyCar Series (Palou) and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.** The first game went to Renger van der Zande on Saturday who drove the No. 93 Acura Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb Agajanian Acura ARX-06 to the Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) first-place trophy in the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. They controlled the 100-minute sprint race from green to checkered flags.***
The No. 93 Acura of Ringer van der Zande carrying the new 76 Gas Station livery crossed the finish line 0.818 seconds ahead of the No. 31 Cadillac Whelen Cadillac V-Series.R shared this weekend by Jack Aitken and Frederik Vesti, in his Long Beach debut filling in for Earl Bamber.
The Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963s took third and fourth places, with the No. 6 car of Kevin Estre and Laurens Vanthoor just ahead of the No. 7 team car of Felipe Nasr and Julien Andlauer that won the first two WeatherTech Championship races of the 2026 season.
In IndyCar racing, Honda powered six of the Top Ten Winners. In IMSA’s (GTD) and Grand Touring Prototype (GTP) classes that were running, Honda took two of the top ten finishes.**
“A spectacular win for Acura!” he exclaimed. “Not only is it on our home ground, near HRC’s US headquarters in Santa Clarita, but the HRC group is responsible for the trackside engineering on the No. 93 car. It’s a huge win for that group.
“We haven’t won since 2008 (and 2009) at Long Beach and haven’t won here in IMSA’s modern prototype era, so it’s great to be able to finally present ourselves with the trophy from the Acura Grand Prix,” said Chuck Schifsky, National Motorsport Manager for Honda and Acura.
The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship remains in California for its next race, the Monterey SportsCar Championship, May 1-3 at WeatherTech Raceway in Laguna Seca. with the Grand Touring Daytona Pro (GTD PRO) class rejoining the GTD and GTP fields.
The next IndyCar race is the Sonsio Grand Prix on Saturday 9 May, kicking off the Month of May at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on the Speedway’s 14-turn, 2.439-mile road course.
*AutoInformed on
**NTT IndyCar Series
***IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship Standings
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.