April 29, 2022 — RAYMOND, Ohio
- Acura engineers ready for a great American adventure in the challenging 2022 One Lap of America event
- 2022 Acura TLX Type S will cover 3,200 miles, compete on nine racetracks in eight days
- Acura engineers race as part of the Honda of America Racing Team (HART)
A team of Acura engineers will take the brand’s high performance Type S variant to a different form of competition this month as they tackle the iconic 2022 Tire Rack One Lap of America, a demanding eight-day, 3,200-mile road rally, April 30 – May 7. Driving a turbocharged 2022 Acura TLX Type S sports sedan they helped create, two engineers from Honda’s Ohio-based North American Auto Development Center, Nicolas Hammann and Clifton Ching, will compete in the grueling competition that includes timed events at nine racetracks across the U.S.
One of the most challenging grassroots motorsports events in the world, the 37th running of the One Lap of America starts and ends at the Tire Rack headquarters in South Bend, Indiana, and sends competitors through 12 states. The competition includes timed track events at many of America’s greatest motorsports facilities, including Barber Motorsports Park, in Birmingham, Alabama; Heartland Motorsports Park’s Grand Prix Course and Drag Strip in Topeka, Kansas; and Putnam Park Road Course in Greencastle, Indiana.
Competing in the Luxury Stock Touring class, Hammann and Ching will use One Lap of America to further test the performance, handling, and durability of the TLX Type S under extreme conditions. The quickest, best performing, best handling and most driver-focused Acura sedan ever, TLX Type S features a turbocharged 355-horsepower V6 engine and Super Handling All-Wheel Drive™ (SH-AWD®) with true torque-vectoring. For competition, the sports sedan’s only modifications from stock are its lightweight HRE wheels borrowed from the Pikes Peak TLX Type S and Carbotech brake pads. Its custom livery is shared with the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach TLX Type S pace cars.
Hammann, a chassis development engineer, sets vehicle suspension specifications for Acura products. He tunes spring rates, stabilizer bars, and damper internals to meet development targets. Ching, a chassis performance test technician, tests the ride and handling performance of all Acura models including the high-performance line of Type S products and the NSX supercar.
The Acura team is part of the Honda of America Racing Team (HART), which consists of Honda associates across North America. The program gives associates the opportunity to compete in nationally recognized competitions and racing series, including Rebelle Rally, the American Rally Association, Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, IMSA sportscar racing and more. HART provides invaluable experience through motorsport, while also transferring vehicle performance learnings into the development and manufacturing of next-generation Honda and Acura products.
“We are excited to represent Team Acura in this year’s One Lap of America and look forward to competing in such a unique and challenging event,” said Hammann, a member of the Honda of America Racing Team. “One Lap of America is an excellent proving ground for the performance and durability of the TLX Type S, and we’re ready to push it to the limit.”
Hammann’s motorsports career started in 2000, with kart racing and the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) June Sprints at Road America. In 2014, he was the GT Academy North America champion, and he’s since competed in global and national races, ranging from the 2015 Dubai 24-hour endurance race to the 2019 Xfinity NASCAR race at Road America. Ching has raced Honda vehicles for more than 20 years in autocross and club racing with SCCA and the National Auto Sport Association (NASA).
About Acura
Acura is a leading automotive nameplate that delivers Precision Crafted Performance – a commitment to expressive styling, high-performance and innovative engineering, all built on a foundation of quality and reliability. The Acura lineup currently features five distinctive models – the all-new Integra sport compact, TLX sport sedan, the RDX and MDX sport-utility vehicles, and the electrified NSX supercar, along with high-performance Type S variants. All Acura vehicles sold in America are made in the U.S., using domestic and globally sourced parts.
About the Honda of America Racing Team (HART)
Founded more than 30 years ago, the Honda of America Racing Team (HART) is among the longest-running associate-driven activities in Honda’s rich history and includes the majority of associate-led racing teams in North America. HART competes in a wide variety of motorsport competitions ranging from road racing, club-level events, rally or off-road racing, or even karting. HART provides invaluable experience to associates through motorsport, while transferring vehicle performance learnings into the development and manufacturing of next-generation Honda and Acura products.
[Source: Acura]