2021 12 Hours of Sebring winner Tristan Vautier, who started the season in Proton Competition’s Porsche 963, will line up in the #93 Acura Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb-Agajanian ARX-06 GTP alongside Renger van der Zande and Nick Yelloly. With Álex Palou unavailable due to his court case against McLaren and Kakunoshin Ohta racing at Fuji in the penultimate Super Formula rounds, it was still a surprise to see Vautier aboard.
It was a relatively late deal, with the first contact between Vautier and the team only occurring in late August. “I was on my way back to the States after our Spa round in the ELMS, and I had a missed call from Renger and a text from Mike [Shank],” explained Vautier.
“And yeah, I figured if Mike Shank texts you, it’s not just to say, what’s up, right? And then it came together very quickly. I raced with Renger in the past, we had some success together in the Spa 24, finished second together.
“Last year when I was reserve at Ganassi for Le Mans, with Ganassi and Cadillac, I was paired up with him, we got along well. And I also work with Tom [Blomqvist, driver of the #60 Acura] in the ELMS, who is also in the organisation. So I think that all kind of made things come together.”
The Acura ARX-06 joins the Cadillac V-Series.R, Porsche 963 and Vanwall Vandervall 680 on the list of LMDh and LMH cars that Vautier has piloted. As the driver who has, publicly at the very least, been behind the wheel of more of the current crop of top-class prototype machinery than any other, the 36-year-old is well-qualified to assess how the Acura compares to its competition.
“It feels really good. It’s the one that’s felt the most pure to drive, the most DPi-like, let’s say, and everything’s engineered very well on the car, the systems, everything was quite straightforward. Those cars, you know, feel more like in between a GT and a prototype, those GTPs, but this is the one that tends the most towards the prototype feel.”
After a strong second-half to the season, Acura enters this weekend only seven points behind Porsche in the GTP Manufacturer’s Championship, meaning whichever has the best-placed car in Saturday’s 10-hour race will almost certainly be crowned champion. Similarly, Acura is also Porsche’s closest challenger in the Michelin Endurance Cup, trailing by only two points.
As the newcomer to the #93 crew, the Frenchman is well aware of the role he needs to play this weekend: “It’s a challenging track. It’s the most challenging race of the season, both on your own and because of the traffic around this place. But you know, my job is to be solid, to keep the car in contention, not to do like, what do you say, individual exploits?
“I managed to get acclimatised to the car [in a pre-event test], which should put me in the level where I can be at least solid. And that’s what I’ve got to do. I’ve got to keep the car in contention and make sure it’s in a good spot for when Nick and Renger take over for the final push.”
For many drivers, a one-off outing in a plum factory drive would be considered a golden opportunity to advertise their future services, but Vautier is focused on performing this weekend rather than thinking about the future.
“I mean every time you’re in a car, people look at what you’re doing and you’re aware of that,” he said. “But I’m putting this out of my head.
“I got a call from HRC and MSR to do one job, and I’m just focusing on doing what they ask and what they expect of me more than trying to individually shine. And anyways, in any case, it’s the best thing to do to put yourself in the best position for the future.”
Feature image © Michael L. Levitt / IMSA / Lumen
