Alton, Va. - Compass Racing shook off a tough opening-race result on Saturday at Virginia International Raceway, and took their Acura NSX GT3 Evo to the top step of the podium just 24 hours later, scoring Acura's first SRO Pro-Am class victory of the season Sunday in the Fanatec GT World Challenge America, Powered by AWS.
Michael Di Meo suffered a Lap 10 spin in Saturday's opening race, with a resulting pit stop that cost the team three laps and doomed the #77 Acura to an eighth-place finish. Starting today's 90-minute contest on the outside of the fifth row as a result of their Saturday issues, Di Meo and McMurry didn't waste much time lamenting their situation.
McMurry ran a strong opening stint and kept the bright orange NSX GT3 on the march, deftly avoiding pitfalls that his slowed several of his Pro-Am competitors through the first half of the race. As the race neared its mid-point and mandatory pit stop, McMurry got the car into podium contention, before handing it over to DiMeo, who set off in pursuit of David Askew. DiMeo would eventually pass Askew for the Pro-Am lead, then fought off a late charge from Fred Poordad to take his and Acura's first GT Pro-Am win of the season and a third-place finish overall.
Behind Di Meo and McMurry, the Racers Edge Acura NSX GT3 Evo in the hands of starting driver Jacob Abel and closer Taylor Hagler also climbed through the field. Hagler's late-race pass of Askew moved the #93 Acura into third in Pro-Am and fifth overall, where it would finish for the team's third podium result of the season. The pair had combined to finish sixth in Pro-Am, ninth overall, in Saturday's opener.
Fanatec GT World Challenge America Powered by AWS Saturday Acura VIR Results
6th Pro-Am – #93 Taylor Hagler and Jacob Abel, Racers Edge Acura NSX GT3
8th Pro-Am – #77 Michael Di Meo and Matt McMurry, Compass Racing Acura NSX GT3
Fanatec GT World Challenge America Powered by AWS Sunday Acura VIR Results
1st Pro-Am - #77 Michael Di Meo and Matt McMurry, Compass Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo
3rd Pro-Am - #93 Taylor Hagler and Jacob Abel, Racers Edge Acura NSX GT3 Evo
Quotes:
Matt McMurry (#77 Compass Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo) 1st Pro-Am, Third Overall on Sunday: “This is so good. It's been a long time coming. We had a rough start to the weekend, but we finally accomplished what we knew we could, with this team and the speed we've wth the Acura had all season long.”
Michael Di Meo (#77 Compass Racing Acura NSX GT3 Evo) 1st Pro-Am on Sunday: “This is the same team that in 2014 helped me to eight wins and a championship. I have to thank Karl [Thompson, team co-owner] for giving me the opportunity [to substitute for regular driver Rodrigo Sales, who was racing in Europe this weekend] and do what I was born to do; and thanks to [co- driver] Matt, who rocked the opening stint. I was really happy to have him as a co-driver, and we're going to celebrate tonight!”
Next
After the first six rounds of the 2021 season, the SRO Fanatec GT World Challenge America, Powered by AWS, now takes an extended break before resuming with rounds 7 and 8, July 27-29 at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis.