HPD Hondas Sweep TCX and TCA Classes, Score Podiums in TC In SRO TC America Rounds at New Orleans Motorsports Park

• Kyle Loh snags TCX victory on Sunday aboard LA Honda World Racing in HPD Honda Civic Type R TCX
• Daijiro Yoshihara finishes second on Saturday in VGRT HPD Honda Civic Type R TCX
• Spencer Bucknum earns his first TCA class victory in the LA Honda World Racing HPD Honda Civic Si FE1 on Saturday, followed by another win Sunday
• Skip Barber Racing School lands double podium in TC and TCA, with Celso Neto in the HPD Honda Civic Type R and William Lambros in the HPD Honda Civic Si FE1

HPD Hondas swept the weekend in the TCX and TCA classes this weekend in the third and fourth rounds of the SRO Touring Car America season at NOLA Motorsports Park, along with back-to-back podiums in TC.

TCX Honda Civic Type R
Saturday’s race started with Kyle Loh of LA Honda World Racing and Daijiro Yoshihara of VGRT Racing at the front of the grid in their HPD Honda Civic Type R TCX machines. Both kept a quick pace throughout the race, with their Hondas building a substantial lead over the rest of the TCX field, finishing in their starting positions. However, following the race, Loh received a penalty for his Civic Type R TCX being out of technical regulation, giving Yoshihara the win.

Sunday started with Yoshihara on pole, and Loh starting from the back of the TCX grid following Saturday’s penalty. But Loh successfully worked his way through the field, making it to second in the first half of the race, right behind Yoshihara in a mirror image of Saturday’s run.  Loh remained a close second until Yoshihara experienced a mechanical issue in the last lap, leading Loh to take the victory.

TC Honda Civic Type R
On Saturday, Celso Neto started on the TC class pole and maintained a top-three position for the entirety of the race. After spending much of the race in third, he passed the second-in-class racer with just one lap remaining.

Neto started third in TC on Sunday, again spending much of the race in third. He eventually climbed back to second and maintained that position through to the checkers.

TCA Honda Civic Si
Rounding out Honda’s pole-position sweep across all three classes in Saturday’s TC America was Spencer Bucknum in TCA, in his LA Honda World Racing HPD Honda Civic Si FE1. From the start of the race, Bucknum gradually built a lead over the rest of the TCA field, taking his first victory in the TC America series.

Meanwhile, William Lambros started second in TCA in the Skip Barber Racing School HPD Honda Civic Si FE1, falling to third in the first 10 minutes of racing. Lambros remained in close battle for second, regaining the position with 13 minutes remaining and holding it through the end of the race.

On Sunday, Bucknum started second in class and Lambros in third, with both drivers passing the leader in the first 5 minutes of racing. Both remained in close competition through the rest of the race, with Bucknum finishing first and Lambros finishing second, taking another podium for the weekend.

Quotes
Kyle Loh (#73 LA Honda World Racing Honda Civic Type R TCX), TCX race winner Sunday: “I got the news this morning that I was starting in the back [of the TCX field]. I’ve had practice with starting in the back of online races in Gran Turismo, so it’s not a rare situation for me. I made a move on Lucas Catania and felt so bad [for making contact] that I gave him the spot back immediately. But I’m just super excited for the team and excited to be here, and this weekend has been a dream come true.”

Spencer Bucknum (#5 LA Honda World Racing Honda Civic Si FE1), TCA race winner Saturday and Sunday, after Saturday’s race: “I can’t thank [team driving coach] Ryan Eversley and the whole LA Honda World team enough. This win has been coming for a long time, and I’m so glad we got it today. The Honda Civic Si ran beautifully the whole race, and I’m so happy to get this.”

Next
The Honda Civic Type R and Civic Si Touring Car teams will head to Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, for Rounds 5 & 6 on May 19 – 21.

Source – Honda