IGTC 2019 – Honda Team Motul tackles Kyalami IGTC finale with refreshed line-up
Honda Team Motul is pleased to announce that Bertrand Baguette, Marco Bonanomi and Dane Cameron will drive the NSX GT3 Evo at the Kyalami 9 Hour race in South Africa on November 23.
The Kyalami event will be the fifth and final round of the Intercontinental GT Challenge (IGTC); the world’s most prestigious GT3 championship, and an ultra-high-level race at which top teams from across the globe gather.
Honda Team Motul entered the IGTC at the second round of the 2019 season, the California Eight Hours at Laguna Seca, and scored a fantastic debut pole position with the NSX GT3 Evo.
A stunning fightback from 33rd to sixth capped off a superb team performance at the 24 Hours of Spa in July, before 15th place was achieved at the Suzuka 10 Hours a month later.
For Kyalami, Bertrand, who has driven in each of Honda Team Motul’s three races this year, and Marco, who came into the line-up for Suzuka, are joined by IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Champion Dane Cameron.
The 31-year-old American is one of the continent’s outstanding sportscar racers, and has enjoyed a stunning season.
Driving the Acura Team Penske ARX-05, he won the IMSA Daytona Prototype crown for the second time in four years, while behind the wheel of the NSX GT3 Evo, he helped RealTime Racing claim the pro-am Teams’ title in the Blancpain GT World Challenge America.
Prior to these successes, he won single-seater titles in the UK and USA as well as the IMSA GTD crown for GT3 machinery in 2014.
The Kyalami 9 Hour begins with free practice on Thursday 21 November with qualifying the following day and racing on Saturday 23.
Bertrand Baguette
“I am excited about racing at Kyalami for the first time. It’s a twisty circuit with a lot of slow corners, so that should suit the NSX GT3 Evo, which has very good traction and braking stability. We showed at Laguna Seca that we have a great qualifying set-up and at Spa, despite the changing weather, we proved our race pace. The aim is to combine these two in South Africa and come out with a result everyone in the team can be proud of.”
– Honda Team Motul
Marco Bonanomi
“I can’t believe the season is nearly over, because it only seems like a few weeks since everything started. I think the NSX GT3 Evo will be a good car for Kyalami and if we can combine what was learnt at Laguna Seca, Spa and Suzuka, we can have a strong weekend. Bertrand and I have a good relationship and I’m looking forward to having a renowned champion like Dane join us for Kyalami.”
– Honda Team Motul
Dane Cameron
“The 2019 season has been one of the best of my career and I’m proud to be asked by Honda Team Motul to race the NSX GT3 Evo in the IGTC. I’ve driven the car in the Blancpain GT World Challenge America for most of the year, won a lot of races in pro-am and helped my team win the championship, so I think that shows how strong it is. We’ve developed a great understanding of how to get the best out of it on the Pirelli tyre, so that should be something I can bring to the table while I get used to working with a new team at a new circuit.”
– Honda Team Motul