Acura NSX Has Just Smashed Another Record

TheAcura NSX我s no stranger to the annual Pikes Peak Hill Climb. Not only did it return for this year's event but another new Acura also tagged along. The2021 Acura TLXmade itsmotorsport debut at the Race to the Cloudswhich has the potential to be brutal. Just ask the drivers of thispair of Tesla Model 3 hill climbers. Acura entered two race-prepped TLX sport sedans to the event, driven by engineers who work at Acura's R&D center in Ohio.

Impressively, they managed to finish fifth and sixth in their Exhibition Class. Acura also brought along an early development TLX Type S for additional testing. Conveniently enough, it served as the event's official Pace Car. But the automaker's main cause for celebration this year involves the NSX hybrid.

Driver James Robinson finished third in the Time Attack 1 class with a time of 10:01.913, an improvement over his previous best time of 10:02.448 set in 2018. This latest time also happens to be a new record for a production vehicle with a hybrid powertrain. Acura's history with Pikes Peak goes back several years. Not only does it bring good publicity, but the race is the ideal setting to test out new performance technologies prior to production.

The fact that Acura engineers serve as the racing drivers presents an opportunity for them to improve their skills behind the wheel while attaining vital engineering knowledge. Only so much can be learned from behind a desk.