The Acura TLX Type S Is Ready To Race

Just because the Acura Integra is out now doesn't mean the brand has forgotten to show its other performance models some love. Two Acura engineers will take the Acura TLX Type S on the 2022 One Lap of America rally. For those out of the loop on Lap of America, it's an eight-day, 3,200-mile road rally that includes timed events at nine racetracks scattered across the US.

Engineers Nicolas Hammann and Clifton Ching will depart from Tire Rack's HQ in South Bend, Indiana, and drive across a total of twelve states. Those tracks, by the way, are basically a highlights reel of iconic American tracks, with some criminally underrated ones mixed in, including Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama.

Hammann and Ching will compete in the rally's Luxury Stock Touring class, and Acura says the pair will use this as an opportunity to further test "the performance, handling, and durability" of the AWD sports sedan. However, stock doesn't perfectly define this TLX. Acura ripped the lightweight HRE wheels from the Pikes Peak car and threw on some Carbotech brake pads. However, the powertrain does remain stock, with a turbocharged 355 hp V6 propelling the car via an automatic gearbox. The car's livery is borrowed from the brand's pace cars used in the Grand Prix of Long Beach.

Hammann and Ching seem uniquely qualified to take part in the event. Hamman is a chassis development engineer at Acura, working on spring rates, stabilizer bars, and damper internals specifically. Ching, on the other hand, is the one testing all of Hammann's hard work. He's a chassis performance test technician and tests the chassis for all Acura performance vehicles, including the now-dead NSX.

The two engineers are part of a larger team at Honda of America Racing Team (HART), which allows employees the opportunity to compete in various competitions and race series. That includes events like the all-female Rebelle Rally, the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, and IMSA sportscar racing. Of course, both brands use many of those events as testbeds for their various vehicles.

We'll have to wait for updates to see how the TLX Type S holds up. With the new Integra on its way, the TLX Type S feels forgotten, despite being a solid alternative to an Audi S4. Perhaps a lap of America will change that.