The second Acura team has now also entered the winner’s lists at the 24h Daytona – Meyer-Shank-Racing immediately has its eye on the next classic
Having barely won one 24h classic, Acura team Meyer-Shank-Racing is already aiming for the next prestigious endurance race: After the overall victory at the IMSA season opener in Daytona, it’s now off to Le Mans! This was announced by both team owner Michael Shank and star driver Helio Castroneves.
“I would love to. I’ve never been there. I would love to try, of course. I just have to go to these big events,” the Brazilian replied after his success when asked if the 24 Hours of Le Mans was now on the to-do list.
Le Mans start? Michael Shank supports Helio Castroneves
Castroneves continued, “After Le Mans we almost made it, but unfortunately it didn’t work out because of the scheduling conflicts. I don’t think my age is a problem. I don’t think I’m running out of time. I’m just gaining more experience. And experience with this kind of racing is the key to success.”
Team owner Shank encourages his driver in this endeavour. “We definitely want to race. And it’s also up to Honda, Acura and HPD. So they are our partners. When they are ready, we will go,” he clarifies. Shank also cites a previous outing for his team: “We raced the LMP2 car in 2016 and did pretty well. It was a good first experience. And we will get there [back].
RETWEET to congratulate @MeyerShankRac on their #Rolex24 WIN!@H3lio, @Tom_Blomqvist, @SimonPagenaud and @OllyJarvis are VICTORIOUS at @Daytona! pic.twitter.com/zaK57c8tat
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) January 30, 2022
During the race, the team relied on the driver trio of John Pew, Oswaldo Negri and Laurens Vanthoor, as well as the Ligier JS P2. In the end, they finished ninth in class, twelve laps down. In the three-part qualifying, they still managed fifth place in the LMP2 category.
In any case, the conditions are favourable for Meyer-Shank-Racing. Together with Wayne-Taylor-Racing, they will be responsible for the LMDh programme of Honda’s US offshoot Acura from 2023. The development team is again working with Oreca. The French company’s LMP2 racer also forms the basis for the current Acura DPi, which won at Daytona.
Castroneves jokes after 24h Daytona success
Though the omens were bad for a repeat of Acura’s 2021 success at the 24 Hours of Daytona. The two cars from MSR and WTR had to battle it out against five DPi cars from Cadillac. In the cool temperatures, they also had clearly visible problems on cold tyres.
'@H3lio climbs the fence again!
The @MeyerShankRac team gets it done at @Daytona in the #Rolex24! pic.twitter.com/4ke2bllEgT
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) January 30, 2022
But unlike the Cadillacs, the Acuras proved more reliable. While the competition had to write off three top-seeded cars altogether, the two ARX-05s did not lose crucial ground due to early punctures and penalties. Moreover, they also made it back to the lead lap thanks to FCY rules.
“I never thought I would climb the fence at Daytona and today I fulfilled that dream. That was absolutely incredible. I’m so happy for the whole group because everyone did their part, and at the end I said, ‘Put me in, coach!’ It was great,” Castroneves cheered on the NBC microphone after crossing the finish line.
The Brazilian, customarily emotional, was able to keep his brand colleague Ricky Taylor at bay in the fight for victory in the absolute final stages. Afterwards, Castroneves joked in Taylor’s direction: “Ricky, I taught you a lot in the three years at Acura, but not everything. I always have to have something up my sleeve!”
24 hours. 761 laps. 1 sweet victory. #Rolex24 // #DRVPNK // #60for60 // @tom_blomqvist // @ollyjarvis // @h3lio // @simonpagenaud pic.twitter.com/OP4bAhuAd2
— Meyer Shank Racing (@MeyerShankRac) January 30, 2022
Now MSR are hoping that Acura have a Le Mans entry up their sleeve as soon as possible. With successes like the one at the 24h Daytona, Meyer-Shank-Racing also recommends itself for sports car events outside the IMSA series.
