Michael Shank Racing Pre-Daytona Report

Every IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship race is important. But for Michael Shank Racing with Curb/Agajanian, there is something special about the Rolex 24 At Daytona. 

The Ohio-based squad has stood on the Rolex 24 At Daytona podium four times, including the team’s big win in the 50th Anniversary event in 2012. This year, Michael Shank Racing eyes a return to the revered Daytona podium.

With a productive off-season of preparation, a lot of confidence in the team’s technical package, and a driver line-up of John Pew, Ozz Negri, AJ Allmendinger, and Olivier Pla, Michael Shank Racing has once again assembled what it takes to deliver a big result. 

The Ohio-based team finished fifth in last year’s 24-hour endurance classic at Daytona International Speedway with the No. 60 Tire Kingdom Honda-powered Ligier, a car that was brand new to the team at the time. Now as the 2016 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship opens with the 54th running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona, Michael Shank Racing has a full year of experience – including three podium finishes in 2015 - with the Honda-Ligier package to build on to get a flying start in 2016.

“My expectation from a pure results side is that we’re capable of being a podium car,” said Team Owner Mike Shank. “With how strong this line up is, and how much more we understand about this Honda-Ligier than we did at this time last year, I think we are strong enough to be fighting for a podium if we can avoid any trouble and be there to race on Sunday afternoon.  John (Pew), Ozz (Negri), and AJ (Allmendinger) have been with me for a long time and they were all a part of our 2012 victory. Olivier Pla is just a real asset to our team and he fits in just like Justin (Wilson) did. We’re capable of having a good result, we just have to make it happen. ”

With over 50 cars entered in the race and 16 Prototype-class entries set to take the green flag, managing traffic around the 3.56-mile road course that features the NASCAR high banks as well as the tight corners of the infield, will be key. Michael Shank Racing showed well at the annual ‘Roar Before the 24’ test days earlier this month when the team led four of the seven on-track sessions.

Michael Shank Racing will run decals on its Honda-Ligier in memory of Justin Wilson throughout the 2016 season. Wilson, a long time Michael Shank Racing driver, was a part of the breakthrough Rolex 24 At Daytona victory with the team in 2012.

The 54th Rolex 24 At Daytona will begin at 2:40 PM ET on Saturday, January 30 with LIVE coverage on FOX Sports 1 beginning at 2:00 PM ET.

DRIVER QUOTES:

John Pew: “The competition is maybe the best there’s been so it’s going to be tough. There’s more P2 cars that are quite quick. It’s going to depend a lot on conditions because the DP and P2 react differently to different conditions. I think the DPs are fast in overall speed but the P2s run a fast lap. We had a really productive test at the Roar and we are all eager to get race week going and put in a lot of laps! ”

Ozz Negri: “We have a star line-up. We have Olivier (Pla) who knows the car so much and won a bunch of races. He’s a phenomenal driver. We have AJ (Allmendinger) who is in my opinion the best driver I’ve ever met and also the best guy to have as a friend, and John (Pew) who is the best semi-pro. The lap times he’s turning is just crazy, he just keeps stacking up, one day I’m afraid he’ll catch up TOO much! We’ve also been helped by the phenomenal work by HPD. We’ve been working well together and we are all working to get another Rolex (watch).”

AJ Allmendinger: “The Rolex 24 is such a tough race to win. Every year teams show up and they have a lot of speed in their racecars. In the end, the race itself is the toughest thing. If you don’t get to the end of 24 hours, then you don’t have a shot to win so that’s the focus.  No matter what, it’s going to be difficult. There are a lot of cars here that have a lot of speed but I really do think we have the best line up, the best team and the best car and if we get to the end of the race we’ll have a great shot to win.”

Olivier Pla: “I think we have a very strong line up and strong car. John (Pew) and AJ (Allmendinger) and Ozz (Negri) told me we need a second Rolex watch, and I need a first one! We know it is going to be very hard. The competition is very tough. We are competing against some very good teams and drivers. We’ll have to push hard, especially at the end.”