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LinkedInHonda to Power Michael Shank Racing in 2018 IndyCar
At a press conference at the PRI show in Indianapolis, Michael Shank announced that his team will build on its 2017 IndyCar debut by taking on a partial season in 2018 with British driver Jack Harvey. The campaign will utilise a technical partnership with Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, and will be powered by Honda engines.
While the full list of races to be contested is yet to be confirmed, Michael Shank, speaking at the show, revealed that the programme will take on St Petersburg, Long Beach the Indianpolis 500 Sonama Raceway.
The team will also continue to be a presence in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, however it is set to transition to a customer based operation, rather than the factory effort of last season. Michael Shank Racing will contest the championship with one full time GTD class entry while a second campaign will contest the IMSA endurance championship, as well as potentially making additional IMSA race outings.
“I’m so happy to have everything come together and to be able to make this announcement—there was a ton of work that went into just getting to this point, and of course it is just the start,” explained Shank. “This is a very big deal— for me and my wife Mary Beth, and for my race team. We are really excited to have Jack back with us, and very focused on making the most of this multi-year program. It is a big undertaking but I’ve been working on this nonstop, every day for months to have everything in place for us to be able to go out and build a competitive program.”
Shank added that the team is being realistic with its tagerts for the 2018 season, but expects to be competitive in the races it contests and make progress as the season continues. Shank also noted that it was a multi-year deal which he hopes will allow the team time to grow.
