Current Acura GTP factory team Meyer Shank Racing is set to pause its IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in 2024, and will focus solely on its IndyCar Series effort.
The announcement today confirms the worst kept secret in the IMSA paddock this year. The future of the reigning IMSA champion’s top class effort has been in doubt since it was docked all its points and fined after it was found to have manipulated tyre pressure data during this year’s Rolex 24 Hours, which it won overall.
For 2024 WTR Andretti, Acura’s other GTP factory team, will expand its operation to two cars. With this news, it effectively confirms that only two ARX-06s will compete in next year’s championship as no other team is believed to be in the mix to take over from Shank as a second Acura factory operation.
“Making the decision to take a year away from IMSA was not an easy one by any means,” said Shank. “Our guys live and breathe this team, and have committed most of their lives to working on these cars and traveling to races – and many of them have been with us for nearly 20 years. For Jim (Meyer) and I, our main focus was getting our guys set and making sure they were all going to be OK, which we were able to do.
“There are a lot of projects that we have going at the shop, and of course some of the guys will be helping with our growing IndyCar programme. The third Indianapolis 500 entry for Helio is a very big deal and I’m glad to have the right people in place to help us be as ready as possible for him to go get that fifth one. And then when we need to prepare for the IMSA programme, we’ll still have this great group together and ready to go.
“I have so many people to thank who have had such an impact on me and how this team has grown – Jim France has been a supporter of us since we joined the series in 2004 and he’s someone that I cannot thank enough. Jon Ikeda, David Salters and everyone at Honda, HPD, and Acura, gave MSR a shot and trusted us to run this program for the last few years and we have accomplished some pretty awesome things since running together.
“All of my crew and drivers who have been with us – and we have a pretty large list – I can’t thank them enough. Most of these guys have changed my life since I started this team in Grand-Am. Like I said, we are not going anywhere, we’ll be gone for now, but definitely not forever. Taking next year to step back and focus on our IndyCar programme will be important for us as a team.”
MSR has competed in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship since 2004 and has more race starts than any other organisation in the modern era.
During its stint in IMSA it has grown from a race-winning privateer effort into a full-fledged factory operation, earning championships with Acura in 2019, 2020, and again in 2022. It can add to that tally this year, with two wins under its belt it heads to the 2023 season finale at Road Atlanta later this month with a mathematical chance at another title.
It also has three overall Rolex 24 Hours victories in 2012, 2022 and 2023, two Petit Le Mans wins in 2016 and 2022 and a pair of endurance wins at Watkins Glen in 2017 and 2019.
Meyer Shank Racing has made it clear it plans to return to IMSA in the future. It is continuing to work on future sports car plans while focusing on its IndyCar effort, which will see Tom Blomqvist make his full-season IndyCar debut alongside Felix Rosenqvist.
