With the 2015 race season having come to a close just one month ago, Michael Shank Racing with Curb/Agajanian has already been hard at work prepping for its 2016 WeatherTech SportsCar Championship campaign.
The upcoming two-day IMSA test at Daytona International Speedway (November 17-18) marks the first opportunity for on-track action as the test is the first of the 2016 IMSA championship season.
Following a heroic team effort that stretched across the IMSA paddock at Road Atlanta following a pair of off-track incidents in the challenging conditions for the team’s Honda-powered Ligier, Michael Shank Racing received a brand new tub from Ligier just days ago and will have the car ready for action in Daytona.
While much remains the same for Michael Shank Racing in 2016 – including the team’s driver line-up of John Pew and Ozz Negri – the team will be eager to test one new element as the visit to the 3.56-mile oval-based road course circuit will give the team their first test with Honda’s 3.5-liter twin-turbo V6 Prototype engine.
“We’ve got a larger displacement motor – just looking at the 3.5, you can’t tell the difference to the (previous configuration) 2.8, but they’ve done a lot of lightening to it and a lot of durability running at HPD,” said Team Owner Mike Shank. “I’m excited about it because I really think we have something here to go up against the Daytona Prototypes.”
The 3.5-liter motors have a direct link to the units that power a wide range of Honda and Acura vehicles, including the Acura MDX and RL as well as the Honda Pilot, Ridgeline, and Odyssey.
“The original 2.8-liter displacement was based on international rules that were initiated several years ago, said Allen Miller, Honda Performance Development Race Team Leader. ”But looking towards the future with the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, we have a new set of regulations, and increasing the displacement to 3.5-liters should be the best way forward. We already have experience running this version of our engine in Daytona Prototype and other racing series, and we’re looking forward to seeing the engine run in the MSR Ligier at next week’s test and throughout 2016.”
Both Pew and Negri will take part in the Daytona test. The pair will also be joined by long-time Michael Shank Racing driver AJ Allmendinger on Wednesday.
“It is perfect timing for me to test with Mike Shank at Daytona on the way down to Homestead,” said Allmendinger, who will look for a strong close to the 2016 NASCAR Sprint Cup season with his JTG Daugherty Racing squad. “Last year, Daytona was the first time out with the new car (Ligier/Honda) and they’ve learned so much since then. So I am looking forward to getting back into it, especially with a bigger motor! This will be a great way to get some work done for the 24, so I am looking forward to it.”
The two-day test will open on Tuesday, November 17.