Acura returns to Meyer Shank Racing, Wayne Taylor Racing leaves the company

After Meyer-Shank Racing was forced to sit out the 2024 IMSA season, the company will return to the lineup in 2025 with Honda Racing Corporation USA to field two Acura ARX-06 GTP cars.

HRC will play a larger role in its partnership with Meyer Shank Racing, serving as race engineer for one of the two entries, as the next step for HRC US in developing electric powertrains, software, vehicle control systems and vehicle dynamics simulations.

The joint factory team will make its debut at the Rolex 24 in Daytona in 2025.

Under the multi-year agreement, HRC US will assume a larger operational role as the company advances its personnel and technology for the era of hybrid-electric racing.

“Racing our own GTP car is the next exciting step for our employees at HRC US,” said David Salters, President of Honda Racing Corporation USA. “We race to develop our people and our technology, and we are thrilled to partner with MSR to compete with some of the best sports car teams in the world with our ARX-06.”

“So the next logical step for us is to build our own race car: buckle up, HRC boys and girls.”

Just minutes after HRC’s announcement, his current team, Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti, announced that it would be leaving the company to join another brand starting next year.

“We have had success with HRC and Acura over the last four years,” said Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti team principal Wayne Taylor. “When it came to renewal, we listened and seriously considered their future plans, but in the end we felt we needed to go in a different direction going forward.”

“With three key races left in the season, our plan is to continue to focus on winning more podiums and races for Acura and finishing the year strong. We look forward to announcing our 2025 plans in the near future.”

Wayne Taylor Racing, along with Andretti and HRC US, currently fields two Acura ARX-06 GTP cars in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. Drivers Louis Deletraz and Jordan Taylor drive the No. 40, while Ricky Taylor and Filipe Albuquerque drive the No. 10.

Deletraz and Taylor secured pole at the recent IMSA race at Watkins Glen, while Taylor and Albuquerque took victory at the Detroit Grand Prix earlier this month.

“I would like to sincerely thank Wayne Taylor, the WTR team with Andretti and their talented drivers,” said Salters. “We have shared some great and successful times together and look forward to finishing 2024 with more racing at the highest level.”

Acura and HRC US have developed the electrified Acura ARX-06 for the debut of IMSA’s hybrid GTP category in 2023. The 2025 GTP entries will once again be based on the proven LMDh-based ORECA (ORganisation Exploitation Compétition Automobiles) chassis and body designed and styled by the Acura Design Studio in Torrance, California.

HRC US developed the electric powertrain, vehicle, motor and simulation software and control systems along with an advanced driver-in-the-loop simulator for the ARX-06.

“First, on behalf of everyone at Meyer Shank Racing, I want to express our gratitude to David Salters and everyone at HRC and Acura for giving us this opportunity,” said Mike Shank, co-owner of Meyer Shank Racing with former general manager Jim Meyer. “We are extremely grateful for this new opportunity and everyone on the team is excited about day one of our new relationship with Acura and the new role we will play in HRC US’s IMSA program.”

Meyer Shank Racing will prepare and maintain the two Acura ARX-06 GTP cars from its facilities in Etna, Ohio, east of Columbus. MSR has competed with several successful Acura race cars, including the NSX GT3, ARX-05 and ARX-06, earning race wins and championships in IMSA.

MSR will also continue to compete in the NTT IndyCar Series, fielding several Honda-powered cars as the team has been part of the U.S. HRC effort in Indy Car competition since 2018.

Information on the HRC US and MSR teams’ riders, sponsors and other program details will be announced at a later date.

Acura is a three-time series champion in the former Daytona Prototype International (DPi) category, claiming the DPi titles in the manufacturer, driver and team categories in 2019, 2020 and again in 2022, the final season of the DPi era. In IMSA GTP competition, Acura has recorded five pole positions and four wins since competition began in the electrified hybrid GTP category in January 2023.

Honda Racing Corporation USA (HRC US) has a long history of developing, manufacturing and supporting Honda Racing and Acura Motorsports customers since its founding in 1993 as Honda Performance Development (HPD). In January 2024, HPD became HRC US and merged with HRC Japan to strengthen the company’s overall motorsports capabilities. From elite racing in IndyCar and IMSA sports cars to commercial racing programs, HRC US leads all of Honda and Acura’s high-performance racing programs in North America and will be involved in Formula 1 power unit development and racing support related to Honda’s next phase beginning in 2026.

HRC US specializes in the design and development of powertrains, chassis, electronics and high performance parts, as well as technical and racing support. The company also provides parts and racing support for amateur and professional Honda and Acura racers and continues to expand its line of racing programs, making Honda racing products available for all styles of racing, from karting and quarter midgets to the highest levels of professional racing.

Andretti Global and Wayne Taylor Racing announced a new, long-term partnership for 2023 that will combine the resources of the two championship-worthy teams to compete in IMSA’s top classes.

In 2024, Wayne Taylor Racing expands its GTP program to two cars with Andretti (WTRandretti) and also competes in the GTD class. Following its championship win in 2023, WTRandretti continues its driver development program and enters the Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America series with a full stable.

WTAndretti’s global motorsports operation boasts two IMSA Drivers’ Championships (2013 and 2017) and consecutive IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup Championships (2020, 2021), contributing to nine IMSA Manufacturers’ Championships for Acura, Pontiac, Corvette and Cadillac.

In its short 17-year history, WTRandretti has claimed numerous victories in sports car racing’s most famous events: Rolex 24 At Daytona, 12 Hours of Sebring, Petit Le Mans, Mid-Ohio, Road America and the Six Hours of The Glen. In addition to its consecutive PRO Class Championship victories (2022, 2023), WTR also has ten North American Lamborghini Super Trofeo Championship titles and one Lamborghini World Finals title.

Andretti Global, a championship-winning motorsports organization, competes in other racing categories around the world, including the NTT IndyCar Series, ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, Extreme E, Australian Supercars and the Mexico SuperCopa Championship. In addition, the racing company is committed to driver development through participation in Firestone’s INDY NXT and by supporting the racing careers of Sebastian and Oliver Wheldon.