Tag: Simon Pagenaud

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IndyCar News

I Am Excited About The Future Of The Team

Simon Pagenaud says that he is excited about the future prospects for the Meyer Shank Racing team in the NTT IndyCar Series having made his race debut at the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix presented by RP Funding on the streets of St Petersburg on Sunday.

Speaking to Paddock Eye on Wednesday night, Pagenaud said that the team work well together but that unfortunately they didn’t have the pace of Team Penske or Ganassi at the front however, he is excited about the future.

As for the next race at Texas Motor Speedway. the XPEL 375, Pagenaud said that they ran well here last season with Jack Harvey and that hopefully, that translates to this season.

A number of teams will run at Texas Motor Speedway next week ahead of the first oval race of the season, however, the Frenchman said that the team won’t attend the test because they used the test days up with Helio Castroneves getting up to speed ahead of his full-time return to the NTT IndyCar Series.

Pagenaud also confirmed that the investment that team owners Mike Shank and Jim Meyer show how serious and hungry they are to succeed and that for him it is a long-term project.

In terms of reuniting with Helio Castroneves as his team-mate having worked with him at Team Penske, he said that they are both successful in their respective careers and that means that there are no egos.

Pagenaud also confirmed to Paddock Eye that he is great on the technical side of things and that Helio is great on the commercial side so this means that they complement each other.

Pagenaud has gone from a Chevrolet-powered to Honda power and he said that there are huge differences when it comes to the steering wheel in the MSR car compared to the Penske Chevrolet.

Pagenaud confirmed that he worked extremely closely with his race engineer, Garrett Mothersead.

When it comes to his expectations for the season, Pagenaud said that he doesn’t necessarily have any specific targets for this season but that he just wants to help the team improve and grow.

Photograph courtesy of Chris Jones
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IndyCar News

Ready To See What We Can Do In Qualifying

Meyer Shank Racing’s Simon Pagenaud in the No.60 AutoNation Honda says he is ready to see what the team can in qualifying following a strong practice session on Saturday morning here in St Pete where he ended the session in third place with a time of 01:00.0853s.

Taking to Twitter ahead of the action, Pagenaud said:

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IndyCar News

Meyer Shank Racing Aim To Hit The Ground Running In St Pete

Meyer Shank Racing head into the 2022 NTT IndyCar Series season which gets underway with the Firestone Grand Prix presented by RP Funding on the streets of St Petersburg looking to convert their testing momentum into a solid result that they can build.

The team has gone through some big changes over the off-season with the addition of a second car and two new drivers with IndyCar Series veterans Simon Pagenaud and Helio Castroneves competing full-time for the team.

Castroneves who returns to full-time IndyCar Series competition this season is entering his 13th Grand Prix of St Petersburg while Pagenaud makes his 11th St Pete start and returns to Honda power this season for the first time since 2014.

Looking ahead to this weekend’s race, team owner Mike Shank says:

I think everyone at MSR is eager to get this year started. Having Simon and Helio on board this year really puts us at that level of competition that we have been building over the last few years. We’ve proved that we can be competitive and now we just need to continue that momentum into 2022.

Helio Castroneves driver of the No.06 AutoNation Sirius XM Honda is looking forward to this weekend’s race saying:

“I’m looking forward to St. Pete for several reasons. I’m going back to a race where I had a great time and it’s a place that I’ve had success at. This year is going to be a big year for not only myself but for Meyer Shank Racing. We’ve proved that we work well together in the few races we did last year, but now we come back for the full-season and it’s time to really focus on getting results every weekend.”

Simon Pagenaud driver of the No.60 AutoNation Sirius XM Honda is looking forward to working with his new team at MSR.

“First off, I am looking forward to working with my new team. I think there has been a lot of hype on our side of things to know where we stack up. But most importantly, it’s about extracting the best out of whatever situations we are in and then see where we end up. I’m just looking forward to starting my new adventure with MSR, Mike Shank and Jim Meyer and I want to represent them the best way that I can.”

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Motorsport News Sport

Pagenaud To Compete In The Rolex 24 Hours

Meyer Shank Racing NTT IndyCar Series driver Simon Pagenaud will compete in the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona for MSR’s endurance race.

Speaking following the announcement, Pagenaud said:

“I love starting the year with one of the biggest challenges of the year in the 24 Hour At Daytona. “It’s a race I came close to winning many times, just like the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the past. I am looking forward to racing with my new team MSR in endurance racing which is my roots and I have a very deep love for this series while reuniting with the Acura once again and my friends at HPD. With Oliver, Tom and Helio we will be a strong lineup and hopefully we can give AutoNation and SiriusXM a victory to start off the year.”

The 60th running of the Rolex 24 Hours takes place on January 29. Speaking about the news, team owner Mike Shank said:

We’re really excited to have Simon join the team for the Rolex 24. “The first step was having him be a part of our full-season lineup in INDYCAR and it just made sense to put him in the Acura for Daytona. He knows the car well and has worked with Helio previously, so he’s been a big asset to the team so far. With the lineup that we have I think that we have a chance to fight for a win in just a few weeks.”

The Rolex 24 Hours takes place approximately four weeks ahead of the start of the 2022 NTT IndyCar Series season with the Firestone Grand Prix of St Petersburg.