Grand-Am penalizes Shank No. 60 car
“As much as we are frustrated with the penalty, we believe that pursuing an appeal would not change the outcome, and that we should just move forward from here," said team owner Mike Shank. “Fighting this will only take time and resources away from improving this process in the future."
Shank is hoping that this process can become more open and clear in the future.
“I want to be able to show up at Daytona International Speedway each spring and be able to run flat out from practice to the race without fearing that we will get engine penalties," said Shank. “Winning the Rolex 24 should come down to the engineering, driving talent, and strategy–not who can win the race on the dyno in Concord (NASCAR’S R&D facility). Obviously this entire process has been very frustrating, but just like we did in the 24, we will have to put it behind us, embrace all of our partners, and get to work on clawing our points back starting at COTA."
01/31/13 GRAND-AM Road Racing has issued monetary and point penalties to the No. 60 Ford/Riley Daytona Prototype entry that competes in the Rolex Sports Car Series, as a result of a rule infraction discovered following the 24-hour season-opening Jan. 26-27 event at Daytona International Speedway.
The No. 60 was found in violation of Section 4-1.1 (“GRAND-AM will specify components and performance levels in the Specific Car Regulations that must be adhered to") of the GRAND-AM Rule Book. The engine was found with mechanical adjustments resulting in performance levels outside the documented maximums.
As a result:
• The team, Michael Shank Racing, will forfeit third-place prize money of $35,000 and has been penalized with the loss of 30 team championship points;
• Drivers Ozz Negri, John Pew, Justin Wilson, Marcos Ambrose and AJ Allmendinger have each been penalized 30 driver championship points;
• Ford has been penalized 30 manufacturer championship points;
• The team has been penalized one point in the North American Endurance Championship standings;
The team has been fined $15,000, payable to Camp Boggy Creek, the official charity of GRAND-AM.