Meyer Shank Racing will retain Tom Blomqvist for its IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTP campaign next season as it transitions to the new Acura ARX-06 LMDh platform.
Additionally, Blomqvist will have the opportunity to prove himself in one of MSR’s Honda-powered Indy cars after the conclusion of the IMSA season.
Beginning with victory in the Rolex 24 at Daytona, Blomqvist and teammate Oliver Jarvis have had a breakout season, reaching the Petit Le Mans final in a virtual tie with Wayne Taylor Racing for the championship.
After time in GT cars in IMSA and WEC, Blomqvist made a strong transition to the DPi class. Blomqvist has led the MSR Acura to two poles, posting the fastest qualifying time at Watkins Glen and following that up a week later with a record lap at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.
“I am really excited to renew the partnership with MSR,” said Blomqvist. “MSR put a lot of trust in me by putting me in the car this year and we have had a successful campaign. We work well together and it is clear from the results we have had that we are now focused on taking the championship. Obviously with the new car it will be a different challenge, but one for which we are all highly motivated.
“The IndyCar test is something that I am also very excited about. It’s amazing that Mike and the team respected what I’ve done this year and give me the opportunity to drive one of their Indy cars. It’s definitely something I look forward to doing in the future and I have to say a huge thank you to the team for giving me the opportunity to do that test,” he added.
The 2023 season marks the seventh year of competition under the Acura banner for MSR, having successfully debuted the Acura NSX GT3 in IMSA competition in 2017. That effort quickly paid dividends for Acura, with MSR notching seven wins in the class. GTD before returning to the IMSA GTD championships again in 2019 and 2020. MSR transitioned to DPi competition in 2021.
Team co-owner Mike Shank had no doubts that Blomqvist was the right choice to take the top seat in the team’s Acura LMDh car.
“It was an easy decision for us to re-sign Tom,” Shank said. “He has exceeded our expectations this racing season and has performed week after week. The pace he showed with the Acura ARX-05 made it an easy decision to put him in the new Acura LMDh car.
“I am also pleased that we can give him the opportunity to test drive our Indy car. He has single-seater experience with Formula E and it will be exciting to see what he can do in an Indy Car.”
Last week, MSR took delivery of its Acura ARX-06, the same one that was shown at The Quail, a Motorsports Gathering, in Carmel during Monterey Car Week. The team has not confirmed whether Blomqvist will team up with Jarvis for 2023.