Negri Looks to 2009 Season

10/09/2008

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Oct. 9, 2008) - The 2008 season had barely ended, but Oswaldo Negri and Michael Shank Racing were already planning for 2009 after concluding the campaign with back-to-back victories.

Oswaldo Negri wasn't thinking about his off-season plans following the recent Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 season finale at Miller Motorsports Park. He was already thinking about the 2009 season.

"It's funny, because after the race at Miller ended on Saturday, even though we were at Las Vegas on Sunday and Monday, we were already do plans and thinking about next season," Negri said. "And since then, that's what we've been doing."

While the season ended with a 13th-place finish for Negri and Mark Patterson in the No. 60 Michael Shank Racing Ford Riley, teammates Ian James and John Pew scored their first victory in the No. 6 MSR Ford Riley. In the previous round, Negri and Patterson combined to win the inaugural round at New Jersey Motorsports Park's Thunderbolt Raceway - their first victory since the 2006 Miller finale - and the Brazilian has been smiling since then.

"That victory at New Jersey couldn't have come at a better time, at the end of the championship," Negri said. "We had been talking about the possibilities of the 2009 season, and then Mark has committed to Mike Shank and myself for 2009."

Negri thinks the strong finish to the season will carry over into next season.
"Imagine ending the season by winning the last two races," Negri said. "That says a lot about Mike Shank Racing and the whole team. When we won our race at New Jersey and when the No. 6 car won at Miller, we both gained a lot of positions in the pits. It's great to finish the season like that. It gives more leverage for Mike Shank talking with sponsors to sell the program.

"I'm really excited about next year," Negri continued. "There are a few new teams coming, which will make the show even better. I think we've got a really good package. The Pirelli tires really helped us a lot with the consistence of the tires, especially because we're a pro-am team. Some of the gentlemen drivers need more track time, so that when us pro drivers get in, we've still got good tires underneath us to help with the development and the setup of the car. That really helped us a lot."

Negri and Patterson combined for nine top-10 finishes. In addition to their victory at New Jersey, they scored a podium finish at Homestead-Miami Speedway, in addition to fourth at both the Sahlen's Six Hours of Watkins Glen and Barber Motorsports Park, and fifth at Mexico City.

The season opened strong, with Negri winning the pole for the Rolex 24 At Daytona and AJ Allmendinger qualifying second in the Shank No. 6 Ford.

"That was big, it was very, very big," Negri said of the Rolex 24 pole. "It's a race where you have the best drivers in the world there, and to be the fastest and be on pole was very sweet. You look up to some of those guys, and then you find yourself ahead of everybody on the grid, it's an amazing accomplishment."

The victories of the No. 60 and 6 cars boosted the number of different winners to eight in the 2008 Rolex Series. While champions Scott Pruett and Memo Gidley won six events, only one other team - AIM Autosport - won two races. Pew and James' victory in the finale gave the series four first-time winners.

"That just shows how competitive the series is," Negri said of the tough competition. "I tell everybody we're not just racing, we're putting on a show. Look at some of those races; they were extremely exciting. After participating in those races I go back home to study, and sometimes I catch myself at the edge of the seat just watching the races, even though it's been done and I know the result. It's an extremely exciting series, and I think next year will be even more competitive."

Matt Cleary
Sunday Group Management
media@sundaymanagement.com
317-908-2975 (mobile)

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