SHEA RACING ANNOUNCES EXPANDED TEAM LINEUP

May 09, 2013

Orlando, FL – The Shea Racing Team announced today that they will campaign three new Honda race cars and add two new drivers to the team for the 2013 Pirelli World Challenge season.

The 2013 season marks the team’s fourth consecutive year with Pirelli World Challenge and their first year running a multi-car program with Honda Racing HPD support.

After a successful end to the 2012 season with Shea Holbrook finishing fourth in the Touring Car Championship, the team decided it was time to capture that momentum and expand their racing enterprise.

Jon Miller of Orlando, Florida and P.J. Groenke of Toronto, Canada, two drivers new to World Challenge, are poised to propel Shea Racing into the competitive ranks of the well established multi-car and factory backed efforts.

“We’re thrilled to have Jon Miller and P.J. Groenke join Shea as drivers this season.  These talented additions to the lineup will allow the team to expand into both the Touring Car and Touring Car B classes,” said team manager, Jeff Holbrook.

Shea Holbrook has been a Pirelli World Challenge driver since her professional debut in 2010.  In 2011 history was written when she became the first women to win a Touring Car race at the Long Beach Grand Prix.  Shea returns with a new perspective as a driver and co-owner.

“This year is different for me in that I’m not only solely focusing on my racing career, but also the future of the team and making sure we perform to our potential both on and off the race track.  The entire team has worked relentlessly to get where we are today, and I couldn’t be more proud. I’m very excited for the Touring Car B competition,” said Holbrook.

Canadian driver, P.J. Groenke is familiar with the series as he raced in the Pirelli World Challenge weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in 2012 where he captured two top-five finishes.  With over a decade of racing experience, Groenke has captured several victories on the race track and in 2006 he was a semi-finalist on Discovery Channel Canada’s Star Racer television program. The French Canadian expressed his excitement to race in Touring Car B by saying, “I am thrilled to be racing in the Pirelli World Challenge Series this year, it has been my goal since watching the series for the first time in the early 1990’s. Shea Racing is a top tier professional race team and I am sure that we will have a lot of fun, and great success during the 2013 season.”

American driver Jon Miller is stepping into the Touring Car class, driving a 2013 Honda Civic Si for the season long championship.  Although technically a World Challenge rookie, he has been racing professionally in the United States since 2006.  The Grand-Am Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge series is where he earned his first professional victory at New Jersey Motorsports Park in 2008.  “I’m used to large fields of extremely competitive sports car drivers, but I’m excited to learn how a new series and a new platform operates. We have tons to learn and I’m very excited about the opportunity that we’ve been given this year with Shea Racing and my sponsor partners,” said Miller.

The team is also proud to announce the launch of their new “Race Car Technician/Engineer Development Program.” For every race venue the Shea Racing Team hires local student technicians or college engineering students to get hands-on experience working with a professional race team.

“It’s a great way to directly involve communities and to give back to the people who work in the auto and motorsport industries,” said Shea Holbrook.

Steven Epps who graduates from Austin’s very own Capitol City Trade and Technical School this month and Ryan Sadlier who graduated from the same technical school in 2007 and currently owns ATX Auto Repair will be named Shea Racing crew members for the Austin, Texas Circuit of the Americas Pirelli World Challenge races May 17-19th.

Next Monday, the team and drivers will release the new look to the team, liveries and partners.

The Shea Racing Team looks forward to bringing momentum, a fresh new look, and highly competitive drivers to the series for 2013.

For more information visit www.SheaRacing.com