Montoya, Cameron Confirmed in Penske Acura DPi

Photo: IMSA

Team Penske has announced the first two full-season drivers for its Acura ARX-05 DPi program, with Juan Pablo Montoya and Dane Cameron confirmed for the 2018 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season with the legendary team.

While Montoya’s confirmation comes as no surprise, reigning Prototype champion Cameron will make the switch from Action Express Racing at the end of the season.

“We worked together with our partners at Acura Motorsports and Honda Performance Development to bring together drivers that we believe will help develop our program and compete for race wins right out of the gate while also serving as great ambassadors for their brands,” said Roger Penske.

“Having Juan and Dane join our program brings together two drivers that have extensive sports car racing experience in the prototype class and have already won at the top levels of the sport. This represents a great beginning to our program for 2018.”

Montoya, the only driver to win an IndyCar championship, Indianapolis 500 and Rolex 24 at Daytona, all in his first attempt, will transition to full-time sports car competition after sporadic starts in recent years.

The Colombian most recently tested Risi Competizione’s Ferrari 488 GTE in February, and before then, turned laps in a Porsche 919 Hybrid, with an eye towards a career shift.

“I have really enjoyed working with Roger and Team Penske over the last four years,” said Montoya. “When Roger asked if I’d like to be part of starting this new sports car operation with Acura, it was an easy decision. I’ve always loved racing sports cars.

“It’s definitely a challenge and it’s going to be a lot of fun to develop a new car with Acura. I’m excited to start the testing of the ARX-05 next week.

“Team Penske started its winning tradition in sports cars and it’s going to be cool to be a part of a new chapter with the team.”

While Montoya will make his WeatherTech Championship debut, Cameron enters the team as an IMSA veteran, with two championships and wins in multiple classes.

“Getting a chance to race for Team Penske is like a dream come true for a driver,” said Cameron. “To see all of the effort and resources that Acura Motorsports is putting into this new program to develop and win with the ARX-05, it’s really impressive.

“I’m so excited for the opportunity to become part of the team and work with a guy who has done all the things Juan has done.

“It’s going to be an awesome experience to add my name to the list of drivers that have driven for Team Penske. I’m looking forward to a busy off season and coming out of the gates strong at Daytona.”

The final two full-season drivers will be announced at a later date, with the official unveiling of the ARX-05 car set to take place on Friday as part of Monterey Car Week in California.

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John