Juan Pablo Montoya has confirmed that he will leave the IndyCar Championship in 2018 to drive the upcoming Acura ARX-05 prototype in the 2018 IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship.
The IndyCar championship winner will be joined by Dane Cameron in the new ARX-05 while the second car will support another crew of two drivers expected to include three-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves, Autoweek reports.
The Acura ARX-05 (Acura Racing eXperimental, generation 5) will be unveiled on Friday in Monterey and make its competitive debut under the Team Penske umbrella at the 24 Hours of Daytona in January.
Montoya, widely considered as one of the most accomplished racing drivers in the last 20 years, is no stranger to the big stage. In fact, he’s won the IndyCar championship, claimed two Indy 500 titles, come out victorious at the 24 Hours of Daytona on three occasions and has seven Formula One victories under his belt, including the 2003 Monaco GP. Most recently, he tested the aerokits set to be adopted by IndyCar next year.
In a statement, Montoya said:
“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.”
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