Thems sorta local boys for us... Michael Shank Racing with Curb/Agajanian announced on Friday that it will race in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, June 17-18. The Ohio-based team earned the invitation to compete thanks to the efforts of team driver John Pew, who won the 2015 Trueman Award as the top semi-pro racer in the IMSA WeatherTech Prototype championship. Pew will team with longtime Michael Shank Racing co-driver Ozz Negri as well as Laurens Vanthoor (Belgium), who will make his first start with the team and second career start in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Michael Shank Racing uses the Ligier JS P2 Honda platform. It won the pole at the 2015 Rolex 24 at Daytona and earned three podiums during the season. Onroak and Honda will serve as technical partners for the Le Mans effort. “When I first started with Michael Shank Racing in 2007, I never thought that this all would eventually lead to a 2016 Le Mans entry in an LMP2 car,†said Pew. “Le Mans is the pinnacle in the world of sports-car racing. What an honor it will be just to race there. "Last year we went to Le Mans just to observe and what an awesome event. The crowds, the track, the complete ambience. It is great to partner with Onroak in the Ligier P2 and with Honda. Not only is it an awesome car, but they have Le Mans experience which we hope to draw from.†The international effort will be managed as an extension of the previously announced 2016 plans for Michael Shank Racing to contest the IMSA WeatherTech Championship with full-season drivers Pew and Negri. That campaign will launch with the Rolex 24 at Daytona on Jan. 30-31. “This is a big announcement and a very big project for my entire organization,†said team owner Mike Shank. “It is one of the great things about our sport -- we can compete on a world level and this gives us the first shot to be able to do that. This collaboration with Onroak is a very big part of our ability to do this, and of course getting the invitation from the ACO is critical, so we appreciate IMSA having the relationship with the organizers that they do." Read more: Michael Shank Racing accepts invite to race in 24 Hours of Le Mans | Autoweek