COLUMBUS, Ohio (October 29, 2014) - AERO™ Advanced Paint Technology sets a new standard in durability for motorsports applications. By engineering the properties of AERO™ film-based paint appliques to meet the demands of the aerospace industry, the AERO™ Advanced Paint Technology team was able to leverage the best qualities of protective films along with the aesthetic value of spray applied paints into a single stage applique film. The result is a lightweight, easy-to-install paint that will stand up to the rigorous track environment without degradation.

Michael Shank Racing continued to utilize AERO™ Advanced Paint Technology through the end of the 2014 Tudor United Sports Car Championship series (TUSCC) in the number 60 Ford EcoPower Riley prototype car. Throughout the season, the car’s livery was offended by stones, grit, and rubber, race after race. However, by painting the car with AERO™ Advanced Paint Technology, MSR was never required to swap out the livery due to chipping, abrasion, or erosion. The team ran the same hood and bumpers for the entire season without an issue, even in the high wear areas. Nonetheless, with changes in sponsorship and design, AERO's easy-to-strip, easy-to-install proprietary adhesive gave Shank the ability to easily change the side panels on their own terms. This allowed for easy sponsorship additions, specialty livery options, and race-day changes.

Team owner Michael Shank has become a big advocate of the durability of AERO™ Advanced Paint Technology. “The AERO paint system is truly remarkable in the way it has held up throughout the season,” Shank commented. “The paint, the graphics, and the carbon underneath all look brand new. And all we need to do with the cars—and pit equipment—is a quick wipe down with surface cleaner after the race.” The long-term durability means fewer livery replacements, and therefore a reduction in total costs.

The durability of AERO™ Advanced Paint Technology goes beyond protecting value adding aesthetics, but also substrate materials. Carbon fiber parts are expensive to create and costly to replace. As such, painting these materials with AERO™ film-based paint appliques protects the investment made, and therefore also helps reduce teams’ costs. Nonetheless, collisions in motorsports are inevitable. When impacts occur on track, the super strong AERO™ paint film and adhesive can help hold carbon fiber parts together, thereby preventing a black flag or a mandatory pit stop.

Unlike other film-based systems, AERO™ Advanced Paint Technology does not suffer from texturization or discoloring over time. Throughout the lifetime of the product, the proprietary, self-healing AERO™ Clear Coat will continue to enhance the vibrancy and luster of the AERO™ film-based paint applique, without yellowing or hazing. A season’s worth of wear and tear in harsh environments such as Laguna Seca would typically leave a great deal of abrasion and stone impingement on spray applied or vinyl, requiring the use of clear bra. “We’ve engineered AERO to have better durability than substitutes, without the need for additional protective films, and we’re still lighter,” stated Jim McGuire, CEO of AERO’s parent company, entrotech. He continued “there’s a real competitive advantage here for teams like MSR, especially when cost savings has become more important than ever.”

Michael Shank finished the 2014 TUSCC season in 6th, achieving a second place finish at Road America.

In addition to its long-term durability, AERO™ Advanced Paint Technology reduces maintenance time versus ordinary paint. AERO™ film-based paint appliques can be applied and stripped in minutes, since it does not require drying. More information on AERO™ paint is available at www.rethinkpaint.com.

About Michael Shank Racing

Based in Columbus, OH, Michael Shank Racing was formed in 1989 when Mike Shank first began driving racing cars professionally. Shank retired from the cockpit in 1997 to focus his efforts on running the team, which quickly found success in the Champ Car Toyota Atlantic Championship. With several race wins under his belt, Shank was named as Team Owner of the Year twice in four years. Michael Shank Racing joined the Rolex Sports Car Series in 2004 as the team proved as quick in endurance racing as in the sprint formula car format. Michael Shank Racing scored a debut Rolex Series win in 2006 at Miller Motorsports Park, and fans selected the victory as the 2007 Rolex “Moment of the Year.” After opening the 2008 season with a front-row sweep of the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona, the team closed out the year taking wins in the final two races of the year. The team scored a dramatic victory in the 50th Anniversary Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona in 2012, and backed that race-winning effort up with a run to third place with the second team entry.

About AERO™ Advanced Paint Technology

AERO™ Advanced Paint Technology is a division of entrotech, Inc. Established in 1999, entrotech is a technology business that designs, develops, and commercializes innovative materials used in many of the world’s most advanced products. The company’s focus is on life sciences, data storage, display enhancement and protection, green paint applique films and premium carbon fiber products. With executive offices and laboratories in San Francisco, the company has manufacturing and development facilities in Columbus, Ohio. For more information, visit: www.entrotech.com

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