Dalziel to tackle FIA WECposted in LMANS18 | 11 | 2014
SCOTS SPORSTCAR ACE Ryan Dalziel will tackle the World Endurance Championship next season after his Florida-based Extreme Speed Motorsports LMP2 squad confirmed it will tackle the full FIA series.
The former FIA LMP2 world champ — now living in Florida — will drive his new Tequila Patron-sponsored ESM HPD-Honda ARX-04a coupes in the full 2015 WEC, which includes the Le Mans 24 Hours.
The decision to switch from the Tudor United SportsCar Championship — in which Patron sponsors the North American Endurance Cup made up of the four enduros — is a result of the marketing opportunities offered by a global championship.
"Tequila Patron is thrilled to introduce its brand to consumers all over the world and on the WEC stage," team co-owner and Patron boss Ed Brown, said. "That's the major reason we've moved in this direction as a team."
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The team made its FIA WEC debut at Circuit of The Americas in September, which saw Sharp, Dalziel and Brown score a third place finish in class in a solo HPD ARX-03b entry.
The first of the team's two ARX-04s is scheduled to test later this month. Wishaw-born Dalziel will partner Brown, fellow ESM co-owner Scott Sharp, and Johannes van Overbeek in the cars. The team will confirm additional drivers at a later date.
“We are delighted that one of the top sports car teams in the United States, Extreme Speed Motorsports, has chosen to join the FIA WEC family as a full participant in 2015,” said FIA WEC CEO Gerard Neveu.
“The announcement to race with us in 2015 is a huge boost to the LMP2 grid, and the WEC as a whole, and it is a big honour to welcome Ed Brown, Scott Sharp and all of the Tequila Patrón Extreme Speed Motorsports team to the FIA World Endurance Championship.”
Related: Scot Ryan Dalziel wins at Indy
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Jim McGill