Dalziel crowned world champposted in MSPOR15 | 10 | 2012
SCOTLAND'S NEW MOTORSPORT world champion, Wishaw's Ryan Dalziel, arrives in Georgia, USA, today to prepare for this weekend's Petit Le Mans still coming to terms with his achievement (see more photos of Ryan in Japan).
"It's all been a bit of a haze," the newly-crowned FIA World Endurance LMP2 Champion, beamed. "This has been the best year of my career.
"To lift a world championship is something you dream about, but for it to become reality is almost beyond words."
The 30-year-old Scot headed to the demanding Fuji circuit in Japan knowing he only had to finish ahead of his main title rival to lift the crown in the penultimate race of the seven-round championship.
In the end Dalziel — partnered by Venezuelan Enzo Potolicchio and Frenchman Stephane Sarrazin in the six-hour race — saw his Starworks HPD Honda finish two laps ahead of his Pecom Racing rivals.
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“It was one of the most aggressive races I have ever done," Dalziel, who had a coming together with fellow-Scot Allan McNish's Audi during the race, continued.
"I went through the whole of Le Mans without getting touched by a car. In Japan it seemed people kept bouncing off us.
"When you look at the outcome and what you need to do to win a championship, it puts pressure on you.
"All the drivers made mistakes, the crew made some mistakes, but we rebounded well and showed the character. That's what makes us champions.”
Dalziel — who won at Sebring in Forida, plus Brazil and Le Mans, as well as finishing on the podium at Silverstone — admitted he'd surprised himself with his performances.
"I was able to show I can keep pace with someone like Stephane, who has twice finished second at Le Mans as a Peugeot works' driver," Florida-based Dalziel said.
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"It's been a big eye-opener for me. We finished second in Grand-Am’s Rolex championship, we won the North American Endurance Championship as a team and driver, then we have won this as well.
"It's incredible that a first-year team with no experience in motorsport outside of North America, and with engineers who had never been outside America, could do this.
"It's incredible to put your name next to a world championship. Does it get any better?"
And Dalziel, who will go head-to-head with fellow Scots Dario and Marino Franchitti at this weekend's 1000-mile Petit Le Mans in Atlanta, admitted his achievement hadn't yet sunk in.
"It's all been a bit helter-skelter since the chequered flag at Fuji," he laughed. "It was basically a case of jumping straight on a plane and heading for Atlanta.
"That's almost exactly what happened at Le Mans: right after the race I had to fly immediately back to the States to compete the following weekend.
"I'm straight back into preparing for Petit Le Mans, and that's taking all my attention now, so it'll probably take a little while for the fact I've won the inaugural World Endurance LMP2 Championship to sink in."
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Jim McGill