A surprise announcement early on Thursday from Tequila Patrón ESM revealed that team co-owner Ed Brown, scheduled to make his final start in the No. 22 Nissan Onroak DPi this weekend at the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen, was forced to withdraw from the event as a driver.
Back pain forced Brown to undergo minor back surgery, and the recovery process requires him to step out of the cockpit at Watkins Glen, though he will still be in attendance as an interested onlooker.
“This recent development is disappointing, to say the least,” lamented Brown. “I was looking forward to having one final race in the car, but I’m happy I’ll still be able attend and support everyone from pit lane. As usual, the team has done a tremendous job preparing for this race, I believe both cars will be very strong. Bruno (Senna) and Johannes (van Overbeek) will now have a little more time to dial everything in, and I know they’ll do a great job.
Bruno Senna, already signed as a co-driver for the No. 22 entry this weekend, will share driving duties with Johannes van Overbeek in what is now a two-man effort. The driver lineup on the No. 2 entry remains unchanged and sees Scott Sharp and Ryan Dalziel joined by Pipo Derani, who will move over to the No. 22 and partner van Overbeek for the remainder of the season following Watkins Glen.