Just days after closing their American Le Mans Series run with a second-place finish in the P2 team and driver’s championships, Extreme Speed Motorsports has revealed its plans for next year’s inaugural Tudor United SportsCar Championship season.
The Scott Sharp-led squad has signed former 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Ryan Dalziel (pictured), who drove full-time this past year with Starworks Motorsport in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series. There, he and co-driver Alex Popow were part of a thrilling championship battle in the Daytona Prototype category before eventually finishing fifth in the standings.
Dalziel also competed in the ALMS this year for SRT Motorsports at Sebring, Le Mans and last weekend at the Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta. In 2012, he helped Starworks claim the GRAND-AM North American Endurance Championship and took three ALMS wins for CORE Autosport in a Prototype Challenge machine.
“I could not be happier or any more excited about joining ESM in 2014,” Dalziel said in a team release. “I have been a huge admirer of the team over the past few seasons. I was really impressed with 2013, at how quickly they adapted to the P2 class.
“ESM and [sponsor] Patrón are really stepping things up for 2014 and I think that as a team we will be very strong. I know many of the key people within the team and am really proud to be part of their driver lineup. I think together, we can accomplish many wins.”
In his own thoughts, Sharp said he was “extremely excited” to have a talent like Dalziel on board.
“I truly feel he is the perfect fit – super fast in everything he drives, technically committed, a team player, and a really great guy,” the former IndyCar pilot said. “I think he will fit into exactly what we and the rest of the team have been building for the last four years.”
Dalziel will team up with Sharp in the No. 01 ESM Honda Performance Development ARX-03b as the team transitions from the ALMS’ P2 category to the Prototype category in the new United series.
As for ESM’s sister car, the No. 02 HPD ARX-03b, its driving duo of Johannes van Overbeek and Ed Brown will remain intact for a second straight season. This past year, the JVO/Brown combo notched three podium finishes at Long Beach, Baltimore and Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.
