2011 News
Ryan Dalziel Montreal Preview
- 18 August 2011
THE PLOT:
Ryan Dalziel has warned his rivals to keep an eye on their mirrors in Montreal because he is fed up of coming third.
The Orlando-based driver’s third place last time out at Watkins Glen was his third of the season. He reckons it is time for the Fort Lauderdale-based Starworks Motorsport team to taste the sweet champagne of victory. The Lanarkshire-born star is so determined to do well in Round 11 of the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series he will be doubling his efforts for the Montreal 200 in Quebec.
The28-year-old will qualify and start in the #2 Starworks Porsche/Riley, then will finish the two-hour race in the #8 Starworks Ford/Riley. Ryan will hand over driving duties in the #2 car to Venezuelan Alex Popow. And Ryan will take over from Enzo Potolicchio, from Venezuela, who will qualify and start the #8 car.
THE QUOTES:
“We are fed up with thirds. We want to go for victories. I think Watkins Glen was the first time this season that we have looked at our race performance and thought we had a car that could have won the race.
“At the last pitstops the leaders came out on a clear track and I came out into traffic. When I tried to push, I blistered the tires so I had to back off a bit and settle for third.
“I definitely think that if a yellow flag had come out, the win was possible. We obviously want to win, but a second is better than a third for now. We just want to keep improving. We have two races to go and we want to keep building on what we have done so far.
“Montreal has been good for me over the years. Going back to my open wheel days, I have won at Montreal. I have a bunch of podiums.
“But, a little bit like Watkins Glen in the DP car, it has been a bit of a gremlin for us. Last year we had fastest lap in free race practice then broke the driveshaft in the race. The year before, we were the fastest car and we broke down on the recon lap.
“So the past couple of years have been a bit of a nightmare for us but I definitely think that we have some momentum and we are looking for a good result.”
THE FACTS:
Ryan was winner of the 24 Hours of Daytona with Action Express Racing in 2010, before completing the season with Starworks Motorsport.
Ryan has had six top-four finishes in his last eight Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series outings.
He finished fifth overall in last year’s Driver Standings. He is currently tenth in this year’s standings.
The Montreal 200 will be broadcast by SPEED – www.speedtv.com. The show starts at 7pm EST on Saturday 20th August.
More information at www.ryandalziel.com.