After two seasons competing in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), Tequila Patrón ESM is preparing its homecoming to the United States for the 2017 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The Florida based team will return with its familiar but strong lineup of Scott Sharp, Ryan Dalziel, Ed Brown, and Johannes van Overbeek as the full time drivers in the No. 2 and No. 22 Tequila Patrón ESM Ligier DPi cars. Luis “Pipo” Derani, Bruno Senna, and Brendon Hartley will join the squad for the first race of the year, the Rolex 24 of Daytona.

The team previously announced its two car entry, transitioning from the Daytona Prototype chassis to the new Daytona Prototype international (DPi) cars. Partnering with Nissan Nismo, the 2017 return to IMSA with Ligier and Oak Racing, with which team has already celebrated success together. The two new DPi cars will run with the ACO/FIA homologated LMP2 Prototype Ligier chassis in the IMSA Prototype class.

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Saturday evening at the Bahrain International Circuit, Tequila Patrón ESM bid adieu to the FIA World Endurance Championship with one of the strongest performances the team has seen all season. Pipo Derani, Ryan Dalziel and Chris Cumming perfectly executed the team’s strategy to hold an impressive lead for several hours of the Six Hours of Bahrain for the No. 31 Patrón ESM Ligier to finish fourth.

Derani and Cumming qualified with a combined average speed to set a seventh place starting position. A post-qualifying change further up the field moved the No. 31 Ligier up for Derani to start sixth. The young Brazilian showed strength on the start, jumping from sixth to fourth in the opening lap. He continued his climb in the opening stint, racing side by side with the sister No. 30 Extreme Speed Motorsports Ligier of Giedo van der Garde. Derani took the position to run third before making his first pit stop 45 minutes running. He rejoined in fifth, involved in a three way battle for position with the No. 44 Manor and the No. 26 G-Drive machines. Derani took fourth before handing the wheel off to Ryan Dalziel with an hour and a half complete.

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This weekend, the Middle East will host the season finale for the 2016 FIA World Endurance Championship season. After starting the season with a second place finish at the 6 Hours of Silversone, Tequila Patrón ESM hopes to finish the season with the No. 31 Nissan powered Ligier JS P2 again on the podium. In the eight races competed thus far, Tequila Patrón ESM earned four podiums and an additional three top five finishes.

The Bahrain International Circuit held its first FIA WEC event in 2012, and will celebrate its fifth anniversary this weekend with 92 drivers in 30 cars competing in the four classes. With 24 turns, the 3.914 endurance circuit will be the final battle ground for the 2016 race season.

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Sunday evening at Shanghai International Circuit, Tequila Patrón ESM earned their seventh top five finish of the weekend in the 2016 FIA World Endurance Championship. The 6 Hours of Shanghai ran under the green flag for the majority of the event, where the Ligier ran error free and finished a fifth place after starting in ninth place.

Dalziel showed a strong race start, gaining two positions in the opening lap before the race went under safety car for two laps. At the end of his 50 minute stint, Dalziel pitted in sixth, strategically setting up Chris Cumming to rejoin in fifth position. Despite heavy race traffic, Cumming ran a clean stint, at one point dropping to ninth in the LMP2 class, but a consistent run brought him back up to sixth at the two hour mark. Dalziel rejoined in seventh, and quickly climbed up to fifth before his stint ended shortly after the halfway point.

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SHANGHAI, China, (October 31, 2016) — This weekend the FIA World Endurance Championship visits China for the 6 Hours of Shanghai, the penultimate race of the 2016 calendar.

While the LMP2 class looks to continue to be competitive, Tequila Patrón ESM has previously shown strong performances at the Shanghai International Circuit.  In 2015, the team had a top three finish in sight when a gearbox issue forced the car to retire early.

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Braselton, Ga. (1 October 2016) – With the 2016 Petit Le Mans setting the stage for the final race of the Daytona Prototype era, longtime DP competitor VISIT FLORIDA Racing had been hoping to close out the 2016 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship on a high note. Unfortunately for the team that finished runner-up in last year’s IMSA championship season, the day ended early with an ongoing mechanical issue.

Rejoining full-season drivers Ryan Dalziel and Marc Goossens in the VISIT FLORIDA Racing DP was Florida’s own Ryan Hunter-Reay, who competed for the team at the Rolex 24, 12 Hours of Sebring, and Long Beach Grand Prix. The trio opened the 2016 season with a run to third in the Rolex 24 At Daytona in January. 

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Ryan Dalziel puts the No. 90 Chevrolet Corvette DP on the third row for Saturday’s Petit Le Mans

Braselton, Ga. (30 September 2016) – Visit Florida Racing will start the 19th Annual Petit Le Mans from eighth position after Ryan Dalziel set a quick qualifying time of 1:14.276-seconds in the No. 90 VISIT FLORIDA Chevrolet Corvette DP. Dalziel, Marc Goosens and 2012 Verizon IndyCar Series Champion Ryan Hunter-Reay, will share driving duties in Saturday’s 10-hour endurance classic, the season-finale of both the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup.

With just .3-seconds separating the entire Prototype class, the competition for the finale could not be tighter as the event also ushers in the end of the DP era for the IMSA series.

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DRIVING IN THE PETIT LE MANS: Ryan Dalziel, Marc Goossens and Ryan Hunter-Reay will co-drive the No. 90 Visit Florida Racing Corvette Daytona Prototype.

ROAD ATLANTA: At 2.54-miles long with 12 turns, the popular road course is located outside of Atlanta, Georgia. This year’s Petit Le Mans marks the 19th running of the event.

2016 CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS – VISIT FLORIDA RACING: 4th with 248 points after 9 of 10 rounds complete.

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Austin, Texas – Hopes of a return trip to the Circuit of the Americas podium for VISIT FLORIDA Racing went unfulfilled on Saturday when a driveline failure on the No. 90 Corvette Daytona Prototype took drivers Marc Goossens and Ryan Dalziel out of contention for a top-three run.

 Goossens opened the race from the fourth row after qualifying the car seventh during an afternoon session on Thursday. He had made his way up to fourth in the order when he reported that the car had lost drive just about 35 minutes into the race.

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This evening at a scorching Circuit of the Americas, Tequila Patrón ESM qualified for Round Six of the FIA World Endurance Championship: The 6 Hours of COTA. The event stands as the only North American race on the nine race calendar for the season, adding additional pressure to the American team to secure a podium finish.

The 20 minute qualifying session was trying for the team, battling ambient temperatures of 87 degrees and track temperatures of 122 degrees (F). The 20 turn 3.427 track will make tire management a crucial for the six hour endurance event. At the previous round of the 6 Hours of Mexico, the team’s qualifying run was hampered by a red flag, resulting the team at the rear of the field. Despite contact from several cars throughout the race, the No. 31 Ligier worked its way up through the field to finish an impressive third place.

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A lot of people have busy Saturdays, but none have plans like Ryan Dalziel, who will race sports cars in two endurances races this Saturday at the Circuit of the Americas with VISIT FLORIDA Racing and Tequila Patron ESM for “Ryan’s Rett Razzle Dazzle Double Weekend…” 

Enter the #DalzielDouble raffle here:https://rafflecreator.com/pages/7192/ryan’s-rett-razzle-dazzle-double-weekend

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DRIVING AT CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS: Ryan Dalziel and Marc Goossens will co-drive the No. 90 VISIT FLORIDA  Racing Corvette Daytona Prototype.

CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS: An F1 grade facility that features 20 corners along a 3.4-mile road course, Circuit of the Americas marks the penultimate round of the 2016 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The event is held in conjunction with the World Endurance Championship’s Six Hours of COTA.

2016 CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS –VISIT FLORIDA RACING: 4th with 223 points after 8 of 10 rounds complete.

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MEXICO CITY, Mex. – With over 700 Patrón Spirits employees in attendance on race day for the FIA World Endurance Championship 6 Hours of Mexico, Tequila Patrón ESM celebrated a third place finish today at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. Starting in 10th position, the No. 31 finished overcame much adversity to finish third in Mexico City, earning its fourth podium in five races.

After a difficult qualifying session, the No. 30 and No. 31 starting 10th and 11th in the LMP2 field. With no pressure from behind, the Pipo Derani was able to gain two positions in the opening lap, and Johannes van Overbeek climbed up one position. In his opening stint, Derani fell victim to the first of many accidental attacks on the black and green Ligiers. Despite being forced off track, Derani was able to continue with no positions lost. Using traffic to his advantage, Derani advanced to fifth position before pitting the No. 31 for fuel, tires and a driver change to Chris Cumming. Enjoying a relatively uneventful stint, the No. 30 followed suit in 10th, trading out van Overbeek for Ed Brown.

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After a brief summer break, the FIA World Endurance Championship resumes this weekend in Mexico City for the fifth round of the eight round championship, the inaugural 6 Hours of Mexico. As the series begins its North American stretch of the season, the event marks a special one for LMP2 team Tequila Patrón ESM, as every bottle of Tequila Patrón is proudly produced in Jalisco, Mexico. The Patrón Spirits Company will have strong representation at the event, bringing over 600 employees to the race track to support the two car effort.

Located in the southeast area of the city, the 2.674 mile track has a rich history, hosting Formula 1, Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART), NASCAR XFINITY Series, as well as the GRAND-AM Road Racing Series. This weekend will be the first time the World Endurance Championship has competed at the 17-turn track, leaving the entire field of competitors with much to learn in the opening sessions.

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Elkhart Lake, Wis. (7 August 2016) – VISIT FLORIDA Racing persevered through a frustrating weekend at Road America to bring the No. 90 VISIT FLORIDA Racing Corvette DP shared by Marc Goossens and Ryan Dalziel to a sixth place finish in the Continental Tire Road Race Showcase on Sunday.

The Daytona Beach, Florida-based team worked throughout the weekend to find the speed needed at the 4-mile legendary road course in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. The group made several changes to the car on Saturday ahead of qualifying and Goossens put it sixth on the grid.

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Elkhart Lake, Wis.  – The VISIT FLORIDA Racing No. 90 Corvette Daytona Prototype will start Sunday’s Continental Tire Road Race Showcase from the third row of the grid after Marc Goossens qualified sixth in an abbreviated session on Saturday.

The 15-minute qualifying session was cut short due to a red flag period, which ultimately saw the No. 90 car miss out on what would have been the team’s fast lap. Goossens was still able to post a quick time of 1.56.992-seconds during the abbreviated session.

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DRIVING AT ROAD AMERICA: Ryan Dalziel and Marc Goossens will drive the No. 90 Visit Florida Racing Corvette Daytona Prototype.

ROAD AMERICA: Round 8 of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship held at one of the most historic road courses on the 2016 calendar. At 4 miles in length, it’s the longest track that IMSA visits.

2016 CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS – VISIT FLORIDA RACING: 4th with 197 points after 7 of 10 rounds complete.

TEAM HISTORY AT ROAD AMERICA: Visit Florida Racing has made five starts at Road America since 2011. The best finish by the team was in 2014 when Richard Westbrook and Michael Valiante took a fourth place result. Last year, that same driver pairing finished fifth in the Visit Florida Racing Corvette DP.

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Tequila Patrón ESM celebrated National Tequila Day in great fashion on Sunday, earning a third place finish at the FIA World Endurance Championship’s 6 Hours of Nürburgring. The No. 31 Ligier P2 of Ryan Dalziel, Luís Felipe “Pipo” Derani finished in third place, earning its third podium in the four completed races of the 2015 race season.

In an effort to prepare and gather information for the 2017 race season, Tequila Patrón ESM switched tire manufacturers to run Michelin, the most successful tire manufacturer in sports car racing. No small move, the two car team worked diligently all weekend to dial in the set up as quickly as possible without any previous tire testing. Focusing on set up instead of outright speed, the No. 30 and No. 31 Ligiers tested numerous variables in the practice and qualifying sessions leading up to the race.

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It has been almost a month since the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and the drivers and crew of Tequila Patrón ESM are eager to return to the World Endurance Championship for the Six Hours of Nürburgring. Following four podium finishes in the first four races of the FIA WEC and IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship  calendars, mechanical difficulties have hampered the two most recent races, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Six Hours of the Glen.  Hungry to be back at the front of the field, the Florida based team should be a strong contender with its pair of Nissan Ligier JS P2 cars.

In 2015, both cars struggled to find overall pace in the first half of the race, only getting up to speed in the final half. Throughout 2016, the continuing development of the team from last season has proved to be immense, starting the WEC season off with two first place finishes. The 3.199, 16-turn Germany facility should prove favorable this weekend to the Ligier, a car that shows its strengths on fast and flowing tracks.

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Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada (10 July 2016) – Visit Florida Racing came up just short of a podium finish in the Mobil 1 Sportscar Grand Prix at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park on Sunday when the team and its drivers Marc Goossens and Ryan Dalziel combined for a fourth place finish.

After leading mid-way through the race, a gamble on strategy didn’t pay off for the No. 90 Visit Florida Racing Corvette Daytona Prototype as the squad targeted victory at the Canadian road course.

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