Ken
Gone but not forgotten
From Crash.net:
Dalziel confirmed in Pacific Coast Corvette
WEDNESDAY 9TH MARCH 2005
Ryan Dalziel has confirmed that he will forsake his immediate single-seater ambitions to race sportscars full time this season, having inked a deal to join for Toyota Atlantic team Pacific Coast Motorsports in the American Le Mans Series.
The Scot will follow up last weekend's Grand-Am outing with The Racers Group, in which he co-drove with former TA sparring partner Bryan Sellers, with a maiden ALMS appearance at the Sebring 12 Hours. The Atlantic connection won't end at the Pacific Coast team, however, as the 22-year old will co-pilot the squad's recently-acquired Corvette C5-R with another 2004 rival, Alex Figge.
“I'm really excited to be racing for a team like Pacific Coast Motorsports at the highest level of North American sportscar competition,” Dalziel commented, “Competing in sportscars is a new challenge, but I can't wait to make my ALMS debut next weekend. I'm also looking forward to teaming up with Alex, having raced against him for the past three seasons.”
The two cars from the factory Corvette team battled throughout the Mosport race.
[Pic credit: ALMS/Rick Dole]
The move to PCM is particularly apt for Dalziel, as he fought a title battle with the team's other driver, Jon Fogarty, throughout 2004. Fogarty won that war at the final round of the season, but PCM team director Tyler Tadevic was suitably impressed with Dalziel's ability to make him a priority for the team's ALMS campaign. The battle with Fogarty is not over, however, as the American veteran has also opted for the ALMS, with Flying Lizard Motorsports, after his own single-seater ambitions fizzled out.
Figge, who tested Champ Cars over the winter, and Dalziel will campaign one of the race-proven Corvette C5-Rs that have dominated GTS competition in recent seasons, and will be backed by DIY brand Menards. The team, which will now run in the re-formulated GT1 class, will also act as tyre company Yokohama's main development arm for the series. The line-up's relative inexperience will be bolstered by Canadian Dave Empringham - a former Indy Lights and double Toyota Atlantic champion - at long-distance events such as Sebring and Petit Le Mans.
“The fact that our three drivers have extensive experience and achieved success in Toyota Atlantics speaks to the fact that the series does a great job preparing drivers to progress their careers to higher levels of motorsport," Tadevic said, "With the well-developed and proven C5-R, our aggressive driver line-up and the support of Menards, we are fielding a formidable privateer effort against some big-time factory programmes.”
Dalziel confirmed in Pacific Coast Corvette
WEDNESDAY 9TH MARCH 2005
Ryan Dalziel has confirmed that he will forsake his immediate single-seater ambitions to race sportscars full time this season, having inked a deal to join for Toyota Atlantic team Pacific Coast Motorsports in the American Le Mans Series.
The Scot will follow up last weekend's Grand-Am outing with The Racers Group, in which he co-drove with former TA sparring partner Bryan Sellers, with a maiden ALMS appearance at the Sebring 12 Hours. The Atlantic connection won't end at the Pacific Coast team, however, as the 22-year old will co-pilot the squad's recently-acquired Corvette C5-R with another 2004 rival, Alex Figge.
“I'm really excited to be racing for a team like Pacific Coast Motorsports at the highest level of North American sportscar competition,” Dalziel commented, “Competing in sportscars is a new challenge, but I can't wait to make my ALMS debut next weekend. I'm also looking forward to teaming up with Alex, having raced against him for the past three seasons.”
The two cars from the factory Corvette team battled throughout the Mosport race.
[Pic credit: ALMS/Rick Dole]
The move to PCM is particularly apt for Dalziel, as he fought a title battle with the team's other driver, Jon Fogarty, throughout 2004. Fogarty won that war at the final round of the season, but PCM team director Tyler Tadevic was suitably impressed with Dalziel's ability to make him a priority for the team's ALMS campaign. The battle with Fogarty is not over, however, as the American veteran has also opted for the ALMS, with Flying Lizard Motorsports, after his own single-seater ambitions fizzled out.
Figge, who tested Champ Cars over the winter, and Dalziel will campaign one of the race-proven Corvette C5-Rs that have dominated GTS competition in recent seasons, and will be backed by DIY brand Menards. The team, which will now run in the re-formulated GT1 class, will also act as tyre company Yokohama's main development arm for the series. The line-up's relative inexperience will be bolstered by Canadian Dave Empringham - a former Indy Lights and double Toyota Atlantic champion - at long-distance events such as Sebring and Petit Le Mans.
“The fact that our three drivers have extensive experience and achieved success in Toyota Atlantics speaks to the fact that the series does a great job preparing drivers to progress their careers to higher levels of motorsport," Tadevic said, "With the well-developed and proven C5-R, our aggressive driver line-up and the support of Menards, we are fielding a formidable privateer effort against some big-time factory programmes.”
