Ryan Dalziel is eagerly awaiting his first opportunity to try out his new race car when he joins Marc Goossens in the No. 90 VisitFlorida.com Corvette DP in the Roar Before the Rolex 24 test at Daytona International Speedway on Jan. 8-10.
Dalziel will compete fulltime in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with Visit Florida Racing after competing for two years in the FIA World Endurance Championship with Tequila Patrón Extreme Speed Motorsports.
A native of Scotland, Dalziel now resides in the Orlando, Florida area. He joined Action Express Motorsports in scoring the overall victory in the 2010 Rolex 24 At Daytona, and won the LMP2 class in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring Fueled by Fresh From Florida with Starworks Motorsport in 2012.
Dalziel recently talked with IMSA.com about getting together with Visit Florida Racing, rejoining Goossens as a full-time co-driver, his thoughts about racing the Corvette DP for the first time and opening the 2016 season at the Rolex 24 At Daytona.
How did you get together with Visit Florida Racing for the 2016 season?
“I’ve gotten to know Troy [Flis] over the past few years, and I’ve always found him one of the most approachable team owner. We had never talked about working together, but there was definitely a small friendship there. I was rooting for them this year, and I’ve been very impressed over the past two seasons on how far they’ve come.
”We had an initial conversation shortly after Petit, we talked doing about the Patrón Endurance Cup races in 2016, but for me, to try to get out of my Patrón ESM commitment for Daytona and Sebring just for a long-distance opportunity was unrealistic. So we left things out there. I was helping Troy with driver selections, and we became a bit closer when we were throwing ideas off of each other. When I over in Fuji (Japan for a WEC event in October), I got a call from him asking if it would make a difference if it was a full-time seat, and I said it would. I went to talk to [ESM owners] Ed [Brown] and Scott [Sharp] at that point and said it was an opportunity I really wanted to do, and they said tell him you can do it..
“I’m looking forward to it. It’s nice to get my feet wet again in IMSA. America’s home for me, and I enjoy racing over here. I’m glad to be back in IMSA for another season.”
You’ve raced with Marc Goossens in the past. How did you get reunited with him for the upcoming season?
“I think that was a big part of how it all worked out. Troy knew I was talking heavily with Marc. I’ve known Marc for a long time. I have huge respect for him and learned a lot from him in the seasons we shared a car together. I think it was one of those deals where it was going to be both of us or none of us. I know Marc pushed heavily for me to be his teammate, and vice versa. I gave Marc a glowing review when we talking about him being the full-time guy when I couldn’t do it. I’m super excited to be back with Marc. Unfortunately, we weren’t competitive in one of our seasons together, and the next year with Viper we had a great season together. I’m expecting good things, and I’m looking forward to it. He’s a good friend.”
When was your last opportunity to get together with Marc?
“I got to hang out with Marc last weekend at Porsche’s Night of Champions (where Dalziel was presented with the prestigious Porsche Cup as the make’s top independent competitor). It was like we never left off. That part of it is easy – that’s an easy part of the transition. When you add Ryan Hunter Reay into the mix, and we’ve both been teammates with Ryan on and off, that was one of my big appeals to the team. This reminds me a lot of Peter Baron and Starworks, where you have a smaller team that’s achieving great things, and a lot of that comes down to the chemistry between the crew and the drivers. I think Troy knows that Marc and I are going to hit the ground running.”
How is the transition shaping up for a team bringing back the same car and crew but with a totally new set of drivers?
“I think the chemistry right now between the drivers is great. But we’re all pretty new to the team. We’ll get to know everybody over the next couple of months. There’s going to be a bit of a gelling process, and that’s why it was important for Troy to pick drivers who knew each other with a bit of chemistry and a bond between them.”
“I don’t expect anything other than to start the season the way they finished, which was pretty much leading the championship and leading the race. I’m definitely looking forward to Daytona.”
Have you done any testing with Visit Florida Racing?
“My first time in the car will be at the Roar. Unfortunately, I had to miss the November test due to the Bahrain conflict. Actually, I’ve never driven a Corvette DP before, and secondly, I’ve never driven the new generation Daytona Prototype. A lot of new challenges, but I’m looking forward to everything. As much as I love driving the P2 car, I have a special place for the DP cars and I’ve enjoyed my time in them over the years. Hopefully, I can slide right back in and it will be just like I’ve never left – like riding a bike.”
How does the Corvette DP compare with the Riley DPs that you’ve raced?
“Fundamentally and performance wise, the Corvette has similar capabilities to the Riley, and I’m not really worried about that. Once you know the limits of the car, you’re OK. But there are differences. The Riley is left-hand drive, Corvette’s a right-hand drive. Inside, they’re very different, as far as seating position and visibility. But it’s a car, and part of a driver’s job is adapting to new surroundings. Once you know what the car can do, it should be plug and play for a good driver. I’m looking forward to driving the updated car, with more power and more downforce.”
How do you feel about starting off the season at Daytona and the Rolex 24?
“I’m anxious to get back driving again – there’s no better place for me to kick off the season than Daytona. It’s home track for me and an event that I love. It’s only a 45-minute drive from home, an event that is obviously very special to everybody but once you’ve won it, it almost becomes obsessive to win it again. This is definitely the best opportunity I’ve had. I know the car is going to be competitive. Then we go to Sebring, which is a second home for me. I’m looking forward to going to both races – both in Florida, and in the Visit Florida car.”
“I’m anxious to get back in the paddock, and looking forward to a new challenge in 2016.”
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