Extreme Speed Motorsports wrapped up the final season of the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón with a second-place finish in the P2 drivers’ championship for driver/owner Scott Sharp, and a second-place team finish in the class. Now the Florida-based team has its sights set on the Prototype class of 2014 TUDOR United SportsCar Championship.
ESM newcomer Ryan Dalziel will co-drive with Sharp in the No. 01 Tequila Patrón Honda Performance Development ARX-03b (HPD). Johannes van Overbeek returns to ESM for his fifth season and will co-drive with Ed Brown in the sister No. 02 machine.
A world-class championship driver, Dalziel won the 2012 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) and GRAND-AM North American Endurance Championship titles. In addition, he raced to victory at the 2012 24 Hours of Le Mans in the Starworks Motorsport HPD ARX-03b LMP2 machine. Dalziel was honored in 2012 with the William Lyons Trophy from the Scottish Motor Racing Club and was recognized in 1999 with the Ecurie Ecosse Trophy winner, presented to most impressive Scottish racer of season.
In North American sports cars, Dalziel has raced in both the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series and the American Le Mans Series. He has ALMS race wins at Road Atlanta, Long Beach and Baltimore; and GRAND-AM race wins at Indianapolis, Mid-Ohio and Daytona.
Dalziel started his racing career in 1999 and earned series runner-up honors in the British Formula Vauxhall Championship. He raced in the British Formula Renault Championship, British Formula Three Championship, Toyota Atlantic Series, Formula Atlantic Series, Champ Car World Series and World Endurance Championship.
van Overbeek returns for his fifth season with ESM. The Oakland, Calif., native begins his 15th sports car racing season and second with co-driver Ed Brown in the No. 02 Tequila Patrón HPD.
Brown and van Overbeek teamed for the first time in 2013. In their first season co-driving the prototype race car, they earned three podium finishes – Long Beach, Baltimore and Circuit of The Americas.
A seasoned veteran, van Overbeek has competed in both the ALMS and GRAND-AM. He is one of a handful of drivers that made more than 100 ALMS career starts. At his 100th start, van Overbeek made one of the most memorable moves of the 2012 season and in Canadian Tire Motorsport Park track history. On the final lap of the race, he made a ‘Hail Mary’ pass and maneuvered around the competition en route to ESM’s first GT victory.
The 12-race 2014 TUDOR United SportsCar Championship begins with the 52nd running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona on Jan. 25-26.
Ryan Dalziel : “I could not be happier or any more excited about joining ESM in 2014. 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. Scott and I have chatted a lot over the past couple of seasons. With my previous commitments it’s been difficult to make a deal happen, but we have eventually managed to make it happen.
“ESM and 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.
“It’s great to have Scott as my full-time teammate. We have become good friends off the track and in chatting it seems like we are going to like the same set up on the car.
“Looking at the lineup we have both with Scott and I, and Johannes and Ed, we are going to be a team looking for victory starting at Daytona in January.”
Scott Sharp : “I am extremely excited to welcome Ryan to ESM! I truly feel he is the perfect fit – super fast in everything he drives, technically committed, a team player, and a really great guy. I think he will fit into exactly what we’ve (Ed, Johannes and I) and the rest of the team have been building for the last four years.
“I feel it is an honor for ESM Patrón to have Johannes drive for us the last four years. I am thrilled that he will be back with us again in 2014. If any driver is looking for a role model there is only one guy in my book – Johannes. Complete professional, 100 percent committed to performance, total team player and fast as hell!”
Ed Brown : “We’re thrilled to have Ryan on our team; his record speaks for itself. He will bring new energy to the team and help push all of us, drivers and team, to a new level.
“Bringing back Johannes for next year is great news because he is such a huge part of this team. I especially look forward to driving with him again next year in the new series.
“So before we even catch our breath from Atlanta, we have exciting news that puts us in a great position for the new season.”
Johannes van Overbeek : “I’m honored to be back with ESM and Patrón. I can’t believe it is my fifth year with the team. It is a great group of guys that keep working to improve the team. I’ve raced in both the No. 01 and now the No. 02, and I’ve enjoyed getting to know the guys better, as a result that translates to making the cars better and more competitive.
“I’m really looking forward to co-driving with Ed in 2014. This year was much more fun than I anticipated and I learned a lot about Ed and what he needs as a driver. I think we’ll continuously improve next year just like we did this year. We’ll have some really good runs and I still want to get that victory with Ed.
“Ed had made huge progress this year. He continued to get better with each race. Towards the end of the season he was in striking distance of some of the pros. I’m anxious to be a part of his continued trajectory in 2014.
“It is great to have Ryan join the team. I’m looking forward to working with someone new. He’s familiar with these P2 cars, so he is a tremendous asset to the team. It will be fun to be competing for wins with the new combined series. It should be an excited year and I’m looking forward to it.”