Formula Star Mazda champion Conor Daly honored at AARWBA banquet

ROCHESTER, Jan. 18, 2011: After first being presented the 18th annual Gorsline Scholarship by racing legend Stirling Moss at the Autosport Dinner in England on Dec. 5, 18-year-old Conor Daly was again honored at the 41st AARWBA (American Auto Racing Writers and Broadcasters Association) banquet in Indianapolis on Jan. 9.

Daly, of Noblesville, Ind., is the 2010 Formula Star Mazda champion and the son of professional racing champion Derek Daly. The Gorsline Scholarship, presented by Gorsline Company, recognizes aspiring drivers and helps provide the tools that will assist these drivers in developing skills on and off the track to attain their professional goals.

As the scholarship winner, Daly worked with Dr. Jacques Dallaire, Director of Performance Prime, in an individually-designed performance-enhancement program, courtesy of Gorsline Company.

Presenting the award to Daly at the AARWBA Banquet, held at Target-Ganassi's race shop in Indianapolis, was nine-time American sports-car champion Scott Pruett. "Conor is part of the new generation of outstanding drivers who have a great future in front of them," said Pruett.

"This is a huge honor for me," said Daly, who began his racing career in 2005, winning 19 races, two championships and was elected "Junior Driver of the Year" by Kart Racers of America. "A lot of the guys who have received this award in the past are all really good drivers, so for me it means a lot. John Gorsline has done a lot for drivers around the world and he's always been kind to me, so I am really happy to receive this award from his company.

"It was really cool," said Daly of meeting Stirling Moss in England, "and an honor. He is a terrific guy, and we spent a few minutes kind of chatting about racing. It has been really great, and a lot of fun, for me to meet so many racing legends.”

As for Dr. Dallaire's performance-enhancement program, "It is excellent," said Daly. "Dr. Dallaire does an outstanding job identifying what your mind does and can do, and it has helped me a lot. I learned that, because there's a lot of things going on in racing besides the driving, you have to tune them out to perform at your best. I think this will benefit me throughout my career."

Daly's other accomplishments include the 2007 Stars of Karting TaG East Championship. In 2006 he drove a race car for the first time at the Bertil Roos Racing School, then went on to win three Skip Barber Regional races that year. He won the 2008 Skip Barber National Championship and was named the Ontario Formula Ford 600 Rookie of the Year.

In his European debut he won the Walter Hayes Formula Ford 1600 Trophy in Silverstone, England, representing Team USA. In 2009 he finished third in the Star Mazda Championship and in 2010 had a record-setting year as he swept the Formula Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear.

Gorsline Company, headquartered in Rochester, N.Y., pioneered the business of providing insurance for high-risk professionals. The company specializes in providing racing drivers and owners creative, custom-designed insurance packages and estate planning strategies.

Previous recipients of the Gorsline Scholarship have been:

2010 Josef Newgarden 2009 Joel Miller 2008 Dane Cameron 2007 JR Hildebrand 2006 Katherine Legge 2005 Colin Braun 2004 Ryan Lewis 2003 Rocky Moran Jr. 2002 Danica Patrick 2001 Patrick Long 2000 Bryan Sellers 1999 David Besnard 1998 Buddy Rice 1997 Butch Leitzinger 1996 Jerry Nadeau 1995 Anthony Lazzaro 1994 Bryan Herta