Mexico City Next Stop for Dalziel

Orlando, Florida (April 17, 2008) – Ryan Dalziel returns to the scene of his Grand-Am Daytona Prototype debut this weekend as he crosses the border to Mexico City’s Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez for Round 3 of the 2008 Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series Presented by Crown Royal Cask No.16, the ‘Mexico City 250’ on Saturday 19th April.

The 26-year-old Scotsman will again partner behind the wheel with fellow Orlando-resident Henry Zogaib as they pilot the #2 SAMAX Motorsport BMW-Riley in the 18-strong Daytona Prototype division. Dalziel’s track knowledge will no doubt prove useful as he readies for his third career Grand-Am start at the 2.5-mile Mexican circuit with a total of 32 cars registered for the race.

The 14-turn road-course played host to Ryan’s first ever Daytona Prototype start back in November 2005 and it proved to be a competitive debut for the rookie. Having initially qualified on the front-row of the grid following a sensational qualifying session, Dalziel subsequently had his fastest time taken away for an alleged line infraction. With his next best time still good for eighth on the grid the Scottish ace wasted little time in making a name for himself, climbing as high as second in the race before finishing with a sixth place finish at the checkered.

Both Dalziel and Zogaib would welcome a similar result in this weekend’s 250-mile endurance sprint. Their first outing together as team-mates, in last month’s ‘GAINSCO Grand Prix of Miami’, was a challenging affair with some unforeseen issues ultimately limiting their competitiveness. Losing track time in the pits, Ryan eventually brought the #2 SAMAX entry home tenth in the Daytona Prototype class but a lap down on the leaders.

“I’m really looking forward to returning to Mexico City,” commented Dalziel. “I’d say both the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez and the Virginia International Raceway are two of my favorite tracks on the Grand-Am schedule. It’s always a bit of a crazy race in Mexico and we definitely have to score a decent result this time out after a disappointing run in Miami last month. The car’s definitely capable of a strong performance so all being well we’ll be up their in contention for a podium finish.

“The BMW engine enjoys a lot of high-end power so I’d expect that to work in our favor in Mexico City with the long, sweeping sections of the track. I’m excited that we’re really getting back into the swing of things now with back-to-back races in Mexico and Virginia. As I said they’re two of my favorite tracks and I’ve always run well on both so I’m hoping we’ll really get a chance to kick-off our season here. It’s a little later than we’d have liked but I’m confident we can build some momentum starting with Saturday’s outing!”

Ryan’s back in action in Thursday afternoon’s official practice session with Daytona Prototype qualifying set for 12:40pm EST on Friday 18th April.

The ‘Mexico City 250’ starts at 4:15pm EST on Saturday at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City. The 2-hour 45-minute race will be broadcast live by SPEED with coverage starting at 4pm EST on Saturday 19th April. For further information please log on to – www.grand-am.com