-
Home
- TV Shows
- TV Schedule
- NASCAR
-
Formula 1
- Auto Racing
- Moto Racing
- Cars
- Bikes
- Store
- Social
- Games
- Mobile
- Deals
- Videos
- Photos
- Home
- TV Shows
-
TV Schedule
-
SPEED Showcase
-
- NASCAR
- Formula 1
- Auto Racing
- Moto Racing
- Cars
- Bikes
- Store
- Social
- Mobile
- Deals
- Videos
- Photos
GRAND-AM
GRAND-AM: Dalziel Puts Starworks Riley On Rolex 24 Pole
Brand-new Riley-Ford to start from pole for 50th Rolex 24; Andrew Davis puts Brumos Porsche on top spot in GT...
Ryan Dalziel shocked the field with his first career Rolex Series pole in the brand-new Starworks Motorsport Riley-Ford. (Photo: Brian Cleary/GRAND-AM).
Despite having less than 45 minutes of track time with its brand-new Daytona Prototype, Ryan Dalziel surprised the GRAND-AM field by putting his Starworks Motorsport machine on the overall pole for the 50th Rolex 24 at Daytona.
Dalziel turned a best time of 1:41.119 in his third-generation Riley-Ford, edging out morning pace-setter Max Angelelli by 0.121 seconds. It was the rapid Scot's first career Rolex Sports Car Series pole position.
The shock pole for the Peter Baron-led team came following an engine failure in opening practice, which sidelined the car for the entire 90-minute session. With a new 5.0-liter V8 Ford powerplant installed, Dalziel turned the Riley's first-ever laps in Thursday's afternoon session, recording the seventh quickest time.
"The car was really good and I felt pretty confident coming out of it," Dalziel said of his first experience in the car, just two hours before his pole run. "I was a little bit surprised as I thought the Chevys were going to be the cars to beat. But we put together a really good lap.
"It's just an incredible job these guys have done to put the car together in such a short amount of time. Just with everything that has gone on the past few days for us, to get the pole is very rewarding."
Dalziel edged out the No. 10 SunTrust Racing Corvette DP of Max Angelelli by 0.121 seconds in the heated 15-minute session, which saw the top-seven separated by less than one-second.
For Angelelli, who will share his Dallara-chassied machine with Ricky Taylor and IndyCar star Ryan Briscoe, starting second came as more of a disappointment after his quick pace in morning practice.
"I cannot hide my disappointment, obviously, leading free practice through this and I'm P2," Angelelli said. "I was not expecting P2 in the end. But I still feel our car is really good and really fast. I still feel that we'll be the car to beat for the 24-hour."
Dalziel and co-drivers Enzo Potolicchio and Alex Popow return to Daytona after competing in the 24 Hours of Dubai and Gulf 12 Hours, which included a podium finish in Abu Dhabi. Those two races have helped them prepare mentally, heading into the GRAND-AM season-opener, according to Dalziel.
"I feel fresh, I know Alex and Enzo are fit guys and we're all pretty fresh," Dalziel said. "I just think that we don't have any cobwebs. It's always difficult to come to Daytona and shake everything off after such a long gap from the last race. I think for sure it's going to help, that was our main focus in doing it."
The trio will be joined by two other sports car stars, Allan McNish and Lucas Luhr, for the twice-around-the-clock endurance classic (Live! SPEED, 3:30 p.m. ET).
The No. 02 Chip Ganassi Racing Riley-BMW of Scott Dixon qualified third with a 1:41.463 lap time, ahead of Alex Gurney in the No. 99 GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing Corvette DP, which ended up fourth quickest.
Another Corvette DP, the No. 90 Spirit of Daytona example driven by Antonio Garcia, completed the top-five.
The other big story in DP came from the sister No. 01 Ganassi entry, which did not set a time after undergoing an engine change from the previous practice session. As a result, defending winners Scott Pruett, Memo Rojas, Joey Hand and Graham Rahal will start dead last, 14th on the grid.
Brumos Racing will lead the GT field to the green, following an action-packed qualifying session to determine the grid for the massive 45-car starting field. Andrew Davis wound up on top, thanks to the defending Rolex Series champion's 1:49.342 in his famed No. 59 Porsche.
"That was an intense session," Davis said. "I just pushed as hard as I could from the first lap out. We struggled the first couple of sessions, so this is very unexpected. But it shows, the same thing as last year, with Brumos Racing, that they never stop fighting."
Davis held on to the pole for he and co-drivers Leh Keen, Marc Lieb and Rolex 24 legend Hurley Haywood, despite a late charge by 2010 series champion Jeff Segal in the No. 69 AIM Autosport Team FXDD Ferrari F458 Italia Grand Am.
Segal laid down a 1:49.357 on his final lap, which was just 0.015 seconds slower than Davis' pole time and good enough for second.
Andy Lally put his No. 44 Magnus Racing Porsche in third, with Porsche factory star Patrick Long fourth in his Flying Lizard Motorsports GT3 Cup car.
The No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari, which paced the Roar Before the 24 test earlier this month, was fifth quickest on the time charts but will start from the rear of the field after a ride-height infringement in post-qualifying tech.
The top-15 cars, one-third of the GT field, were separated by less than one-second in qualifying, showing the depth and competitiveness in the production-based ranks.
A two-hour night practice will wrap up Rolex Series activities tonight, with two further practice sessions on tap for Friday.
RESULTS: Qualifying
John Dagys is SPEED.com’s Sportscar Racing Reporter, focusing on all major domestic and international championships. You can follow him on Twitter @johndagys or email him at
Dalziel turned a best time of 1:41.119 in his third-generation Riley-Ford, edging out morning pace-setter Max Angelelli by 0.121 seconds. It was the rapid Scot's first career Rolex Sports Car Series pole position.
The shock pole for the Peter Baron-led team came following an engine failure in opening practice, which sidelined the car for the entire 90-minute session. With a new 5.0-liter V8 Ford powerplant installed, Dalziel turned the Riley's first-ever laps in Thursday's afternoon session, recording the seventh quickest time.
"The car was really good and I felt pretty confident coming out of it," Dalziel said of his first experience in the car, just two hours before his pole run. "I was a little bit surprised as I thought the Chevys were going to be the cars to beat. But we put together a really good lap.
"It's just an incredible job these guys have done to put the car together in such a short amount of time. Just with everything that has gone on the past few days for us, to get the pole is very rewarding."
Dalziel edged out the No. 10 SunTrust Racing Corvette DP of Max Angelelli by 0.121 seconds in the heated 15-minute session, which saw the top-seven separated by less than one-second.
For Angelelli, who will share his Dallara-chassied machine with Ricky Taylor and IndyCar star Ryan Briscoe, starting second came as more of a disappointment after his quick pace in morning practice.
"I cannot hide my disappointment, obviously, leading free practice through this and I'm P2," Angelelli said. "I was not expecting P2 in the end. But I still feel our car is really good and really fast. I still feel that we'll be the car to beat for the 24-hour."
Dalziel and co-drivers Enzo Potolicchio and Alex Popow return to Daytona after competing in the 24 Hours of Dubai and Gulf 12 Hours, which included a podium finish in Abu Dhabi. Those two races have helped them prepare mentally, heading into the GRAND-AM season-opener, according to Dalziel.
"I feel fresh, I know Alex and Enzo are fit guys and we're all pretty fresh," Dalziel said. "I just think that we don't have any cobwebs. It's always difficult to come to Daytona and shake everything off after such a long gap from the last race. I think for sure it's going to help, that was our main focus in doing it."
The trio will be joined by two other sports car stars, Allan McNish and Lucas Luhr, for the twice-around-the-clock endurance classic (Live! SPEED, 3:30 p.m. ET).
The No. 02 Chip Ganassi Racing Riley-BMW of Scott Dixon qualified third with a 1:41.463 lap time, ahead of Alex Gurney in the No. 99 GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing Corvette DP, which ended up fourth quickest.
Another Corvette DP, the No. 90 Spirit of Daytona example driven by Antonio Garcia, completed the top-five.
The other big story in DP came from the sister No. 01 Ganassi entry, which did not set a time after undergoing an engine change from the previous practice session. As a result, defending winners Scott Pruett, Memo Rojas, Joey Hand and Graham Rahal will start dead last, 14th on the grid.
Brumos Racing will lead the GT field to the green, following an action-packed qualifying session to determine the grid for the massive 45-car starting field. Andrew Davis wound up on top, thanks to the defending Rolex Series champion's 1:49.342 in his famed No. 59 Porsche.
"That was an intense session," Davis said. "I just pushed as hard as I could from the first lap out. We struggled the first couple of sessions, so this is very unexpected. But it shows, the same thing as last year, with Brumos Racing, that they never stop fighting."
Davis held on to the pole for he and co-drivers Leh Keen, Marc Lieb and Rolex 24 legend Hurley Haywood, despite a late charge by 2010 series champion Jeff Segal in the No. 69 AIM Autosport Team FXDD Ferrari F458 Italia Grand Am.
Segal laid down a 1:49.357 on his final lap, which was just 0.015 seconds slower than Davis' pole time and good enough for second.
Andy Lally put his No. 44 Magnus Racing Porsche in third, with Porsche factory star Patrick Long fourth in his Flying Lizard Motorsports GT3 Cup car.
The No. 62 Risi Competizione Ferrari, which paced the Roar Before the 24 test earlier this month, was fifth quickest on the time charts but will start from the rear of the field after a ride-height infringement in post-qualifying tech.
The top-15 cars, one-third of the GT field, were separated by less than one-second in qualifying, showing the depth and competitiveness in the production-based ranks.
A two-hour night practice will wrap up Rolex Series activities tonight, with two further practice sessions on tap for Friday.
RESULTS: Qualifying
John Dagys is SPEED.com’s Sportscar Racing Reporter, focusing on all major domestic and international championships. You can follow him on Twitter @johndagys or email him at
Road Atlanta
LATEST HEADLINES: AUTO-RACING
-
V8: Whincup Sweeps Saturday's Rounds At COTA
Red Bull Racing goes 1-2 in opening rounds of V8 Supercars at Circuit… -
ELMS: TDS Oreca-Nissan Wins Imola
Mathias Beche, Pierre Thiriet claim victory in second round of European… -
INDYCAR: Ed Carpenter Scores Shock Indy 500 Pole At 228.782 MPH
Carpenter had the Brickyard in a state of rapture as he knocked off… -
V8: Coulthard, Whincup On Top In Qualifying At COTA
Brad Jones Racing and Red Bull Racing Australia end up on top for… -
PHOTOS: V8 Supercars COTA Gallery
UPDATED: View more than 90 photos from Austin as V8 Supercar drivers… -
V8: COTA Friday Notebook
John Dagys explores some of the storylines from the first… -
V8: Lowndes Quickest On Friday At COTA
Red Bull Racing driver tops time charts in opening day of practice… - More News
