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GRAND-AM
SPORTSCAR: Q&A With Enzo Potolicchio
Enzo Potolicchio fills SPEED.com in with details of his new team, set to compete in the FIA World Endurance Championship and GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series in 2013...
After two years with Peter Baron's Starworks organization, Enzo Potolicchio has formed his own team for 2013. (Photo: John Dagys)
After two years with Starworks Motorsport, including a dominant 2012 season in the FIA World Endurance Championship that's included class wins at Sebring, Le Mans and the LMP2 World Championship, Enzo Potolicchio has decided to go out on his own for next year.
In a SPEED.com exclusive, Potolicchio and Starworks team owner Peter Baron confirmed their separation on Thursday, with the Venezuelan ace forming his own Florida-based team, which plans to compete in both the WEC and the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series in 2013.
SPEED.com caught up with Potolicchio to get more details on his new effort.
Q: What are your plans for GRAND-AM?
POTOLICCHIO: I'll be running my own team with a Corvette (Coyote) DP. My first race will be Daytona. Everything's getting delivered now. The car is being delivered to the [ex-Champion Racing] shop today, in fact. Dave Maraj from Champion Racing was happy enough to sell us his shop. I'm happy to be in a shop that has so much heritage.
Pratt & Miller is also supporting the team, through their engineering department, because the Coyote car was developed by them.
Q: Following your withdrawal from the Rolex Series earlier this year, how has the reception been with your planned return?
POTOLICCHIO: GRAND-AM is happy to have me back. I've had emails with everybody at GRAND-AM to help and to bring me back to the series. They've made a lot of changes that I'm happy about and I'm looking forward to going back. While there were not many DP cars [last year], I think the series is going to grow and the racing there is really good.
Q: Are you close to confirming driver lineups for both programs?
POTOLICCHIO: Ryan [Dalziel] is going separate ways. He's going to stay with Peter [Baron]. I'm now looking for someone else to take his seat. I've talked to some guys [from Europe] that I think people are going to be happy to see in GRAND-AM. I've been known to bring good people to my cars and that's going to continue that way.
Q: What is the status of the team name and sponsorship?
POTOLICCHIO: We'll have a press release formally announcing the team, including its name, at a later date. Our sponsorship from Venezuela is growing. There will also be some big announcements regarding sponsorship. They're really happy with the performance we had this year.
Q: Do you have a testing program planned for both LMP2 and DP cars?
POTOLICCHIO: The WEC car is flying straight from here through Europe and to the U.S. We have a tire test program an engine [development program] as there is a new [engine] homologation from Honda coming. We're going to do what we didn't do last year.
On the DP side, we're going to be tight to be in Daytona for the second test. We'll miss the first test (in November). We did really good last year with Ryan on pole with a car that showed up for the race weekend only. It's not about how many laps you do, it's about how good of a team you have to put on a good performance.
Q: Is there consideration of expansion to multi-car squads in the future?
POTOLICCHIO: For sure. Both programs will be single-car entries for the first year. I have some other Venezuelan fellows that want to come in and do DP but I'm slowing them down a little bit to start. I want to start first and have all the logistics put together the right way so I can offer a second car at a good level.
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
In a SPEED.com exclusive, Potolicchio and Starworks team owner Peter Baron confirmed their separation on Thursday, with the Venezuelan ace forming his own Florida-based team, which plans to compete in both the WEC and the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series in 2013.
SPEED.com caught up with Potolicchio to get more details on his new effort.
Q: What are your plans for GRAND-AM?
POTOLICCHIO: I'll be running my own team with a Corvette (Coyote) DP. My first race will be Daytona. Everything's getting delivered now. The car is being delivered to the [ex-Champion Racing] shop today, in fact. Dave Maraj from Champion Racing was happy enough to sell us his shop. I'm happy to be in a shop that has so much heritage.
Pratt & Miller is also supporting the team, through their engineering department, because the Coyote car was developed by them.
Q: Following your withdrawal from the Rolex Series earlier this year, how has the reception been with your planned return?
POTOLICCHIO: GRAND-AM is happy to have me back. I've had emails with everybody at GRAND-AM to help and to bring me back to the series. They've made a lot of changes that I'm happy about and I'm looking forward to going back. While there were not many DP cars [last year], I think the series is going to grow and the racing there is really good.
Q: Are you close to confirming driver lineups for both programs?
POTOLICCHIO: Ryan [Dalziel] is going separate ways. He's going to stay with Peter [Baron]. I'm now looking for someone else to take his seat. I've talked to some guys [from Europe] that I think people are going to be happy to see in GRAND-AM. I've been known to bring good people to my cars and that's going to continue that way.
Q: What is the status of the team name and sponsorship?
POTOLICCHIO: We'll have a press release formally announcing the team, including its name, at a later date. Our sponsorship from Venezuela is growing. There will also be some big announcements regarding sponsorship. They're really happy with the performance we had this year.
Q: Do you have a testing program planned for both LMP2 and DP cars?
POTOLICCHIO: The WEC car is flying straight from here through Europe and to the U.S. We have a tire test program an engine [development program] as there is a new [engine] homologation from Honda coming. We're going to do what we didn't do last year.
On the DP side, we're going to be tight to be in Daytona for the second test. We'll miss the first test (in November). We did really good last year with Ryan on pole with a car that showed up for the race weekend only. It's not about how many laps you do, it's about how good of a team you have to put on a good performance.
Q: Is there consideration of expansion to multi-car squads in the future?
POTOLICCHIO: For sure. Both programs will be single-car entries for the first year. I have some other Venezuelan fellows that want to come in and do DP but I'm slowing them down a little bit to start. I want to start first and have all the logistics put together the right way so I can offer a second car at a good level.
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
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