Tequila Patrón ESM
Set for 6 Hours of Silverstone Debut
Two-car American team begins 2015 FIA WEC adventure in England
Riviera Beach, Fla., April 8, 2015 – Tequila Patrón ESM begins its second chapter of the 2015 motorsports season this weekend for the season-opening FIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC) race. The 6 Hours of Silverstone takes place Sunday, April 12, near the Northamptonshire villages of Silverstone and Whittlebury, approximately two hours northwest of London.
Tequila Patrón ESM had its taste of WEC competition in 2014. As America’s only two-car LMP2 effort slated to compete in the full 2015 WEC season, the Florida-based team looks to continue where it left off last season. In two previous WEC appearances, Tequila Patrón ESM earned a third-place finish at the 6 Hours of Circuit of the Americas and then a runner-up finish during the 6 Hours of Shanghai.
Armed with five world-class drivers representing the United States, Scotland and Denmark, Tequila Patrón ESM is ready to race in one of the most prestigious events on the motorsports calendar. A roster of more than 20 team members will be at Silverstone this weekend preparing the prototypes for the start of Tequila Patrón ESM’s worldwide motorsports season.
Home-Track Advantage
While competing in the WEC this year, Tequila Patrón ESM established its home away from home in Great Bookham. Shortly after the WEC Prologue preseason test at Paul Ricard in France, Tequila Patrón ESM headed back to England and set up its remote headquarters just south of London near Woking.
Ryan Dalziel, of Coatbridge, Scotland, grew up racing in the United Kingdom. The Scotsman competed in the British Formula development series and earned championship runner-up honors in the British Formula Vauxhall Championship (1999) and British Formula Renault Championship (2000). He then competed in the British Formula Three Championship with a season-best fourth place finish at the British Grand Prix International Invitation Race.
Two Tequila Patrón ESM crew members also hail from the United Kingdom. Team manager Tone Leith is from Oxford, England, while gearbox specialist Noel Flannery calls Edinburgh, Scotland as his home.
Tequila Patrón Silver at Silverstone
The black and Patrón green Honda Performance Development ARX-03b prototypes are liveried with Tequila Patrón Silver bottle decals, representing the ultra-premium flagship brand. The car featuring the Tequila Patrón Silver decals should feel at home on the 3.652-mile, 20-turn Silverstone circuit. It would be fitting to see the Patrón Silver prototypes, liveried with the perfect high-end white spirit, in its rightful place on the top shelf and atop the Silverstone podium.
The Drivers
Scott Sharp, Dalziel and David Heinemeier Hansson will co-drive the No. 30 Tequila Patrón ESM HPD ARX-03b. Both Dalziel and Heinemeier Hansson have podium finishes at Silverstone. Dalziel finished second in the same HPD ARX-03b powered by a Honda 2.8-liter twin turbo V6 when he raced with Starworks Motorsports in 2012 – the same year Dalziel raced to the LMP2 WEC championship title. Heinemeier Hansson won the 2014 GTE-AM race and finished second in 2013 in the LMP2 class.
Driver/owner Sharp might be the “WEC rookie” of the No. 30 lineup but his championship-loaded résumé proves otherwise. Sharp holds several drivers championships including three consecutive Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) titles (1986-1998), two SCCA Trans-Am titles and one American Le Mans Series (ALMS) LMP1 Championship title that he earned with then co-driver David Brabham. Sharp is also the 1996 Indy Racing League co-champion.
Ed Brown and Jon Fogarty, co-drivers of the No. 31 Tequila Patrón ESM HPD ARX-03b, are making their Silverstone debuts this weekend. In his nine years of American sports car racing, Fogarty has two championship titles (2007 and 2009), 16 wins, 54 podium finishes and 30 pole positions.
Johannes van Overbeek, the third season-long co-driver of the No. 31 machine, was slated to compete, but a broken rib has sidelined the Californian. Unable to travel, van Overbeek was looking forward to making his second appearance at Silverstone. He first competed at Silverstone in 2000 with the American Le Mans Series. A replacement driver will be announced.
In their last WEC race, Brown and van Overbeek finished fourth during the 6 Hours of Shanghai in November. Brown recently participated in the Prologue pre-season test and is eager to return to the LMP2 field this year. Brown and van Overbeek carry a win with the HPD ARX-03b with them into Silverstone. The duo earned their first pole and win during the 2014 TUDOR United SportsCar Championship at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca – van Overbeek’s home track.
Tequila Patrón ESM Honda Performance Development ARX-03b (HPD) prototypes
Last season marked the second year of Tequila Patrón ESM running the ARX-03b chassis. In 21 races with the ARX-03b prototypes, Tequila Patrón ESM earned two wins (Long Beach 2013 and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca 2014), four pole positions and 16 podiums. In March, Tequila Patrón ESM and Honda Performance Development mutually agreed that it would be competitively advantageous to run the ARX-03b at Sebring and Silverstone while the ARX-04b coupe continued development.
Beginning with the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, Tequila Patrón ESM will compete in two Tequila Patrón-sponsored Ligier J2 P2, closed LMP2 sport-prototypes designed by Onroak Automotive.
Tequila Patrón ESM on Track
Friday’s two free practice sessions start at 11:55 a.m. and 3:55 p.m. British Summer Time (BST), and 6:55 a.m. and 10:55 a.m. ET.
Saturday’s on-track activity includes the hour-long practice session starting at 9 a.m. BST/4 a.m. ET.