American Homecoming for Tequila Patrón ESM
at COTA

Riviera Beach, Fla., – Sept. 16, 2015 –Tequila Patrón ESM drivers Scott Sharp, Ed Brown and Ryan Dalziel finished third in the team’s FIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC) debut at Circuit of The Americas last September. The Florida-based team hopes to channel the energy from one year ago as it returns to the United States for the FIA WEC 6 Hours of Circuit of The Americas (COTA).

In its rookie season of the WEC, Tequila Patrón ESM returns to home soil with its Ligier JS P2 Honda-powered race cars. Earlier this year, the team competed at the Rolex 24 at Daytona with the Honda Performance Development (HPD) ARX-04b coupe, and with the HPD ARX-03b at the 12 Hours of Sebring and 6 Hours of Silverstone. The team competed in its third different chassis of the season, the Ligier JS P2, at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and 6 Hours of Nürburgring. Tequila Patrón ESM is the only LMP2 team in WEC to compete with three different chassis this season

The team brings its international experience back to the United States, which includes two top-10 finishes in the team’s 24 Hours of Le Mans debut.

Circuit of the Americas is the first WEC track this season where the Tequila Patrón ESM team has extensive experience, giving the team extra confidence heading into the event. Five of the Tequila Patrón ESM drivers have earned podium finishes at COTA. Sharp, Dalziel and Brown finished third last year, Brown and van Overbeek finished third during the 2013 American Le Mans Series race, and Jon Fogarty with then co-driver Alex Gurney won the 2013 Rolex Series race.

Built in 2012, COTA is a counter-clockwise, 3.427-mile long, 20-turn permanent road course with an elevation change of 133 feet. The combination of high-speed turns, long back straightaway and downforce sections prove to be demanding for drivers and teams alike.

As the lone American circuit on the WEC calendar, Tequila Patrón ESM will leverage two of its local ties. Brown graduated from the University of Texas at Austin, located less than 20 miles from the circuit. Jim “Chachi” Malicki, the No. 31 lead engineer and strategist, is an Austin resident.