Pole Position for ESM Patrón at Road America - Speedway Digest

Extreme Speed Motorsports (ESM) earned its second consecutive pole position in TUDOR United SportsCar Championship series today. Ryan Dalziel, co-driver of the No. 1 Tequila Patrón Honda Performance Development ARX-03b (HPD), saved the best lap for last at Road America. With seconds to spare in the 15-minute session, the Scotsman vaulted to the top of the charts with a lap of 1:55.166 (126.537 mph), nearly eight-tenths quicker than the second-place qualifier.

“We’ve had a tough weekend,” added Dalziel. “The track has been changing every session. We felt like we rolled off the truck pretty good and then we lost our way a little bit. During that last practice and qualifying the guys did a great job. We went back to how we unloaded from the truck and then the car was excellent.”

This marks the third pole position from ESM in 2014: Johannes van Overbeek earned the pole during the May race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. In the last round at Indianapolis, it was an all-ESM, all-Tequila Patrón front row with Dalziel starting first and van Overbeek second.

“I’m really happy for Ryan and the No. 1 car,” van Overbeek stated. “I’m happy for ESM and Tequila Patrón. I’m just a little disappointed in the No. 2 car’s performance, but we’ll make some changes for tomorrow and have a good race.”

ESM owner Scott Sharp will start the Continental Tire Road Race Showcase for the No. 1 team and Dalziel will drive second.

In the No. 2 Tequila Patrón HPD, van Overbeek lapped the 4.048-mile, 14-turn permanent road course in 1:56.319 (125.283 mph), which sets him fifth on the starting grid. Co-driver Ed Brown will start the race for the No. 2 team and van Overbeek will drive second.

Sunday’s two-hour, 45-minute Continental Tire Road Race Showcase is the ninth race of the 2014 TUDOR United SportsCar Championship. Green flag is 1:15 p.m. CT on Sunday, Aug 10.

Television coverage of the Road Race Showcase starts at 6:30 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1.

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Adam Sinclair

NHRA, IHRA, Motocross and other forms of motorsports Staff writer
About Me: Adam has been a race fan since the first time he went through the tunnel under the Daytona International Speedway almost 30 years ago. He has had the privilege of travelling to races all across the state of Florida (as well as one race in Ohio), watching nearly everything with a motor compete for fame and glory, as well as participating in various racing schools to get the feel of what racecar drivers go through every week. Adam has spent the last three years covering motorsports for Examiner.com., where he had the opportunity to see the racing world from behind the scenes as well as the grandstands. He invites everyone to follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus, and looks forward to sharing his enthusiasm for all things racing with the readers of SpeedwayDigest.com.Be sure to tune in for his weekly sports talk program, Thursday Night Thunder, where he discusses the latest in motorsports news with drivers, crew members, and fans. The show takes place every Thursday at 8:00 pm EST on the Speedway Digest Radio Network.