New Year and Outlook for Tequila Patrón ESM - Speedway Digest

The start of a new year yields resolutions for the future and marks a time for change. Florida-based sportscar team Tequila Patrón ESM takes ‘new’ to another level in 2015 by starting competition in a new series with new cars, drivers and now a new name.

The Scott Sharp and Ed Brown-led Tequila Patrón-sponsored LMP2 team starts 2015 with a new moniker: Tequila Patrón ESM – formerly Extreme Speed Motorsports. On the cusp of an adventurous new season of racing, the name change aligns with the team’s transition to the global motorsports stage in the FIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC).

“Tequila Patrón ESM is about to embark on an incredible schedule,” says Scott Sharp. “To see the popularity and name recognition that Tequila Patrón has achieved here in North America is astounding! As Patrón starts to focus more globally, and use ESM as one of its tools to help promote brand awareness, it is only natural that ‘Tequila Patrón’ takes the primary position in the race team’s name.”

In November, Tequila Patrón ESM announced its intention to compete in a full-season of the FIA WEC along with the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup races of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship. The combination of FIA WEC and TUDOR Championship series races will have the team competing in the two most prestigious sportscar series at the world’s premier motorsports facilities.

“We are thrilled to start the 2015 season as Tequila Patrón ESM,” said Ed Brown. “This season marks the beginning of a new era for us. We’re competing in both the TUDOR Championship and FIA WEC. The new name enables us to introduce the Tequila Patrón ultra-premium brand to some of the best venues and countries in the world. We felt it was important to have the Tequila Patrón name out front as we enter the global motorsports stage. We are extremely excited to debut our new name and new Honda coupes this weekend at Daytona.”

Following its announcement on the 2015 racing schedule, Tequila Patrón ESM announced who will race in the Patrón green and black machines for the upcoming season. Longtime Tequila Patrón ESM racers Sharp, Brown and Johannes van Overbeek return, as well as second-season Tequila Patrón ESM driver Ryan Dalziel.

The team has expanded its driver portfolio to include two-time sportscar champion Jon Fogarty, and 2014 24 Hours of Le Mans winner and FIA WEC champion David Heinemeier Hansson. The six drivers are competing in two all-new Honda Performance Development (HPD) ARX-04b coupes this season. The team received the first Honda coupe last year and successfully completed several private test sessions.

This week’s Roar Before the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway marks the public debut of the all-new HPD coupe. The six drivers will participate in the three-day pre-season test at the historic 3.56-mile, 12-turn circuit that utilizes portions of the track’s famous high-banked tri-oval and infield road course, and is the first round of the 11-race TUDOR Championship.

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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.