Ryan Dalziel of Starworks Motorsports, powered by a Ford Roush Yates-built engine, turned the fastest lap at the Rolex 24 at Daytona qualifying session yesterday in the Daytona Prototype series. Fellow Ford Roush Yates Engines drivers Shelby Blackstock and Jack Roush Jr. captured the front row in the Continental Tire Sports Car Series also at Daytona.
Roush Yates’ engineers have been working hard during the off-season to make sure 2012 is a successful year for all of their racing engines and the dedication has already paid off in two of the most prestigious Sports Car racing series in America.
Starworks Motorsports’ Dalziel, who has trusted Roush Yates Engines for two years , turned a lap of 1:41.119 (126.751 mph) to beat SunTrust Racing’s Max Angelelli in an intense 15-minute qualifying session on the 3.56-mile road course. Starworks Motorsports believes that the No. 8 Ford/Riley of Dalziel is not only going to be a contender for the 50th running of the Rolex 24, which kicks off on Saturday, but a contender for the entire year.
“Last year, we deserved to get more results than we did,” Dalziel said. “I think sometimes the underdogs are not expected to beat the powerhouse teams. But what’s happened with Starworks the past four or five months is we’ve tried to create a powerhouse team. I think we’ve hired all the right people and put together an unbelievable car.”
Roush Yates recently added Continental Tire Sports Car Series driver Shelby Blackstock to their impressive lineup of championship caliber drivers in 2012. Blackstock and teammate Jack Roush Jr. blew away the competition in Thursday’s qualifying by sweeping the front row for today’s BMW Performance 200 at Daytona International Speedway. Blackstock captured the GS (Grand Sport) pole with a lap of 109.051 mph in his No. 51 Starstruck Entertainment Ford Mustang Boss 302R with Roush Jr. just behind him with a lap of 108.923 mph. The BMW Performance 200 can be seen on SPEED today beginning at 1:30pm EST.
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