24h Le Mans
For the fifth time, Scottish driver Ryan Dalziel will be at the start of the 24 Hours of Le Mans this year. Once again, he is entered with an American team, with the ambition of winning again in LM P2 like in 2012.
Scottish driver Ryan Dalziel came up in Formula 3, Champ Car and even in the Superleague Formula, Now, Dalziel is a seasoned endurance driver. He has already competed at Le Mans twice in GT (2010 with a Jaguar XKR GT2 and 2013 with a Viper GTS-R) and twice in LM P2 (2012 with an HPD ARX-03b and last year with a Ligier JS P2 powered by Honda). Does his experience level give him a real advantage? "I think it's important for a driver to know what a GT but also and especially what a prototype are capable of at the 24 Hours of Le Mans circuit. There are certain places on the track it's better not to wander with a GT for example. Having driven both let's you have a better compehension, and therefore to drive in a surer and more intelligent way. Actually, I think the 24 Hours of Le Mans is more difficult in GT, it's a very hard circuit for this class. I've driven good cars there, others not so good, and I think this year we have a stronge set-up."
Since the beginning of the season, the Extreme Speed Motorsports team, with whom he will compete in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) and the 24 Hours of Le Mans, has seemed quite at ease in the U.S. With two wins at Daytona and Sebring, the team is doing well, but at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, everything will be different, as proven with the Viper experience in 2013 as remembered by the driver. "When we left the U.S. for Le Mans, we had the car that was dominating in the championship, but upon arriving at Le Mans, we were not at all up to par. The Le Mans circuit is pretty unique, every year things change, the behaviour of the tyres varies. This year, we will have the same car as last year...but in 2015, we almost switched to Ligier, we were fighting a bit with the car. We are looking forward to returning, and to feel more comfortable with the car."
Are the stability in the choice of chassis (Ligier JS P2) and the fact of remaining with the same team important elements against the competition which is sometimes new in the class? "Though the car is the same, quite a lot of things have changed. Such is the case with the engine and namely with the weight distribution (from a Honda engine to a Nissan, editor's note). Certain engine-related points with which we had difficulties last year are today nonexistent with the Nissan engine. Also, the collaboration with the Oak Racing team (a technical partnerhship which allows Extreme Speed Motorsport to be supported fully by the French outfit, editor's note) is a good thing, it's an important step. I don't really know what to expect, the Oreca 05 is very strong, we are close, but in a low downforce configuration (aerodynamic tuning with low downforce to gain top speed, editor's note), it is very fast."
When asked if there is a comparison to be made between the 24 Hours of Le Mans he is preparing for this year and the 2012 edition he won in LM P2, Dalziel emotionally recalls that difficult race! "I remember 2012 well, it was in a way my first attempt to win. It remains one of the most difficult endurance races I've ever done! Three drivers to do long stints, sometimes three or four stints, it was a real qualifying session from beginning to end. The bottom of the car was wearing at the end, I don't know how much longer the car could have held on."
Dalziel admits he doesn't prepare for the 24 Hours of Le Mans in any special way: "For me, when I'm at the wheel, I want to be the fastest and not make any mistakes. Whether that be for a two-hour race or a long one, the mindset is the same: avoid errors and bring the car back in one piece for the next driver." Is Le Mans a race like any other? "The Rolex 24 at Daytona and the 24 Hours of Le Mans are physically intense races. I would say the 24 Hours of Le Mans is even harder, namely because of the section of the Porsche Curves (set of fast turns at high speed, editor's note). Mentally, the 24 Hours of Le Mans is also more difficult."
For the fifth time, Dalziel will be entered with an American team. Does he think he will one day compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans with a team that isn't based in the U.S.? "My career brought me to the U.S., in single-seaters. It wasn't really my choice, but that's how things turned out. Being over there, I think the American motorsports family has adopted me. I am loyal to my family. My first participation was, it's true, with an American team, but with a British marque, which was important to me as well."
Translation by Nikki Ehrhardt / ACO
Photo: Ryan Dalziel is one of the drivers who always has a smile on his face and is very approachable. He is pictured here at the Prologue of the World Endurance Championship (WEC) organized in March, 2016 at the Circuit Paul Ricard.
