Dalgleish Books Daytona Drive with Sunoco Challenge Win

UK Mini Challenge champion Robbie Dalgleish has won the Sunoco 240 Challenge prize drive to compete in next year’s IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge season-opener at Daytona.

The Scottish driver clinched the Mini title at Snetterton last weekend with a second-place finish in his final race, which moved him ahead of British GT driver and actor Kelvin Fletcher in the final Sunoco standings.

Dalgleish will now get the chance to drive a Sonoco-sponsored GT4 car in the two-hour BMW Endurance Challenge race in January.

He follows in the footsteps of Kyle Reid, who contested this year’s Pilot Challenge opener in a BMW M4 GT4 prepared by the Classic BMW squad.

Dalgleish won the Sunoco 240 Challenge with a total of 98.53 points, while Fletcher finished second on 96.36 points.

The competition awards points for qualifying, race results and fastest laps across an array of national championships including British GT (Am drivers only), TCR UK, two Ginetta series, GT Cup, F3 Cup, Radical UK Challenge and two classes within Mini Challenge.

The accumulated points are then converted into an individual average score for each competing driver over the course of a full season.

Last month, Johnathan Hoggard was crowned champion of the separate Sunoco Whelen Challenge, which yields a prize drive in the Rolex 24 at Daytona based on results in BRDC Formula 3 and for Pro drivers in British GT.

“I’ve been impressed with Robbie’s racing this year,” said Anders Hildebrand, founder of Anglo-American Oil Company Ltd. which organizes the prize.

“He doesn’t make mistakes and that is how you win championships as well as the Challenge and his consistency and speed have been impressive all season long.

“This prize is something to give back to the racers. I know how hard it was when I raced myself, so to win something like this where you go to another continent and race a car with a new team is quite an experience.

“It is all paid for, the flights, license, race suit, everything. It is a life-changing prize that the drivers will never forget, even if they don’t go any further in their career.”