Dalziel “Saw an Opportunity” on Deletraz to Take LMP2 Win

Photo: Brett Farmer/IMSA

Ryan Dalziel said he “saw an opportunity” to make a move on Louis Deletraz in the closing stages of Sunday’s IMSA Fastlane Sportscar Weekend at Road America to put Era Motorsport back in victory lane for the first time in a year.

Dalziel and co-driver Dwight Merriman scored their first IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship LMP2 win since Road America 2021 following a hard-fought battle for the class win in the Pro-Am enforced prototype class.

After coming from nearly one lap down due to being on slick Michelin tires early on in the mixed condition race, the Scot worked his way through the field to get back in contention in the second half of the two-hour and 40-minute contest.

Dalziel became embroiled in a fight for the class lead with the No. 8 Tower Motorsport Oreca 07 Gibson of Deletraz.

“We were trying to save fuel and we seemed like we were able to save a little bit easier than [Deletraz] was,” Dalziel explained.

“Him and I were just talking about that. It seems like they were having [to hit] a more aggressive number than we were.

“The team were telling me to hang tight and try to pass in the pits but I didn’t want to put it down to that. I saw an opportunity and it happened.

“There’s a couple of times I could have probably stuck it in there and I backed out. At that point it was time to go.”

Dalziel made his move with six laps to go, making slight contact with the Swiss driver’s LMP2 contender in the process.

“He had a bit of a bad run out of the Carousel, so I just had a pretty good run on him,” he explained. “He kind of chose the middle and I chose the right. He moved a little bit and then I moved him.

“If you move on the brakes, that’s what kind of happens.”

The two drivers had a friendly discussion after the checkered flag in what Dalziel described as a very tricky race, particularly in the opening stages when he was on slicks.

“We definitely came back from last today, almost a lap down, and we had the fastest car on track,” he said. “Great pit stops and we ended up a little bit off sequence because I think I was the only car on slicks at that time.

“I was terrified. It was pretty bad and we knew it was going to dry up so how much can you lose before you have to stop?

“It was obvious that it wasn’t easing up as much as we thought. What it did do was that it put us at a slightly less aggressive fuel strategy.

“We caught back up on one of those yellows by having less fuel in the car. It worked out OK.”

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John