Goldburg Relishing “Dream Come True” Opportunity in LMP3 Step

Having raced up the prototype ranks, Performance Tech Motorsports driver Dan Goldburg reached his next benchmark during last month’s Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring.

Goldburg originally joined the Brent O’Neill-led team in 2008. Over a decade later he made his debut in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, a feat designed for the most skilled professionals.

“This is huge for me,” Goldburg said. “I’ve been driving on track at Sebring for 20 years, I’ve been working with Brent and Performance Tech for over ten years, and I’ve come to the 12 hours to support the team for almost the past decade.

“My hopes have always been to someday run the Twelve Hours of Sebring. 

“It’s truly a dream come true, but just running it isn’t the goal; I want to be the absolute best team member I can be and give my all towards a podium or even a win.

“From my days moving up the ranks in NASA and SCCA Club racing to running IMSA Lites through now I’ve learned so many lessons that I can put into play during the race.”

Goldburg’s prototype route was a familiar one, starting in IMSA Lites with the Elan DP02 before making the transition to Ligier JS P320 Nissan machinery in IMSA Prototype Challenge.

With IMSA’s introduction of the LMP3 class to the WeatherTech Championship, Goldburg was part of the first group to step up the ladder.

“Brent always invited me into their pits for the 24 and 12 hour races, so I’ve been watching and studying how an endurance race is run from the inside,” he said. 

“One time while in the pits, I saw one of Brent’s drivers not ready to jump in the car at the right moment because he did not have a radio on and didn’t hear the car came in a lap earlier than planned. 

“After that, I had a special radio harness made so I can have my helmet on, ready to jump in the car, but still, be listening to the car radio up until that moment. So yes, you can say I’ve been preparing for this for quite some time.”

With the start of the 2020 season, Goldburg stepped up his physical training to that of a top-tier competitor.

“A year ago, I was not in the proper physical shape to run a 12-hour race,” he said. “In July of last year, I teamed up with Rasmus Lindh in IMSA Prototype Challenge. 

“When Rasmus showed up, I saw a fierce competitor taking his performance, workouts, and diet extremely seriously. 

“I saw we could be contenders for wins, and I significantly stepped up my fitness and diet to get into proper race-shape.”

Goldburg said his transition into WeatherTech Championship competition was “not as tough” as he initially expected.

“The first race being at my home track was definitely a good move,” he said. “I have so many years lapping [at Sebring] that I’m comfortable knowing how the car will react anywhere on the track.

“When you have DPis whizzing by one side, a GTLM on the other, and an LMP2 a few car lengths behind it’s good to be comfortable on out-of-the-ordinary lines.”

Goldburg is confirmed to continue in the team’s Motel 6-sponsored Ligier LMP3 for the third round of the season at Mid-Ohio alongside Lindh, although plans beyond that have yet to be confirmed.