Starworks to Return With Audi for Dalziel, Chase

Photo: Audi

Starworks Motorsport will make its return to IMSA competition next year, having announced a full-season Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo entry for Ryan Dalziel.

Parker Chase, meanwhile, has been confirmed for the four Michelin Endurance Cup races and potentially stepping in as the second full-season driver.

The Peter Baron-led team, which has supported Montaplast by Land Motorsport’s Endurance Cup campaign over the last two seasons, will make its full-time return for the first time since 2016 when it fielded cars in Prototype Challenge.

Baron also worked closely with Dalziel and Chase in Pirelli World Challenge this year, which saw the pairing claim overall victory at Portland en route to the GT SprintX Pro-Am championship and GTA class honors in two races for the 17-year-old.

“Despite not fielding a Starworks Motorsport entry ourselves, our team has still been very busy in both IMSA and Pirelli World Challenge,” Baron said.

“I have enjoyed success and working personally with the Audi Sport customer racing group and look forward to continuing to strengthen our relationship in America.

“Based on all the success we had with Parker Chase and Ryan Dalziel in Pirelli World Challenge in the Audi R8 LMS, we felt it was the right time to move and enter into the IMSA WeatherTech series full time.”

Baron’s relationship with Dalziel dates back 13 years, highlighted by LMP2 class victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, as well as numerous victories in Grand-Am competition.

Dalziel’s return to the Florida-based team comes in the wake of Tequila Patron’s exit from Extreme Speed Motorsports, which Dalziel had been a part of since 2014.

Sportscar365 understands that Starworks, as well as CORE autosport, evaluated the purchase of ESM’s Nissan Onroak DPis, but were unable to come to a financial agreement with IMSA and Nissan on the series’ required marketing partnerships.

“When my 2018 program was announced it was ending the first call I got was from Peter Baron at Starworks saying we should get the band back together,” said Dalziel.

“I’ve enjoyed much of my racing success under the Starworks banner and I’ve put all my efforts in the past few months making this happen.

“Continuity is so important in racing, and surrounding yourself with people who truly believe in you.

“This program is a continuation from the 2018 championship-winning effort with Parker. He and I sharing a car with Peter Baron steering the ship is a force to be reckoned with.

“Audi has been a big part of making this happen and I’m extremely grateful for their trust in us to represent them.”

The team will utilize the same ex-Stevenson Motorsports Audi chassis that Dalziel and Chase ran this year in PWC but upgraded to 2019-specification.

It is so far the only confirmed full-season Audi entrant in GT Daytona, following Magnus Racing’s switch to Lamborghini.

“It’s great to continue my relationship with Audi as well in the new R8 GT3 Evo,” Chase said. “It’ll be my first time at Daytona and I can’t be more excited. I’m ready to get started.”

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