Taylor Edges Out Dalziel for Long Beach Win

Photo: Brian Cleary/BCPix.com

A daring late-race move on Ryan Dalziel has given Jordan Taylor and brother Ricky their third straight IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship victory in Saturday’s incident-filled Bubba Burger Sports Car Grand Prix at Long Beach.

Taylor, in the No. 10 Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac DPi-V.R, got around Dalziel’s No. 2 Tequila Patron ESM Nissan Onroak DPi on the outside of Turn 1 with less than five minutes remaining in the 100-minute street fight.

The second-generation driver drove to a 6.349-second win over Dalziel, with the race ending in carnage, following a last-lap pileup involving multiple cars that affected the outcome of the GT Le Mans race.

Dalziel took over the lead after short-filling on his second pit stop while under the race’s fourth full-course caution, when the remainder of the Prototype cars, including the then race-leading WTR entry took on full service in the car’s only stop.

The Scot, who restarted outside the top-15 overall, behind the GTLM and GTD leaders, carved his way through the field but was unable to hold off Taylor in the end, who capitalized through traffic. 

It marked the Taylor brothers’ third straight win on the streets of Long Beach, and continues their undefeated win streak in WeatherTech Championship competition this year.

Dalziel and Scott Sharp recorded a season-best second, with Jonathan Bomarito and Tristan Nunez giving Mazda Motorsports its long-awaited first overall podium finish with a third place result in the No. 55 Mazda RT24-P.

Nunez challenged Taylor early but the Riley-chassied DPi was unable to match the leading cars in the closing stages through traffic.

The No. 85 JDC Miller Motorsports Oreca 07 Gibson made it four different constructors and engine manufacturers in the top-four, despite an early race incident for Misha Goikhberg, with the No. 52 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports Ligier JS P217 Gibson completing the top-five.

It was a race to forget for Action Express Racing, with the No. 31 Cadillac of Dane Cameron crashing out heavily while running third with 30 minutes to go.

Cameron was uninjured after his Whelen-sponsored car clipped the inside wall before slamming hard into the outside wall in Turn 8 to bring out the race’s sixth and final yellow.

The No. 5 entry, meanwhile, lost two laps early with an accident by Christian Fittipaldi and came home 28th overall.

RESULTS: Bubba Burger Sports Car Grand Prix

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