ESM Patrón set for Prototype debut at Watkins Glen

The Tequila Patrón-sponsored Extreme Speed Motorsports (ESM) team might be making its Watkins Glen debut this weekend in the Honda Performance Development (HPD) ARX-03b racing machines, but ESM drivers have a combined 16 starts, three pole positions and three wins at the upstate New York circuit.

ESM heads into the sixth round of the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship race – the Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen – with confidence following a mid-May test session at the New York track.

Known as one of the premier permanent road courses in North America, Watkins Glen is an 11-turn, 3.37-mile road course. This event marks the return of an endurance event in the TUDOR Championship. The last three rounds of competition featured 100-minute sprint events. ESM is looking forward to returning to a six-hour race.

In addition, this weekend’s race is the third round of the four-race Tequila Patrón North American Endurance Cup (NAEC). The Tequila Patrón-sponsored championship within a championship includes the Rolex 24 At Daytona, Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen and the season finale Petit Le Mans. Watch as Ed Brown and Scott Sharp talk about the Tequila Patrón North American Endurance here.

Sharp and Ryan Dalziel, co-drivers of the No. 1 Tequila Patrón HPD are eighth in the NAEC, following a second place finish in round two at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring. Brown and van Overbeek, co-drivers of the No. 2 Tequila Patrón HPD, are ninth with a NAEC best finish of eighth at the Rolex 24 in January.

ESM owner/driver Sharp has four previous starts at Watkins Glen. Sharp made his debut at Watkins Glen in 1992 during a NASCAR Sprint Cup race. After trading his stock car in for an open-wheel car, Sharp returned to The Glen in 2005 for a three-year run in the IndyCar Series. The Northeast native earned back-to-back top-10 finishes in 2005 and 2006.

Dalziel, Sharp’s co-driver, has 13 previous starts at Watkins Glen. The Scotsman seeks a HPD Prototype win to go along with his 2012 win in a Daytona Prototype. In addition to the win, Dalziel has two additional podium finishes (2011, 2012), both in Daytona Prototype race cars.

Anthony Lazzaro returns to join No. 2 season-long drivers Brown and van Overbeek. In six starts at Watkins Glen, Lazzaro has not finished outside of the top-four. His record includes two poles, two wins – both in 2002 – two runner-up finishes and one fourth-place run.

Van Overbeek also has some history at Watkins Glen. In three previous starts, he has one win (2003) and two top-10 finishes. Co-driver Brown is making his debut at The Glen, but the track won’t seem new to him. Brown logged plenty of seat time during the team’s test session in May.

ESM