DAYTONA BEACH, Florida – Nissan made its debut in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar championship as an engine supplier a year ago. Now, 12 months and two victories later, the Nissan-powered ESM team returns to Daytona International Speedway for the Rolex 24 with the competition reaching new heights.
The Florida-based team returns in 2018 with Scott Sharp and Ryan Dalziel behind the wheel of the No. 2 entry and Pipo Derani and Johannes van Overbeek aboard the No. 22. They will be joined for the endurance races by two super-fast Frenchmen – Olivier Pla (No. 2) and Nicolas Lapierre (No. 22).
Competition in this IMSA championship continues to improve in 2018 with the arrival of two new factory programs joining the prototype class: Joest Racing (Mazda) and Penske Motorsports (Acura).
Now, only 12 months after the Daytona Prototypes were phased out of IMSA competition, an incredible collection of 20 DPi entries will take the green flag this Saturday at 2:40 p.m. local time.
Nissan and ESM made a strong impression at Daytona last year, with Brendon Hartley taking the race lead in the night only to suffer contact with a slower car.
The team went on to take its first victory at Road America and finished the season in the best possible way – winning the Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta.
“Daytona is our Super Bowl and winning it is one of the greatest accomplishments a team and driver can achieve,” Dalziel said.
“I’ve won it, as has ESM, and I’ve been on the podium multiple times,” added Dalziel. “We know what it takes to succeed, but this year may be the toughest Rolex 24 for some time due to new teams, new cars, and many unknowns. But we are confident in our reliability and believe we have the speed to succeed.”
The @Rolex24Hours at @DISupdates is a week from today! Here’s what Scott Sharp has to say looking ahead to the event! pic.twitter.com/6DNYFwJ8Nn
— Tequila Patrón ESM (@PatronESM) January 20, 2018
NISMO Calendar
January 27-28
- IMSA Rolex 24 at Daytona, Daytona International Speedway
February 2-4
- Asian Le Mans Series, Sepang International Circuit, Malaysia
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Contact
Anna Teslik
Nissan
Global Motorsport Communications Manager
+33 7 7614 7286
ateslik@nissan-europe.com
Paul Ryan
Nissan/NISMO
Global Motorsport Communications
Marketing and PR Manager
+1 678 644 0404
paul@nismosupport.com