Zogaib and Dalziel pair up for Samax Motorsport
The Homestead event will be the Rolex race debut for the driver pairing, which will also be utilizing a new powerplant as Samax Motorsport has moved to a Dinan-prepared BMW mated to the Riley chassis. Zogaib and Dalziel already got the chance to work together and get acclimated with the new package during two days of testing at the end of February during the Rolex open test at Homestead.
“I’m really looking forward to the Homestead race weekend and happy to have Ryan as my co-driver," said Zogaib. “I feel very confident racing on this track and Ryan is of course right on his game. This new BMW motor is fantastic, and things went really well in testing. The whole Samax team has been working really well together, so we’re optimistic about this race weekend."
The Homestead weekend is a bit of a homecoming for Samax Motorsport, which is based just over an hour north in Pompano Beach. After motor problems prevented the team from finishing the Rolex 24, Samax is looking to regain the form that saw the team finish fourth in the 2007 Homestead event. With a new powerplant, new driver pairing, and continued growth of the team infrastructure, Samax will look to do just that.
“We were pretty disappointed with how things played out for us at the 24 and not being able to make that podium again, but moving to BMW power has gone smoothly, and we are looking forward to getting back to racing at Homestead with Henri and Ryan," said Samax Motorsport principal Peter Baron. “Things went well during our test with the BMW, and we think Henri and Ryan are going to be a strong pairing."
Dalziel has made headlines throughout his career, taking wins in a wide range of categories after jumping up from karts in Europe to famously finish his rookie season of British Formula Renault competition as runner-up to eventual Formula One World Champion Kimi Raikkonen. Dalziel was also part of the Samax driver line up that finished runner-up in the 2007 Rolex 24 At Daytona, and scored a GT class pole for Samax in 2005, the last time he raced for the team at Homestead.
“I think this BMW-Riley is going to be a strong combination here at Homestead-it won the race last year and we felt like we made a lot of progress together during the test," said Dalziel. “I’m really happy to have this opportunity again to race in the Rolex Series because it’s incredibly close racing and the driver makes a huge difference. I really like that Henri sets the bar so high for himself and it shows as he continues to improve. This team has really regrouped after Daytona and I think Peter (Baron) is putting right people in place, and having Phil (LePan) join with Steve (Challis) is just one example of that. We are going to be well-aligned to take the fight for the win."
The team will announce sponsors in the near future.