DALZIEL AND DAVIS FASTEST IN THE SUNSHINE

RYAN DALZIEL/No.8 Starworks Motorsport Ford Riley Daytona Prototype was the fastest driver Saturday afternoon at Daytona International Speedway in the fourth practice for Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series Roar Before The 24. His lap was 1:40.780/127.168 mph. The fastest OA/DP time still belongs to A.J. ALLMENDINGER in the Saturday morning practice.

Dalziel’s teammates are newly added NASCAR driver COLIN BRAUN and TOMAS ENGE, plus MIKE FOREST, and JIM LOWE.

Starworks owner, PETER BARON, has entered two cars for the test, No.8 and No.9 which has DOUGLAS PETERSON and RJ VALENTINE. Those two veterans are being joined by three young drivers, JARED BEYER, JAN HAYLEN, and SCOTT MEYER.

Baron said there will be a third Starworks car for the Rolex 24 of Daytona, with four other drivers yet to be named. The car’s number hasn’t yet been determined.

The fastest GT driver was ANDREW DAVIS/No.59 Brumos Racing Porsche GT at 1:50.569/116.025 mph. Co-driving with him are HURLEY HAYWOOD, LEH KEEN, and Porsche factory driver, MARC LIEB.

The former sister car to the original No.59 Brumos Porsche DP, the No.58 DP, is now being run this year by Flying Lizards Motorsports as No.45. The Sonoma-based Flying Lizards Porsche team regularly runs and wins the American Le Mans GT2 class, and there’s no way that car could run in the Grand-Am Series – they are completely different in their physical makeup. The only thing the cars have in common is the engine – a 4.0 flat 6 Porsche.

The Lizards driver lineup has two Porsche factory drivers and 2010 ALMS GT2 Champions, JORG BERGMEISTER and PATRICK LONG, the only American Porsche factory driver. They are joined by their other long-term Lizard teammates, SETH NEIMAN and JOHANNES van OVERBEEK.

The weather for the second Saturday practice was downright gorgeous. It was sunny and warm, in the low seventies F. The only problem was the gusty wind in the pit lane walkway. But it later lessened.

The Rolex Series has two more practice sessions Thursday.