My main goal is still to get the PKV drive for next season when Jimmy retires but I wouldn’t rule anything out and if IRL offered me something before Champ Car then I’d have to consider it.
Crash.net:
Pacific Coast obviously showed they wanted you to give you the drive in the Corvette but how difficult was it to make the transition from the Atlantic car to the C5-R?
Ryan Dalziel:
It wasn’t too difficult. I think it is always easier to move from a fast car to a slower one. I think the problems come when I move back to the Champ Car. I learned a lot from the Atlantic car and from the past few seasons and I think the level of competition made the transition easy. I’ve known the team for years so that transition was easy, but the driving for Alex Figge and myself is a bit different to what we are used to with carbon brakes, a heavy car and the longer stints. But I think we have done a good job, we’ve impressed a few teams and if Pacific Coast stay in GT1 next season they will be a contender against the works teams.
Crash.net:
The GT1 category is very hard fought with the factory Corvettes, the ACEMCO Saleen and the Maserati, but the team has been up near the front on a few occasions. How close do you think that podium finish is?
Ryan Dalziel:
I think you’ve got to be realistic because no-one is going to beat the works cars and battling $15 million budgets is impossible. We are using older equipment and I think we are getting the most of it but the last race is the closest we have been to the Maserati and the Saleen in race spec. There have been times in qualifying when we have mixed it with them but in race spec we haven’t had the pace but Yokohama came out with some new tyres and in the race we always within a tenth or two of them and we just got screwed with some yellows which stopped us fighting for the podium. We are knocking on the door and we’ve tested at Sears Point where we are this weekend so hopefully it can be a turning point.
Crash.net:
So you’re hopeful of a good result this weekend then?
Ryan Dalziel:
I think every weekend has been a good result for us. We’ve been realistic in our targets and we’ve achieved everything that we set out to do. This year was mainly a learning year for Pacific Coast and I think we are learning with each race and the podium isn’t too far away.
Crash.net:
You’re obviously disappointed that it isn’t Champ Cars this weekend but might we see you in a Champ Car again before the end of the season?
Ryan Dalziel:
I’m pretty gutted to be honest as I don’t feel I could have done anymore and I don’t think I could have been expected to do anymore so to be pushed to one side for someone else is hard to take. But I have to thank Pacific Coast for standing by me with everything. They knew what my goals were and where my future will hopefully go.
