Dalziel scoops top Porsche award 13 | 12 | 2015
AIRDRIE'S RYAN DALZIEL has become the first Scot to win the coveted Porsche Cup. The award, presented at Porsche's season-ending Night of Champions in Weissach in Germany, is given to the season's top privateer.
Dalziel received the award, which has been given since 1970, for his campaign with the Effort Racing team in the Pirelli World Challenge in North America.
The Florida-based 33-year-old claimed two wins, a further eight podiums and third in the championship at the wheel of a Porsche 911 GT-3R.
Not only did Dalziel receive his trophy from Dr. Wolfgang Porsche, the chairman of the Supervisory Board at Porsche, but also took delivery of a 400 horsepower Porsche 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet.
“I’m a huge Porsche fan," the former FIA LMP2 World champ admitted. "When I first started making money in racing, the first thing I did was buy a car I couldn’t afford, a 997 GT3.
Related: Dalziel — I'll come back to Le Mans 24-Hours to win
“I have to give all credit to the team I drove for, Effort Racing. Chuck (Toups, team principal), Erin (Gahagan, team manger) and Stefan (Pfeiffer, technical director) are here and we have a great team back at home. It’s an honour to be part of the family.
"I'm very proud of have won this award: it's very special. I'd never really been aware of the award until this year, but it's something I'd been thinking about since mid-season. There are some great names who have won it in the past."
Former British winners of the Porsche Cup include this year's Le Mans 24-Hours winner, Nick Tandy (2012), Tim Sugden ('05) and John Fitzpatrick (1972, '74 and '80).
This year Dalziel — who combined racing in the PWC with his primary programme in the World Endurance Championship with the Extreme Speed Motorsports LMP2 squad — beat Austrian Klaus Bachler into second place.
Related: Dalziel bids for Le Mans glory
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Jim McGill