Following a challenging start to the 2019 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, the drivers and crew at Starworks Motorsport are optimistic heading into their first street course race of the year, the Chevrolet Sports Car Classic in Detroit, Michigan. The three day festival of speed will take place May 30 to June 2, and with over 30 guests on site, Starworks Motorsport will race the No. 8 Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO, looking to defend their back to back 2015 and 2016 wins.
“We’ve proven to be highly competitive in Detroit in years past, and I have no doubt we’ll be able to contend again for the win this year,” said Team Owner Peter Baron. “Vertical Bridge, our primary sponsor for the season, will be bringing guests to cheer us on for race day, and that’s even more motivation for us to fight for a podium.”
Founded in 2014, Vertical Bridge is the largest private owner and manager of communication infrastructure in the United States, with over 266,000 wireless and broadcast towers, rooftops, land parcels, billboards and other managed sites nationwide. Thirty representatives of Vertical Bridge will arrive to Belle Isle, a small island between downtown Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, on race day to catch the 100-minute race Saturday afternoon.
With two challenging endurance races and one sprint race complete, the team has made the final preparations, hoping the Detroit Grand Prix will bring the team their first podium of the season. The 14 turn, 2.3 mile temporary street course is expected to suit the No. 8 Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO well, driven by Ryan Dalziel and Parker Chase.
“It has not been the start to our season we wanted, but Detroit is hopefully the changing point,” said Dalziel. “I love street courses and Detroit is a tough one. I think our Audi will be fast on the streets so I’m looking forward to getting on track. It’s also a big event for our sponsor, Vertical Bridge, who will have around 30 guests there to support us, so we will be doing our very best to give them something to cheer about.”
Dalziel, a sports car veteran, is no stranger to the Detroit street circuit. The Chevrolet Sports Car Classic will be Chase’s debut at the track, but the young American has had ample success on street courses, with three consecutive podiums at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg (2016, 2017, 2018), and another podium at the Long Beach Grand Prix circuit (2018).
“Can’t wait to get on track in Detroit,” said Chase. “It’s my first time going and I really love street courses. I’m hoping to keep the Starworks Detroit winning streak alive this weekend.”
The drivers will begin their race weekend on Thursday evening, May 30, with a track walk to inspect and review the circuit while the team sets up the garage for the weekend in the IMSA paddock. The track time will be minimal, with all practice and qualifying sessions on Friday, before taking the green flag for the race on Saturday afternoon. IMSA Radio will offer live coverage of every session on imsa.com, and live timing will be available on livescoring.us. The 100 minute Chevrolet Sports Car Classic begins Saturday, June 1 at 12:40PM Eastern. Live domestic coverage begins at 12:30PM Eastern on NBC Sports, and international audiences can steam live on IMSA.tv.