Starworks closing on LMP2 return

Image by Paul Webb/LAT
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emailBy: Marshall Pruett | November 21, 2019 1:50 PM

Starworks Motorsport, winners of the LMP2 class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring in 2012, is expected to announce a return to the class next year with an ORECA 07 chassis in IMSA’s WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

Team veteran Ryan Dalziel is among the multi-national driving talent primed to lead the Florida-based program during IMSA’s new, shortened seven-race calendar for its LMP2 category. Reached by phone on Thursday, team owner Peter Baron declined to comment on Starworks’ 2020 plans.

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Starworks made its prototype debut in 2010 in the Grand Am Rolex Series, fielding Riley Daytona Prototypes before stepping up to the American Le Mans Series and the FIA World Endurance Championship in LMP2 using a Honda-powered HPD chassis (pictured at Sebring in 2012).

The Prototype Challenge class, with its spec ORECA FLM09-Chevrolets, would follow Starworks’ exploits in LMP2, culminating in its most recent championship, secured in 2016.

After supporting GT Daytona entries in 2018, Starworks entered a full-season effort last season using an Audi R8 LMS GT3, but brought an early end to the program after frequent struggles with the car kept Dalziel and co-driver Parker Chase from achieving meaningful results.

LMP2 has experienced a surge in popularity ahead of the 2020 WeatherTech Championship where Starworks will complement ongoing programs from PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports, Performance Tech Motorsports, and incoming efforts from DragonSpeed and Era Motorsports.

Starworks, IMSA