Pirelli World Challenge team CRP Racing has announced a switch to a new Mercedes AMG GT3 and the signing of Ryan Dalziel for the 2017 season.
The CRP Racing announcement follows the Mercedes AMG customer entries announced last week in the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship.
“Pirelli World Challenge is a significant part of the Mercedes-AMG Customer Sports Program in 2017, and we look forward to supporting a premier team like CRP Racing and a top driving talent like Ryan Dalziel,” said Robert Moran, Director of Communications, Mercedes-Benz USA. “We are excited to welcome CRP Racing to the Mercedes-AMG family for 2017.”
Ryan Dalziel finished third in the 2015 championship, despite missing three races due to schedule conflicts.
The Scot has spent the last two years dividing his time between full time rides in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Pirelli World Challenge and the FIA World Endurance Championship.
“We have been extremely fortunate to secure the services of a driver of Ryan Dalziel’s caliber,” said Team Owner Nick Short. “Put that together with the awesome new Mercedes-AMG GT3, and we believe we have a winning combination of car and driver to contend for the championship.”
“I’m absolutely ecstatic about the opportunity to compete in the 2017 Pirelli World Challenge with CRP and their new Mercedes-AMG,” said Dalziel. “I’ve always admired CRP from my time in the series, and have gotten to know Nick and the crew well. They are like a family and I’m honored to be adopted in for this new challenge. I truly appreciate their faith in me, and I know we will deliver good things next season.”
Carlisle Companies, owner of Devilbiss, has been a long time sponsor of the team, and confirmed its continued support of the GT racing team for the upcoming season.
“The 2017 season represents our seventh year supporting CRP Racing in Pirelli World Challenge,” said David A. Roberts, Chairman of Carlisle Companies, Scottsdale, AZ. “All of Carlisle is excited about the addition of Ryan Dalziel as our driver and the Mercedes-AMG GT3 as our car for the new season. Combined with the Team at CRP Racing, our DeVilbiss brand will be on the path to podium finishes as we challenge for both the Driver’s and Manufacturer’s Championships in 2017. We know the competition will be tough, but we like our odds in the coming year.”
“I look forward to the 2017 season with CRP Racing, the new Mercedes-AMG GT, and Ryan Dalziel,” said Dave Smith, Director of Sales, DeVilbiss Automotive Refinishing. “This is a great opportunity to share the DeVilbiss brand and world class products with our valued customers and grow our business together.”
“We are thrilled to once again represent Devilbiss through the support of Carlisle Companies,” said CRP Racing Team Owner Nicholas Short. “We would not have been able to put such an incredible program together for 2017 without such great support from our incredibly loyal and supportive sponsor.”
Founded in 2008, CRP Racing has earned 10 wins, 16 podiums and 33 top five finishes. The #2 DeVilbiss / CRP Racing Audi R8 LMS finished 2016, with the season highlight of a double podium finish for driver Kyle Marcelli at Lime Rock Park.
“Kyle was a great asset to our team,” said Short. “He’s an incredible driver and brought a strong performance to every race weekend. He was a true team player and fought hard to bring us some strong finishes. We’re excited to see where his career in racing will take him.”
