DESERT ISLAND DISKS: RYAN DALZIEL

Ryan Dalziel is arguably Scotland's finest young prospect in Motorsport. Before winning the prestigious Gilles Villeneuve award in 2004, Ryan moved up through the ranks, driving in both Formula Vauxhall and Formula 3. Following in the footsteps of both Nigel Mansell and Juan Pablo Montoya, Ryan now drives in the American based Champcar series. The vehicles have 2.6 litre turbocharged Cosworth engines capable of an incredible 240 mph. If you're not in Formula 1, Champcar is the place to be. Ryan took some time to talk with us about his first season in Champcar, and of course his musical tastes.

HOLV: Ryan, how are things?

RD: I am doing very well thanks. Enjoying some time off after a hectic first month.

HOLV: How is your first full season in Champcar progressing?

RD: I think its going very well. Even better than I expected this early in our first season. Being a new team with no Champ Car experience I think we are doing a mega job so far. To be consistently running in the top ten right now is a huge achievement for us.

HOLV: Are you excited about the future?

RD: Very! One thing I have learnt with my past few seasons driving for Pacific Coast Motorsports is how quickly they adapt to new environments and with Champ Car I see the same progression, although at a much steeper mountain than we have faced in other series. I know that we will continue to get stronger as a team and I look forward to our results improving and when we can consistently challenge the front runners.

HOLV: What's it like handling a turbocharged vehicle capable of 750 horsepower?

RD: You know its funny, by the end of a long weekend running where you drive many laps you start to want more power. Then you have a week off, get back in the car and the first few laps scare the absolute crap out of me. The power and acceleration is mind blowing and impossible to explain to anyone who hasn't experienced similar. They accelerate from 0-100mph in 4.0seconds, and are capable of 240mph. Compare that to the fastest Ferrari road car in the world (the Enzo) which does 0-100mph in 6.5seconds and hits just over 200mph. It's FAST!

HOLV: Everybody has their own idea of what their desert island disc would be. What songs would you take with you?

RD: Oh that's a tough one. I love all types of music and honestly on a desert island I could take my whole collection depending on what mood I am in. I would say my top 5 would be:

The Beatles - HELP! (so someone may hear me).

Faithless - Insomnia (my all time favourite dance tune).

Elton John - Rocket Man

Air - All I Need

Oasis - Champagne Supernova.

HOLV: Is their any music you listen to in order to motivate yourself before a race?

RD: This one is funny. When I used to race in Europe, I was always the sole Scottish kid surrounded by mostly English drivers and teams. The team I drove for was owned by a great guy called Dave Forster. His team was based in Longtown (in between Carlisle and Gretna). He was well known fro bringing through Scottish drivers. Both David Coulthard and Dario Franchitti came up through the ranks with him at some point. He considered himself as a bit of a Scot at heart so he used to blare the Braveheart soundtrack out the back of our truck before we race just to piss off the non Scots. I loved it and to this day I wish that was still my music. Unfortunately these days I don't really have a theme song. Sorry.

Interviewed by Greg.

Ryan on his way to another point scoring finish at the Houston GP.

http://www.ryandalziel.com

http://www.pcmracing.com

You can follow Ryan's progress in the Champcar World Series by tuning into Eurosport's live race coverage. Check http://www.champcarworldseries.com and http://www.eurosport.com for details.