Motorsport: Dario targets 'real blast' of Daytona

Bathgate's Dario Franchitti, the triple IndyCar champ, will start his 2011 season at the end of the month by bidding to win America's Blue Riband endurance race, the Daytona 24-Hours.

The 35-year-old Scot, who won the Florida race in 2008, will lead the two-car assault by his Ganassi team in their BMW/Riley prototype racers when it gets underway on January 29-30.

Franchitti will be partnered by defending Daytona 500 winner Jamie McMurray, double IndyCar champ Scott Dixon and Nascar racer Juan Pablo Montoya. The team's second car will be driven by last year's Grand-Am winners Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas.

"Daytona is always a fantastic way to start the race season," said Franchitti, who led last year's event in the early stages before an engine failure forced his car's retirement.

"It's a great way of getting all the Ganassi drivers from the different race series together, and driving the prototype on the Daytona track is a real blast.

"Hopefully we can have a little bit of luck and win again."