POUGHKEEPSIE, NY March 6, 2009 – Chris Dyson will be returning to the 24 Hours of Le Mans driving the #25 RML LMP2 Mazda Lola Coupe in the June 13th and 14th classic sports car race. Dyson is no stranger to the great endurance race having driven a Dome-Judd at the 2004 race with reigning FIA Sportscar champion Jan Lammers and finishing seventh, the highest-placed American.
In preparation for the 77th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans on the Circuit de la Sarthe, Dyson will be participating this weekend in the official ACO test at the Circuit Paul Ricard at Le Castellet in southern France. Dyson will be partnering regular RML drivers Mike Newton and Thomas Erdos in the team’s Mazda Lola B08/86 Coupe.
“I am thrilled to be returning to Le Mans and representing Mazda with RML,” said Dyson. “Mazda is the only Japanese manufacturer to have won this prestigious race and I look forward to being part of their tradition at Le Mans. RML has a long-term history at this track and know how to mount a top-notch winning effort. The team has consecutive class victories with Erdos and Newton sharing the winning car in the LMP2 category at Le Mans in both 2005 and 2006.”
“Ever since Mazda began racing, endurance racing in general and Le Mans in particular has been a key element. Our historic win in 1991 still resonates with fans and Mazda employees around the world. We’re thrilled to have RML and other teams running the Mazda MZR-R at Le Mans this year. We’re also pleased to see the great cooperation between Dyson Racing and RML. This shared wisdom should help both teams,” noted Robert Davis, Senior Vice President, Product Development and Quality, and the man responsible for Mazda’s North American motorsports operations under the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development banner.
“Having Chris Dyson join the team for the Le Mans 24 Hour race is really positive news,” stated RML Team Manager Phil Barker. “Dyson Racing has been testing their own Mazda Lola LMP2 Coupe in the USA, so Chris will already be familiar with the car, but he also brings with him his considerable experience from the fiercely competitive American Le Mans Series.”
Dyson Racing runs two Mazda-powered Lola Coupes in the American Le Mans Series. A mainstay of North American sportscar racing the past 26 years, the team has won seventeen championships and sixty-one victories. The ALMS will celebrate its 100th race with the season-opening 12 Hours of Sebring on Saturday, March 21. Both Dyson Racing cars finished on the podium at last year’s 12 Hour of Sebring with Chris third in LMP2.
Mazda is the brand choice of road racers across North America. On any given weekend, there are more Mazdas on the road-race-tracks of America than any other brand. You will see MX-5 Miata, RX-8, MAZDA3, MAZDA6, RX-7 and other vintage Mazda models because every Mazda has the Soul of a Sports Car.
