POUGHKEEPSIE, NY March 05, 2007 – The season opening 55th annual Twelve Hours of Sebring marks the twentieth anniversary of Dyson Racing’s first Sebring: March 21, 1987 with the #16 Porsche 962. This year’s March 17th race will feature the race debut of Dyson Racing’s two new LMP2 Porsche RS Spyders: #16, chassis 704 and #20, chassis 705. Five team members from that Porsche 962 era still work for Dyson Racing.
“Continuity has always been one of our strong suits,” observed Rob Dyson. “Every team member from last year has returned. Andy Wallace and Butch Leitzinger have been with us for twelve years and now we have renewed our historic relationship with Porsche. This is one of the major strengths of our team: an uninterrupted knowledge base that keeps on growing. That is the foundation upon which championship runs are built.”
The new Porsches have two pre-season tests under their belt: January 22-24 at Sebring for the American Le Mans Winter Test and in California in early February. “We had both cars at Willow Springs,” said Chris Dyson. “It was the first run-in of the #20 car and everything performed flawlessly. The cars did not miss a beat the entire test. We are learning very quickly what these cars like. At Willow, we were able to explore some set-up solutions for high speed frequency bumps and slow corners that will help us on the street circuits. Guy Smith was able to get some time in the Spyder, and we are both very confident about our chances in 2007. We also had Andy Lally on board at the test, and he will be joining us at Sebring. He fit in instantly and is approaching the team with exactly the right attitude. We will have a strong line-up at Sebring.”
Chris Dyson and Guy Smith will pair up in the #20 Thetford/Norcold entry while Andy Lally joins Butch Leitzinger and Andy Wallace in the #16 car for the St. Patrick’s Day iconic endurance event. “The first test at Sebring showed how competitive the P2 class is going to be and how well sorted the Spyder is,” said Chris Dyson. “With Porsche, we are starting with a very strong basis and refining it with great support from the factory. History shows that our team knows how to get the most out of a car. Our realignment with Porsche means that this year, we hit the ground running. I think this is one of our best opportunities to win races from the start of the season and win a championship, and that’s our goal for 2007.”
