POUGHKEEPSIE, NY January 10, 2006 – It is the New Year and racing is back on the radar screen. Dyson Racing led off the new season with productive participation in the recently concluded three-day test for the Rolex 24 at Daytona.
The January 28 Rolex 24 kicks off the six-race Dyson Racing collaboration with Howard-Boss Motorsports in the 2006 Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series. Drivers Rob Dyson, Chris Dyson, Oliver Gavin and Guy Smith teamed up for the Daytona Test Days that ended Saturday.
“This is always a great way to begin the new year,” observed Rob Dyson. “Everywhere you turned you were running into old friends and competitors. It was like old home week. I enjoyed being back in the car. The Howard-Boss Motorsports team has been hard at work in the off-season making changes to the car since I was in it last at Watkins Glen in September. There have been substantial improvements. This is an excellent team with a proven track record at the 24 Hours of Daytona.”
“We learned quite a bit during the test,” noted Chris Dyson. “The lap times were consistent and encouraging. We were solidly in the top ten in Friday afternoon’s session. We got sidetracked a little on Saturday, but you don’t move forward without experimenting. Any time you have a driver lineup that includes an overall (Smith) and class winner (Gavin) of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, not to mention a past race winner of this race (father Rob), you have to be excited about your chances.”
Rob Dyson has run the Rolex 24 eighteen times and is a two time winner of the renowned American endurance race: 1997 as a driver and in 1999 as an entrant.
In addition to the Rolex 24 Hour, the Dysons will run the #16 Thetford/Norcold entry in five additional Grand-Am races with Howard-Boss Motorsports: Homestead-Miami Speedway (March 25), Virginia International Raceway (April 23), Watkins Glen (June 3), Daytona International Raceway (June 29), and Watkins Glen again on August 11.
The Rolex 24 at Daytona starts at 12:00 PM EST on Saturday, January 28. It will be shown live on the SPEED Channel in three segments: 12:00 – 6:00 PM EST and 8:00 – 11:00 PM EST on the 28th and on Sunday, from 8:00 AM – 12:30 PM EST.