BOWMANVILLE, Ontario, August 25, 2007 – The rain that has been afflicting the Midwest worked its way across the Canadian border and has inflicted its personality on this weekend`s Grand Prix of Mosport. With rain shortening most of the test and practice sessions, the weather produced an inconsistent track that never had a chance to get a proper amount of rubber worked in. In qualifying for tomorrow’s race, Dyson drivers garnered sixth and seventh in class. Butch Leitzinger qualified the #16 Porsche RS Spyder sixth followed by Chris Dyson in the #20 Thetford/Norcold entry.
Mosport is a second home track for the Thetford/Norcold crew, close to the team’s home base in Poughkeepsie, NY. “I think we have a very good car for the race tomorrow,” said Dyson. “We didn’t get the best out of the car in qualifying, but if you look at our form in practice and the past few races, we have been very strong. I expect tomorrow to be a good day for the team.”
The team started from pole and finished second and third last year. Dyson and Guy Smith came in second, less than three seconds behind the winner with Smith setting the fastest race lap. The sister car of Leitzinger and James Weaver was third. Smith set fastest lap last year and Dyson drivers have set fastest race laps the past four years. The team won in 2004 and 2005 and Dyson and Andy Wallace won the LMP2 class in 2003. With last year’s pole, Dyson drivers have thirteen combined poles here. James Weaver’s record pole of 2003 stood until today.
“All of the Dyson drivers and the team enjoy this track and we have a good amount of test miles here with a good book of data,” said Leitzinger. “The track will get quicker tomorrow the more we run and it will be a competitive race.”
The race tomorrow will start at 3 p.m. ET, and will be broadcast live on SPEED. American Le Mans Radio and IMSA`s Live Timing and Scoring will be available at americanlemans.com.
Pos | Car# | Class | Drivers | Time | Car Make |
1. | 1 | P1 | Capello/McNish | 1:05.829 | Audi/R10 |
2. | 7 | P2 | Dumas/Bernhard | 1:05.919 | Porsche RS Spyder |
3. | 2 | P1 | Pirro/Werner | 1:06.010 | Audi R10 |
4. | 6 | P2 | Maassen/Briscoe | 1:06.082 | Porsche RS Spyder |
5. | 26 | P2 | Herta/Franchitti | 1:06.249 | Acura ARX |
6. | 9 | P2 | Brabham/Johansson | 1:06.428 | Acura ARX |
7. | 15 | P2 | Ferndandez/Diaz | 1:06.842 | Lola B06 |
8. | 16 | P2 | Wallace/Leitzinger | 1:07.137 | Porsche RS Spyder |
9. | 20 | P2 | Dyson/Smith | 1:07.859 | Porsche RS Spyder |
10. | 8 | P2 | Bach/Devlin | 1:08.021 | Lola B07 |