POUGHKEEPSIE, NY July 10, 2012 — American Le Mans Series veteran Tony Burgess will be joining Dyson Racing for next weekend’s Mobil 1 Presents the Grand Prix of Mosport on July 22nd and also at the 2012 Road Race Showcase at Road America on August 18th. Tony will be driving with Eric Lux in the #20 Mazda-powered Dyson IMSA P1 entry, the same car that won the ALMS championships last year. The Toronto resident has raced eleven times at the newly named Canadian Tire Motorsport Track.
“I am very much looking forward to driving with the legendary Dyson Racing team and I think this is the most exciting and competitive opportunity I have had for my home race,” Burgess said.
“We have been speaking with Tony for some time about putting a program together,” said team V.P. and Sporting Director Chris Dyson. “I’m delighted we were able to come up with the right situation for his home race at Mosport and also to get him on board with Michael (Marsal) and Eric for Road America. Tony’s got a wealth of experience in prototypes. He runs consistently and keeps it clean, and he has a great attitude towards the team. I think he’ll be a great addition to the #20 car lineup, and we’re looking forward to doing more with him.”
Tony started his racing career on enduro motorcycles, including a 24 hour motorcycle race at Mosport, and switched to racing on four wheels in 1990. He began racing sports cars in international events in 1997 and has sixteen 24 hour sports car races to his credit at Le Mans, Daytona, Spa and Bathurst. His first 24 Hours of Le Mans was in 2000, where he finished third in class in GT2. Tony started racing in the American Le Mans Series the same year and has been a regular competitor in the ALMS the past twelve years. He got his first taste of prototypes while racing in the 2006 European Le Mans Series in the LMP2 class. He moved up to LMP1 the following year, capturing third place at Mosport with Autocon Motorsports. He continued racing the familiar orange cars of Autocon through the 2011 season and finished fourth in the ALMS drivers’ championship.
He is closing in on one hundred sports car races since his start in 1997. During those years, he has raced in more than ten countries and has fifty-three ALMS races under his belt. Tony lives in Toronto with his wife and has a degree in aerospace engineering from Ryerson University.
Dyson Racing has enjoyed more success at Mosport than any other American Le Mans Series venue with sixteen podiums to their credit including six wins and four poles at the iconic Canadian track.
The two-hour forty-five minute Mobil 1 Presents the Grand Prix of Mosport is scheduled for noon ET on July 22 from the 2.5 mile, 10-turn Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. The race will be broadcast on ESPN2 with live streaming available on ESPN3.