American Le Mans/Sebring
Chris Dyson looks forward to 2007 in the American Le Mans
By Kate Shaw
Photos courtesy Lisa Salazar
SEBRING, Florida (March 15, 2007) — Dyson Racing has been a part of sports car racing for more than 20 years, and the team have been through many changes over time. For 2007 there are two big changes: team ‘elder statesman’ James Weaver has retired, and the team have switched to the new Porsche Spyder and will compete in P2 class in 2007. Chris Dyson explained the way this came about. “Porsche came to us in 2006,” he said, “as once they had a year out of the car they wanted to expand their program. We are very happy to renew our long-standing relationship with Porsche and with the support they offer the team. We feel that our input is taken seriously, and any problems are dealt with at once.”

Andy Wallace, who has returned to the team to take up the mantle of Weaver in the No. 16 car, has driven almost everything there is to drive and has done a great deal of development work. “Andy,” said Chris, “has declared the Porsche Spyder the best car he has ever driven. It’s well developed, easy to tune and responds to the slightest request with ease.”

And how has the car performed on the notoriously bumpy and challenging Sebring track? “Sebring,” said Dyson, “is the determining point for the way the season will go. We have been concentrating on finding what makes this new car good on this track, what will make it drivable over 12 hours, and we have found it most competitive all week. Since we’re going for the P2 championship in 2007, our ambition is to win in class! Although the class is possibly the most competitive in the four-class field this year, we are confident that we have the car and the people to achieve this ambition.”

Although the American Le Mans Series has decided not to impose the 5% restrictor on the P2 class, Dyson thinks that challenging Audi for the overall win might be a little more than he’s set to take on in their first year. “Audi will always be strong,” he commented, “and although the lack of that 5% restrictor certainly makes it possible for us to hound them, it will still be difficult for us to catch them for an overall win. Still, the lack of restrictors will certainly give the fans a good show, especially in traffic.”

Dyson admitted that the team does miss Weaver, although Andy Wallace has stepped back in as an able and familiar teammate in Weaver’s place. “We are keeping in touch with James,” he said, “and he’s very much in the loop, but he felt that it was far better to retire at the top of his form and his last stint left the car in the lead. Better, he said, to retire six races too early than one race too late!” Weaver was a modest fellow and his retirement announcement caught all but a handful of people by complete surprise – which was just the way he wanted it.

At qualifying this afternoon, Dyson put the No. 20 car in P7 overall for the race tomorrow. Dyson believes that a pole position is a nice thing to have, but the most important position is the one the car is in at the end of the 12 hour race. Meanwhile he along with the rest of us will be watching with great interest to see the advent of the brand new car and how it storms through the most competitive P2 field in series history. Look for both the brand new No. 16 and the No. 20 in their old familiar colours on the podium at an American Le Mans Series track near you.