Race report

ALMS

Day time finish for Dyson Racing at Sebring

A drivetrain component failure sidelined the #16 Thetford/RACER Lola Mazd

Edited: Mar 17, 2013, 12:37 AM

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Spin for #16 Dyson Racing Team Lola B12/60 Mazda: Chris Dyson, Guy Smith, Butch Leitzinger

SEBRING, FL March 16, 2013 - Dyson Racing was not able to duplicate their ALMSP1 points victory here from last year, retiring five hours into the 61st Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring. A drivetrain component failure sidelined the #16 Thetford/RACER Lola Mazda in the season-opening race for the ten-race American Le Mans Series.

#16 Dyson Racing Team Lola B12/60 Mazda: Chris Dyson, Guy Smith, Butch Leitzinger

Photo by: Eric Gilbert

"Approaching Cunningham Corner, there was a slight vibration," recounted Guy Smith. "It did not get any better by the time I got onto the back straight, so I came into the pits and we took the car back to the garage to identify the problem. It is frustrating as the car felt the best it has all week. I took over from Chris and joined right behind the #13 Rebellion car and was able to catch him and was all over him for all of the stint. It does give us the confidence that the changes we made to the car this week were positive. A result like this makes us more determined to knuckle down and come back stronger."

Guy's co-driver Chris Dyson commented , "We had gone back and forth on our set up this weekend and the final spec we picked was pretty competitive. During the race, in the heat of the day, we were just trying to match up the tire pressures for the conditions. The team had done a great job to give us a good car. On my second stint, we were able to match the Rebellion cars and then we made a couple more adjustments when Guy got in, and we were even quicker. So a frustrating start to the season, no question about it. We will be doing some testing before Long Beach and we will regroup for our west coast swing."

Joining Chris and Guy this weekend was long-term Dyson veteran, Butch Leitzinger. "It was good to be back. It was like old times. This is such a good cohesive group where everyone pitches in. A true racing family. There really is no better group than Dyson Racing. It is just like I remember it."

Dyson Racing

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