Laguna Seca: Dyson Racing qualifying report

Dust Busters

MONTEREY, CA October 17, 2008 In the final qualifying session of the 2008 American Le Mans Series, Guy Smith qualified eighth in LMP2 with Butch Leitzinger right behind in ninth in their pair of Porsche RS Spyders at the famed Laguna Seca track here in the coastal hills of central California. "The car was very good, but traffic played havoc with our good laps," commented Smith.

"We came here from Atlanta with a good set up right off the truck," explained Peter Weston, Chief Engineer. "The drivers were happy with it and we have polished it the past two days. Here at Laguna, tires are always the key. The track is dusty and has very low grip. Plus it is unusual in that it starts at 2:45 and goes to 6:45 in the evening and there is a big temperature difference in the last hour. So you have to keep that in mind that the pressures go down as the temperature goes down and you have to keep the tires current with the constantly changing conditions. Michelin has brought their "street soft tire' here. We first ran them at St. Petersburg and than Long Beach and Detroit and they work very well here since this track's low grip mimics a lot of street tracks."

"Like Atlanta, you race into the dark here," noted Chris Dyson. "This-day-into night backdrop is a fitting way to end a season and we have had some great races here the last few years. We started the season with a double podium in the 12 Hours of Sebring and it would be great to book-end the season in a similar fashion."

-credit: dr