Mid-Ohio: Dyson Racing qualifying report

Mid-Ohio Smoothie

LEXINGTON, OH, May 20, 2006 - The blue and white racers of Dyson Racing qualified third and fifth this afternoon on the newly repaved thirteen-turn Mid-Ohio course for tomorrow's American Le Mans race. "The track is real smooth, much more like a European track," commented Guy Smith. "Especially coming from the street track at Houston last weekend, it is a great pleasure to drive."

Butch Leitzinger qualified the # 16 Thetford/Norcold entry third. "We are getting much better," noted Leitzinger. "It is still a challenge to get temperature in the tires, but everyone is having that problem. In the qualifying session, the car was really coming right. I ran out of fuel in the first turn on my last lap while I was under braking, and had to switch to the reserve pump which cost some time and that was our fastest lap." That has been the challenge facing everyone here this weekend: getting the tires warm enough in cold, overcast and initially damp conditions.

"The car was getting better and better with every lap, but we are paying the penalty for missing yesterday morning's session with mechanical problems," said Chris Dyson who qualified the #20 entry fifth. "We have been playing catch-up today. We went in a different set-up direction than Butch and James Weaver, and it gave us a good race balance, but for qualifying, it was not the best."

Dyson Racing came in one, two in last year's Mid-Ohio race. "Last year we had a real all-out brawl for the lead at the beginning of the race," remembered Leitzinger. "It was probably the most fun I have ever had in a race car. I remember thinking that it does not get any better than this. I hope it does get better and we see a great race tomorrow."

Dyson Racing is the premier sports car team in America with sixteen team and driver championships and sixty-one wins in the past twenty years. Tomorrow's race will be broadcast on CBS at 1:00 PM EST.

-dr-