ALMS (MOSPORT) - THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE MOSPORT FOR DYSON
Dyson Racing has had more success at Mosport than any other venue in the American Le Mans Series.
If Dyson Racing could race 12 times a year at Mosport International Raceway, it probably would. And why not? The Poughkeepsie, NY-based team has enjoyed more success at Mosport than at any other venue in the American Le Mans Series calendar and would dearly like to add more next week in the Mobil 1 presents the Grand Prix of Mosport.
The last four seasons have been impressive with overall wins in 2004 and 2005, and a LMP675 class win in 2003. Dyson Racing drivers have posted the fastest race laps in four straight years and have combined for 13 podiums. Not even Audi can match that performance at the Series' lone Canadian stop.
The success goes beyond the American Le Mans Series. From 1995-98, Dyson Racing took three wins and a runner-up in IMSA competition, a feat not lost on the loyal Mosport fans.
"It's our second home on the calendar after Lime Rock. Every time year in and year out, we always tend to show up there and be competitive," team driver and principal Chris Dyson said. "We've been fortunate to have such good cars because the cars have favored the track. We do have a lot of miles there and the team has a lot of mileage, experience and data.
Dyson's Butch Leitzinger and Andy Wallace have recorded two podium finishes this year in the team's new Porsche RS Spyder.
"It really does go back to 1995 with IMSA and the World Sports Cars," he added. "The fans really opened up to Dyson Racing and we've been racing there pretty much ever since. That's not lost on them. It's a very knowledgeable group and some of the best we have."
Continuing the team's recent history will be a much stiffer chore this season. Dyson, as it has all season, will field two Porsche RS Spyders in LMP2 although Penske Motorsports has guided the prototype to overall wins in the last six American Le Mans Series rounds. Leitzinger and Wallace have two podium finishes to their credit at Long Beach and Salt Lake City.
Dyson and Wallace scored the team's first Mosport victory in 2003 in a Lola EX257-MG. The team beefed up the car for the move to P1 for 2004 and saw Weaver and Leitzinger score overall wins over the all-conquering Audi R8. In 2006, the team finished second and third in a pair of new Lola P1s. The first time the Dyson Porsches will hit the Mosport circuit will be Tuesday in a pre-event test.
"When you look at Lime Rock, which is comparable to Mosport in speed, it's a good indication of our competitiveness," said Dyson. And he's right. The team was fastest during a pre-event test, qualified second overall and was the fastest car in the warm-up session. "We're all confident. The second half has been the story for us. We haven't had the luck we wanted. The pace has been there and it's only a matter of time before we begin to show results.
In the last four years, Dyson Racing has taken two overall victories and three class wins at Mosport.
"Being a lighter car, I'd say the general feel of the car is closer to the 675," Dyson added. "But the aero regulations mean that the car is much more stable to drive in traffic, and there is a wider setup window. What Porsche has done is achieve is having a car that is exceptionally good on high speed corners but also has low-speed mechanical grip. It's fantastic."
As is the 2.459-mile, 10-turn circuit. A track that played host to Formula 1 and the Canadian Grand Prix from 1967-77, Mosport is famous for its high speeds and flowing corners.
"It's extremely high-speed and demands absolute concentration," Dyson said. "It's the only track I know of that every corner you have to drive through is the most important."
The next round of the American Le Mans Series is the Mobil 1 presents Grand Prix of Mosport from Mosport International Raceway in Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada. The race will start at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, August 26 and will be broadcast live on SPEED. American Le Mans Radio and IMSA's Live Timing and Scoring will be available at americanlemans.com.