USRRC: Dyson and Doran Teams Revive Lime Rock Rivalry at Dodge Dealers Grand Prix
27 May 1999
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -For the sixth-straight year, Dyson and Doran Racing will go head-to-head at scenic Lime Rock Park on Memorial Day, battling for sports car racing supremacy at the Dodge Dealers Grand Prix USRRC Can-Am and GT race.The Dodge Dealers Grand Prix features a two-hour, 15-minute combined Can-Am and GT Championship race, Round Two of the 1999 season that began with the January 31 Rolex 24 At Daytona-the crown jewel in North American Sports Car Racing. The Memorial Day classic will be broadcast live, flag-to-flag on the Speedvision Network, beginning Monday, May 31 at 2:30 p.m. (EDT).
For the sixth-straight year, the Can-Am battle shapes up to be a classic contest between the Doran Ferrari and Dyson Riley & Scott Racing Teams. Rob Dyson's Poughkeepsie, N.Y.-based team finally cracked Ferrari armor last year to take the home-track win with State College, Pa.'s Butch Leitzinger and James Weaver. Dyson Racing has two Goodyear/Bosch/Hella Riley & Scott Fords entered, with Weaver and Andy Wallace, both of England, in the No. 16 entry and Leitzinger and Elliott Forbes-Robinson, of Sherrils Ford, N.C., in the No. 20 entry.
Doran Racing looks to regain Ferrari 333 SP supremacy with two entries-the No. 27 Lista/Michelin/MOMO car of Swiss driver Fredy Lienhard and Belgian Didier Theys and the No. 36 Michelin/MOMO entry of Jim Matthews, of Warsaw, S.C., and Italian Mauro Baldi, who comes off a sensational Ferrari win at Spa-Francorchamps in the International Sports Racing Series, May 16. Other top competitors looking to break into victory circle in the Can-Am class are the No. 8 Support Net Riley & Scott of Henry Camferdam and Scott Schubot, the No. 28 Banana Joe's Lola Ford of Jon Field and Nick Johnson and the No.. 63 NEC Mazda Kudzu of Jim Downing.
In the GT classes, the Prototype Technology Group will be in full force, with three Yokohama/Flextronics/Level One BMW M3s trying to regain the marque's control of the GT3 class. With Porsche taking the last two races in GT3 (Watkins Glen, 1998, and Daytona, 1999), look for the No. 6 entry of Peter Cunningham and Mark Simo, the No. 7 entry of Brian Cunningham and Johannes van Overbeek and the No. 10 car of Boris Said and Hans Stuck to show the way. The PTG team won both the GT2 and GT3 classes at Lime Rock in 1998.
GT3 Drivers' Championship point leader Cort Wagner returns, but not with the team which carried him to victory at the Rolex 24. Wagner, of Los Angeles, Calif., will share the No. 90 Warren Fastenings/EPE/Yokohama Porsche 911 RSR with New York's David Friedman. Look for the PTG's other major challenges to come from the Shane Lewis/Bob Mazzuoccola No. 51 Aspen Knolls BMW M3, the No. 86 The Jennifer Fund Porsche 911 of Danny and Steve Marshall and the No. 01 Highway Driver Leasing/Boston/Altman/Owen Porsche 911 of John Drew and Mark Greenberg.
In GT2, Loic Depailler, son of the late Formula One star Patrick Depailler, makes his debut with Canadian Stephane Roy in the No. 30 Mosler Automotive Mosler Raptor. Look for a good battle between the limited production Mosler and the No. 83 Porsche 911 GT2 of Zac Brown and Dr. Stephen Earle.
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