POUGHKEEPSIE, NY December 15, 2005 – – Dyson Racing kicks off their 2006 season in partnership with Howard Motorsports at the crown jewel of the Grand American Series, the Rolex 24 at Daytona on January 28, 2006. Joining Rob Dyson and Chris Dyson in the #16 Thetford/Norcold Pontiac Crawford Daytona Prototype will be Guy Smith, winner of the 2003 24 Hours of Le Mans and Oliver Gavin, winner of the 2005 American Le Mans GT 1 championship and his third GT 1 class victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans last June.
This year’s Daytona effort will be run by Howard Motorsports. No stranger to success, they won three Grand American Rolex Series races in 2005, and placed third in the championship. They were also second and third in last year’s 24 Hours of Daytona. This year’s Daytona 24 Hours is a continuation of the successful collaborative partnership formed last year when they ran Rob and Chris Dyson in five Grand Am races.
“All the components are in place for a seriously competitive effort,” confirmed Rob Dyson. “Rick Howard runs one of the most skilled teams in sports car racing, and Max Crawford builds a winning car that has what it takes to go the distance. Oliver Gavin is a seasoned, world class professional and we’ve worked with him in the past. Guy Smith was an integral part of our hard-fought efforts at Sebring and Petit Le Mans last season. Guy has a second and a fourth to his credit at Daytona and Oliver is coming off his best year yet in 2005.”
Completing this underpinning of experience is Chris Dyson’s six runs at the Daytona track, where he won twice in 2002. For Rob Dyson, 2006 marks his 19th Daytona 24 Hour event. The team principal has two wins in the twice-around-the-clock classic: 1997 as a driver and in 1999 as an entrant.
“The longer the race, the more important the team,” added Rob Dyson. “This is an assemblage of star players with a commitment and enthusiasm to win that is second to none. We can’t wait.”
The Rolex 24 at Daytona starts at noon on Saturday, January 28 and will be shown live in three parts on SPEED Channel starting at 12:00 PM EST.
