MIAMI, FL, OCT. 3 -- International sportscar racing's stars and cars will make their first appearance in downtown Miami since 1993 this weekend, and James Weaver and Butch Leitzinger will be leading Dyson Racing's efforts in the American Le Mans Series' Grand Prix of the Americas. The Anglo-American pairing will be splitting time in the same #16 Thetford / Norcold / Goodyear MG-Lola EX257 they took to a second place finish in Laguna Seca, CA two weeks ago.

This weekend's race--a two-hour, forty-five minute affair-- marks the third time in the 2002 ALMS season that the series has been showcased on a temporary "street" course. In the early nineties, prototypes raced on nearly the same grounds where this weekend's race will be held, on the Miami waterfront and along Biscayne Blvd. Due to some changes in the city's infastructure, this weekend drivers will be faced with the challenge of learning and racing on a tight new 1.57-mile, 15-turn layout.

Weaver and Leitzinger are no strangers to Victory Lane in the Miami area, having scored a Rolex Series win together at nearby Homestead-Miami Speedway in 2001. Weaver himself scored an emotional victory for Dyson in the 1988 Miami Grand Prix, sharing a Porsche 962 with Price Cobb. The Englishman returns to downtown Miami this weekend as the only active past overall winner of the event.

Weaver is upbeat about this weekend's events. "I think the track's going to be quite narrow, and street courses generally have very little grip," he said. "We've made some big progress with the car in a month, and Goodyear's working hard on their end. It's going to take some time but I'm glad we're here to assess the car on a point-and-squirt layout."

"It was always a huge race, this one," Weaver added. "Great atmosphere, lots of buzz. It should be great."

The action gets underway on Friday, with practice and Qualifying. Saturday's race starts at 4 PM and will be televised live in its entirety on the Speed Channel.