MIAMI, FL, SEPT. 27 — Thetford / Norcold Dyson Racing teammates Andy Wallace and Chris Dyson took their #20 MG-Lola EX257 to its fourth American Le Mans Series win today in downtown Miami. The sister #16 car of James Weaver and Butch Leitzinger finished second, completing a team sweep of the LMP675 division.
In a race that was never lacking for drama, the Goodyear-shod Dyson cars focused on winning their class and furthering Chris Dyson`s run for the series championship. Leitzinger and Wallace started third and fourth overall, respectively, and held station until the second caution of the race. Weaver and Dyson took over for their teammates and Weaver ran as high as fourth overall before his prototype fell victim to drivetrain woes in the last few moments of the event. He was able to return to action and secure the runner-up position in the end.
For Andy Wallace and Chris Dyson, the class win represented another strong result. Sixth overall in the final results, the Anglo-American duo drove a conservative but flawless race around a tight 1.1 mile temporary street course whose walls seemed to invite contact for many others.
“I really liked this track. As lively as it is, you have to really be on your toes at all times, and there is absolutely no room for error,” Wallace said afterwards.
“This was a great result for the team,” Chris Dyson continued. “We made some big gains in the championship today and most importantly we achieved the result without hitting anything, really. We all figured this would be a battle of survival and that is exactly how it played out.”
James Weaver was philosophical about his #16 car`s result. “We could not really match the Audis today,” he said. “But the setup was decent in the race and we have learned a lot about tires and setup for low-grip circuits like this one. I think the team`s result was really the story today and it is our goal to win championships. Now we are all really looking forward to the Petit Le Mans in a few weeks.”
The nine-race American Le Mans Series championship concludes at the Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta on October 18.
