 MICHAEL MARSAL
Young and fast: already Michael Marsal has an enviable record of winning 38% of his class races with a 82% class podium record. He added to that record this year with his joining Dyson Racing in the American Le Mans Series top LMP1 class. He and Eric Lux raced the #20 Mazda-powered Dyson entry in six of the ten ALMS races this year. They won P1 in the Baltimore Grand Prix and Michael finished on the class podium four additional times, netting him fourth place in the 2012 American Le Mans Series P1 Drivers Championship.
Michael first showed his native speed behind the wheel of a formula car at Road America. He honed his craft in a 911 in Porsche Club of America competition and quickly rose to the top step of the podium, winning trophies from tracks around the country.
Continuing his forward momentum, Michael moved up the next step of the racing ladder to the Grand Am series. A one-off start on the streets of Trois-Rivieres in 2009 turned into a full-time ride with BMW stalwart Turner Motorsport in 2010. Michael drove in the top Grand Sport class with Joey Hand. The duo scored two wins and seven podium finishes, taking the championship battle to the very last lap of the season, ultimately finishing second in an outstanding rookie year.
He continued to hone his race craft last year in the competitive GS class in the BMW he again shared with Hand, showing well in the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona. Michael balances his racing career with studying for a degree in finance and is active with the Gladney Center for Adoption.
“Joining a team like Dyson Racing is an unbelievable opportunity for me," Michael said before the start of the season. "I’ve known Chris for a long time, and for him to bring Eric and me into this program is a huge vote of confidence. I know that stepping up to a prototype is going to be a new challenge, but it is one that I’m very excited about. I’ve tested the car, and the performance is just incredible. I think Eric and I are going to be great co-drivers and it promises to be a memorable year.”
“We have been very impressed with the rate of development that Michael has shown in testing with us over the last year, first in our Lola World Junior Car program at Monticello Motor Club and last December when he stepped into the LMP1 car at Sebring,” added Chris Dyson upon his signing. “He has really stepped up and is ready for the challenge of prototype racing. He has great natural ability and he brings an impressive record to the team. He will be a great addition to the sharp end of the ALMS grid.” As his win at Baltimore proved in short order.
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