POUGHKEEPSIE, NY June 14, 2010 – Dyson driver Andy Meyrick had a most successful rookie introduction at this weekend’s 78th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Driving the AIM Team ORECA Matmut LMP1 car with Soheil Ayari and Didier Andre, Meyrick finished fourth overall after 3129 miles of twice around-the-clock racing. The team won the honor of being the first gasoline-powered car after the three dominant diesel-powered finishers.
“To finish top petrol is unbelievable,” enthused Meyrick. “I was lucky to be driving the car at the end of the race which is a huge honor. For team owner Hugues de Chaunac to give me the opportunity to bring the car home at my first Le Mans was fantastic.”
Meyrick proved to be a prescient prognosticator. Before the race he noted that “we know we can’t fight with the diesels, but if we do a good job, stay consistent and spend as much time as possible out of the pits, the rest will come. We need a trouble-free race and to keep repeating good laps times over-and-over. We would like to finish as the top petrol car and the top ten is the overall aim.” Meyrick has two Dyson Racing top-three finishes to his credit this year with Chris Dyson and Guy Smith – a third in LMP2 at the American Le Mans Series season-opening12 Hours of Sebring, and third in the newly combined prototype class at the six-hour enduro at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in May.
Fellow Dyson driver Guy Smith’s Le Mans did not run as trouble-free. The Rebellion Racing LMP1 entry was retired before the race’s halfway point after suffering crash damage while running eleventh. “I had recorded our car’s fastest lap and was looking forward to my second stint, readying myself for a four-hour session behind the wheel when unfortunately the car’s race came to an end. We had been hovering just outside the top-ten and were looking good for a top-three finish among the petrol-powered cars.” This was Smith’s seventh 24-hour race on the Circuit de la Sarthe. He won the race in 2003 and was second in 2004.
Chris Dyson offered his compliments. “Our congratulations to Andy on his successful debut at motorsport’s toughest endurance race. His stock continues to rise on both sides of the Atlantic and we are very happy for him. Also, we applaud our tire partner Dunlop for also winning the “petrol” class in LMP1. We look forward to having Guy back “home” in our Mazda Lola coupe at Salt Lake City, and having him take up where he left off at Mazda Raceway with his record-setting pole position and fastest race lap.”
The next race for the American Le Mans Series presented by Tequila Patrón is the Larry H. Miller Dealerships Utah Grand Prix. The two-hour forty-five minute race is set for 2:05 p.m. MT on Sunday, July 11 from Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah. SPEED will air the race same-day at 4 p.m. ET.
