Mid-Ohio

Lexington, OH August 6, 2010 – “It was nice to get Mazda back on the front row,” said Chris Dyson after qualifying the #16 Castrol Mazda Lola second for tomorrow’s Mid-Ohio Sports Car Challenge race, the sixth round of the American Le Mans Series. “We are on a mission this weekend to get a good result for all of our partners. Historically, Dyson Racing has done well here with our Lolas. It is a track that plays to the cars strengths with its mix of medium and high-speed corners. I think we have an excellent shot tomorrow. The Dunlop tires are working well here.”

It was an all-Lola front row at this iconic road-racing track with the red roofs nestled among the corn and soybeans of Mid-Ohio. “There is never a break at this track,” Dyson said. “It is fast and relentless with an amazing flow to it. It is really technical and I would say it is the most physical track we race at.”

Talking about how they arrived at a quick set-up for this exacting track, Guy Smith, co-driver of the #16 entry, said “we started with a car that was a bit softer than our Mazda Raceway setup. We wanted to make the car a bit more mobile. But the car was rolling around a little too much, so we went back to what we ran at Laguna. We have come back to that as our base set up – we know it is fast, and by coming full circle, we know we are doing the right thing and making good progress.”

Mazda won its first ALMS prototype race here in 2005, the same year Dyson Racing came home one – two in their Thetford/Norcold Lolas. “That was my favorite race here,” noted Dyson. “It was a wild race and we were running first and second for most of it. Dad ended up with a bottle of champagne emptied over his head, so any day that ends like that is a good one!”

Chris Dyson was elected to the Road Racing Drivers Club this week. Other 2010 invitees included Gil de Ferran, Scott Dixon, Tony Kanaan and Jimmy Vasser. “It was a complete surprise,” Dyson said. “To be recognized by your peers and to be part of such a distinguished group is an honor.”

Tomorrow’s race starts at 3:00 PM ET. It will be broadcast at 12:30 PM ET on Sunday, August 15 on CBS Sports. The race will also be streamed live online on americanlemans.com. Live radio coverage will be on ALMS Radio and Sirius Channel 127 and XM Channel 242.