POUGHKEEPSIE, NY, OCT. 6 — Thetford / Norcold Dyson Racing is pleased to announce that Didier de Radigues and Chad Block will be rejoining the team for the Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta.
The two drivers will be sharing the same #20 MG-Lola with Chris Dyson in which they took a class victory at the 12 Hours of Sebring in March.
De Radigues, the 2001 ALMS LMP675 champion and former motorcycling star, is delighted to return to the Dyson team`s stable. “I am very happy to be rejoining the Dyson team,” the Belgian said. “They are one of the best teams I have ever worked with, and the Lola is a fantastic car. When Chris asked me to come back, I had only one word.” De Radigues set pole and fastest lap at the Petit in the LMP675 division two years ago.
Chris Dyson heads the championship tables coming into the Petit Le Mans, the final race in the 2003 American Le Mans Series. In order to clinch the title, Dyson`s #20 car needs to complete at least seventy percent of the race distance, expected to be ten hours or 1000 miles.
Chad Block, the 25 year-old who helped Knighthawk Racing claim the 2002 series Team Championship at last year`s Petit, is fully aware of the team`s championship implications. In a steady drive at Sebring, Block proved that he knows that reliability and patience are key elements. “It is awesome once again to be driving with Chris and Didier in the Dyson Racing #20 car,” Block said. “With Chris leading the driver`s championship it is important we bring the car home in one piece, and I am flattered that the Dyson team feels Didier and myself can contribute to that effort. It will be a fun 10 hours and I am looking forward to it.”
Chris Dyson welcomes the return of his winning Sebring co-drivers. “These guys did such a fantastic job at Sebring that picking co-drivers for the Petit was a pretty easy decision,” Dyson said. “Both Didier and Chad are smooth, fast, and easy on the equipment. That is what you need in sportscar racing, and I am really looking foreward to the race.”
Action for the October 18 Petit Le Mans gets underway with testing on October 15.
