SEBRING, FL January 30, 2008 – The 2008 American Le Mans season officially kicked off at historic Sebring International Raceway with their January 28 – 30 three-day Winter Test. It was a three – two – one occasion for Dyson Racing. For the first time in three years, the Thetford/Norcold team will be starting the season with the cars they ran the prior year. For the second year in a row, it was announced that Andy Lally will be joining the driver line-up for the 2008 Twelve Hours of Sebring on March 15; and new Dyson driver, Marino Franchitti, had his premier outing with the team.
“It will be a big plus starting this year with equipment continuity,” said Rob Dyson. “Last year was like a Porsche reunion tour getting back together with so many people I had dealt with years ago. It has been rewarding making new friends at Porsche. Racing is a people business that relies on good competent people who step up and assist their competitors.”
“Marino is known for his concentration in a race car and this test confirmed his singular focus on getting the most out of the car,” observed Chris Dyson. “We came here to try out some new ideas. We weren’t going for outright speed, though we ended up posting times equivalent to last year’s class pole. We had the car on a seven post shaker rig a couple weeks ago and that information translated directly to progress on the track. We will run Marino in the #20 LMP2 Porsche RS Spyder with Butch Leitzinger and Andy Lally while Guy Smith and I will handle the duties in the #16 sister entry for the 12 Hours of Sebring.”
Noted Franchitti, “It was a very exciting three days. It has been a baptism of fire. Everyone has been very welcoming. The whole Dyson crew, the Porsche personnel and my teammates have been as helpful as they could be.”
The 12 Hours of Sebring is the most punishing of the three major endurance races. Over 3,000 drivers and 3,360 cars have started the 12 Hours of Sebring, covering over 2.3 million miles since its first running in 1952. Andy Lally, on his return to Dyson Racing, said, “This is an incredibly organized team. It is a wonderful group that is not lacking in any one area at all. They are strong everywhere which is what you need to be to be a successful endurance racing team. There is no weak link in the chain here.”
The 2008 ALMS season opens with the 56th Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring on March 15. The race will start at 10 a.m. ET and will be broadcast live by SPEED, which will begin its coverage at 9:30 AM ET. American Le Mans Radio and IMSA’s Live Timing & Scoring will be available at americanlemans.com.
