AT A GLANCE
A Winning Pedigree
Rob Dyson started racing in 1974 with a Datsun 510. Forty-one years in racing.
- Highlights
• Celebrating Thirty-eight Years in Professional Sports Car Racing
• The Premier Sports Car Team in North America
• Nineteen Championships
• Seventy-two Victories
• Seventy-two Poles
• Two Hundred Twenty-four Podiums
• Rob Dyson started racing in 1974 with a Datsun 510. Forty-one years in racing.
• Ran a Firebird GTO in IMSA in 1983. Thirty-eight years in professional sports cars.
• 2014 – Bentley is second in manufacturer’s fastest race laps and third in manufacturer’s poles
• 2014 – Guy Smith won at Miller Motorsports Park and was tied for first in driver’s fastest race laps
- Facts and Figures
• While only running the last part part of the 2014 Pirelli World Challenge season, Bentley was second in manufacturer’s fast laps, and third in manufacturer’s poles. Guy Smith was tied for first in driver’s fastest race laps and Butch Leitzinger took home two podiums. Guy Smith gave Bentley their first win in North America at the penultimate race at Miller Motorsports Park on September 12. He won the race from pole and set fastest race lap.
• 2015 marks Dyson Racing forty-first year in racing. On April 16, 2014, it was announced at the New York Auto Show that Dyson Racing would race a pair of Bentley Continental GT3s in the second half of the 2014 Pirelli World Challenge in preparation for a full season of competition in 2015. The team raced at the Pirelli World Challenge double-header weekends at Road America on June 20-21, Toronto, ONT July 19-20, Mid-Ohio August 2-3, Sonoma August 23-24 and Salt Lake City September 12-13. Butch Leitzinger drove the #08 Bentley Continental GT3 in all five race weekends and Guy Smith joined in the #88 car for the Sonoma and Salt Lake City race weekends.
• In 2013, Dyson Racing drivers Tony Burgess and Chris McMurry finished third in the American Le Mans Series P1 Drivers Championship. Dyson drivers occupied the next two championship positions with Chris Dyson fourth and Guy Smith fifth . The team took second in the Team Championship, and Mazda took home second place in the Engine Manufactures Championship. Guy Smith added to his pole tally with his first place starting position at VIR.
• In 2013, Tony Burgess and Chris McMurry drove the #16 Lola Mazda in four American Le Mans Series races: at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Road America, the Circuit of the Americas and the season-ending Petit Le Mans powered by Mazda.
• Johnny Mowlem returned to the #16 Dyson entry for one race in 2013, driving with Guy Smith at Virginia International Raceway.
• In 2012, Dyson Racing bookended their season with first place ALMS P1 points at the 12 Hours of Sebring and the 1,000-mile Petit Le Mans Powered by Mazda, with Chris Dyson and Guy Smith taking home the honors in their #16 Mazda-powered ModSpace/Thetford entry. The team was one-two in P1 at Baltimore, Michael Marsal and Eric Lux winning in their sixth race with the team. The team won at Road America with Guy Smith setting a record for the closest ever overall finish in ALMS history with his 0.083 margin of victory over Lucas Luhr. Guy also set a track record with his pole at Lime Rock, the team’s home track. Chris Dyson celebrated his 100th ALMS start at Baltimore and the team won their 200th podium at Mid-Ohio in August. The team had a total of seventeen P1 podiums in 2012.
• In 2012, Dyson Racing bookended their season with first place ALMS P1 points at the 12 Hours of Sebring and the 1,000-mile Petit Le Mans Powered by Mazda, with Chris Dyson and Guy Smith taking home the honors in their #16 Mazda-powered ModSpace/Thetford entry. The team was one-two in P1 at Baltimore, Michael Marsal and Eric Lux winning in their sixth race with the team. The team won at Road America with Guy Smith setting a record for the closest ever overall finish in ALMS history with his 0.083 margin of victory over Lucas Luhr. Guy also set a track record with his pole at Lime Rock, the team’s home track. Chris Dyson celebrated his 100th ALMS start at Baltimore and the team won their 200th podium at Mid-Ohio in August. The team had a total of seventeen P1 podiums in 2012.
Rob Dyson started racing in 1974 with a Datsun 510. Forty-one years in racing.
• In 2011, Dyson Racing won the ALMS LMP1 Drivers and Team Championships with one race to go at the ModSpace Monterey race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on September 17th. Chris Dyson and Guy Smith won the season’s driver’s title. With a partial season under their belts, Humaid Al Masaood and Steven Kane finished fifth in the driver’s championship. In addition, at Mazda Raceway, Mazda won the Engine Manufacturer title and Dunlop the Tire Championship. At the season-ending Petit Le Mans, the team wrapped up the Michelin Green X Challenge championship for the year. Chris and Guy started and finished the 2011 season with first in ALMS points in the joint ALMS/ILMC 12 Hours of Sebring and Petit Le Mans. They never finished lower than second in the remaining seven races and won the title by sixty-two points.
• In 2011, the #16 ModSpace Construct Corps Mazda won at Lime Rock, the team’s home track, from pole, and the #20 Oryx Dyson Racing entry won the inaugural Baltimore Grand Prix with Humaid Al Masaood and Steven Kane. The team won five poles and three of those were one-two starts for the team. There were four fastest laps and thirteen podiums added to the record books.
• In 2010, the team took the overall win at Mid-Ohio in August. It was the first overall win for Mazda, Guy Smith, biofuel isobutanol, Dunlop and Castrol in the ALMS. Smith took pole at Mazda Raceway in May and backed it up with the LMP pole at Petit Le Mans in October. Chris Dyson set fastest race lap at Mid-Ohio and Smith took the honors at Mazda Raceway. The team finished on the podium three more times during the season.
• In 2009, the team won the LMP2 class at Lime Rock in July and also won LMP2 at Petit Le Mans in October at Road Atlanta. The win from pole was the first class win for Mazda at the Petit Le Mans, making them the first Japanese manufacturer to have won both the 24 Hours of Le Mans and a class win at the Petit Le Mans. The team won three class poles in a row: Road America, Mosport (a team one-two qualifying), and Petit Le Mans. In addition, the team had three class fast laps to its credit in 2009: St. Petersburg, Lime Rock and Mosport.
• In a sport known for high turn-over, Dyson Racing has a tradition of longevity: John Pultz, chief mechanic – 34 years; Lou Murasso, mechanic – 29 years; Matt Charland, composites – 27 years; and Michael White, team manager – 20 years.
• Out of one hundred and eight ALMS Starts, Chris Dyson has eighty-six top-five finishes.
• 2014 marked Guy Smith’s tenth year with Dyson Racing. In ninety-one races starts, he has sixty-seven top fives.
• Chris Dyson was elected to the Road Racing Drivers Club in 2010. Other 2010 invitees included Gil de Ferran, Scott Dixon, Tony Kanaan and Jimmy Vasser.
- Awards and Trophies
11th – Pirelli World Challenge GT, Butch Letizinger
(partial season: five race weekends)
20th – Pirelli World Challenge GT, Guy Smith
(partial season: two race weekends)
3rd – American Le Mans Series P1, Tony Burgess
3rd – American Le Mans Series P1, Chris McMurry
4th – American Le Mans Series P1, Chris Dyson
5th – American Le Mans Series P1, Guy Smith
9th – American Le Mans Series P1, Johnny Mowlem
2nd – American Le Mans Series P1, Chris Dyson
2nd – American Le Mans Series P1, Guy Smith
3rd – American Le Mans Series P1, Eric Lux
4th – American Le Mans Series P1, Michael Marsal
5th – American Le Mans Series P1, Steven Kane
6th – American Le Mans Series P1, Tony Burgess
7th – American Le Mans Series P1, Johnny Mowlem
9th – American Le Mans Series P1, Mark Patterson
9th – American Le Mans Series P1, Chris McMurry
1st – American Le Mans Series LMP1, Chris Dyson
1st – American Le Mans Series LMP1, Guy Smith
5th – American Le Mans Series LMP1, Humaid Al Masaood
5th – American Le Mans Series LMP1, Steven Kane
4th – American Le Mans Series LMP, Chris Dyson
6th – American Le Mans Series LMP, Guy Smith
2nd – American Le Mans Series LMP2, Marino Franchitti, Butch Leitzinger
4th – American Le Mans Series LMP2, Chris Dyson, Guy Smith
5th – American Le Mans Series LMP2, Marino Franchitti, Butch Leitzinger
6th – American Le Mans Series LMP2, Chris Dyson, Guy Smith
3rd – American Le Mans Series LMP2, Butch Leitzinger, Andy Wallace
4th – American Le Mans Series LMP2, Chris Dyson, Guy Smith
2nd – American Le Mans Series LMP1, James Weaver
3th – American Le Mans Series LMP1, Butch Leitzinger
5th – American Le Mans Series LMP1, Chris Dyson
6th – American Le Mans Series LMP1, Guy Smith
2nd – American Le Mans Series LMP1, Chris Dyson
4th – American Le Mans Series LMP1, Andy Wallace
5th – American Le Mans Series LMP1, James Weaver, Butch Leitzinger
2nd – American Le Mans Series LMP1, James Weaver, Butch Leitzinger
3rd – American Le Mans Series LMP1, Andy Wallace
4th – American Le Mans Series LMP1, Chris Dyson
1st – American Le Mans Series LMP2, Chris Dyson
2nd – Grand American Road Racing Association, Chris Dyson
3rd – Grand American Road Racing Association, James Weaver
1st – Grand American Road Racing Association, James Weaver
2nd – Grand American Road Racing Association, Butch Leitzinger
1st – Grand American Road Racing Association, James Weaver
1st – American Le Mans Series Prototype, Elliott Forbes-Robinson
1st – Can Am Championship, Elliott Forbes Robinson, Butch Leitzinger
1st – World Sports Car Championship, Butch Leitzinger
1st – Can Am Championship, James Weaver
2nd – Can Am, Butch Leitzinger
3rd – Can Am, Elliot Forbes-Robinson
4th – Can Am, Dorsey Schroeder
1st – World Sports Car Championship, Butch Leitzinger
2nd – World Sports Car Championship, Elliot Forbes-Robinson
3rd – World Sports Car Championship, James Weaver
3rd – World Sports Car Championship, Butch Leitzinger
2nd – World Sports Car Championship, James Weaver
4th – IMSA Camel GTP, James Weaver
3rd – IMSA Camel GTP, Price Cobb
2nd – IMSA Camel GTP, Price Cobb
2nd – IMSA Camel GTP, Price Cobb
6th – IMSA Camel GTP, Rob Dyson (Most Improved Driver)
- Team Championships
2011:
1st – American Le Mans Series LMP1
2011:
1st – American Le Mans Series Michelin Green X Challenge
2002:
1st – Grand American Road Racing Association
2001:
1st – Grand American Road Racing Association
2000:
1st – Grand American Road Racing Association
1999:
1st – United States Road Racing Championship, Can Am
1998:
1st – United States Road Racing Championship Can Am
1997:
1st – SPORTSCAR World Sports Car Championship
1988:
Winner Porsche Meister Cup, IMSA GTP (Porsche 962)
1987:
Winner Porsche Meister Cup, IMSA GTP (Porsche 962)
- Manufacturers' Championships
2011:
Mazda, American Le Mans Series
2011:
Dunlop Tires, American Le Mans Series LMP1
2001:
Ford, Grand American Road Racing Association
1998:
Ford, USRRC Can Am Championship
1997:
Ford, World Sports Car Championship
1997:
Porsche Cup (IMSA GTP):
1988:
1st – Price Cobb
1987:
1st – Price Cobb
1986:
1st – Price Cobb
1985:
1st – Drake Olson