Sebring: Dyson Racing qualifying report

Airport Security Fast Lane

SEBRING, FL March 19, 2009 -- In the first qualifying session of the season with their new LMP2 Mazda Lola Coupes, Dyson Racing qualified second and third in class for Saturday's 57th running of the 12 Hours of Sebring. Running on the remnants of the WWII Hendricks Field, Chris Dyson qualified the #16 BP sponsored car second in class, followed by Butch Leitzinger in #20 sister entry.

Andy Lally will join Dyson and Guy Smith for the iconic race on the 3.7 mile central Florida course and Ben Devlin partners Leitzinger and Marino Franchitti. Leitzinger Franchitti and Lally were second overall last year and Dyson and Smith led the race four times and finished third in class on the oldest and toughest road course in America. Leitzinger is celebrating his 20th year at Sebring and Dyson Racing first raced here twenty-two years ago. This is the team's sixteenth Sebring 12 Hour.

"We are pleased to give Mazda their strongest LMP2 Sebring qualifying effort," Dyson said. "Their engagement in motorsports is second to none. We were at MAZDASPEED a couple of weeks ago, and most every Mazda executive there had their own race cars. Competition on the race track defines their company."

-credit: dr