NA-F2000: Dyer set Road America record

Grafton, WI (July 12, 2000) - Tom Dyer, of San Rafael, California, took the pole in the USF2000 American Continental Class (ACC) at Road America by qualifying 7th overall. On a rain-slicked track, in a 1999 Carbir DS3 FF2000, he earned the highest ACC start in Series history. Dyer is driving for the Carbir Motorsports team. Carbir is the only American chassis manufacturer competing in the hotly contested USF2000 Series.

Facing a crowded field of 44 competitors (20 in the ACC class for older cars) at a track he had never seen, Dyer qualified 15th overall, 2nd in class, for the first race. Vowing to do better, he turned in a qualifying lap for Race 2 that missed the top five by only .27 second, good for the ACC pole and 7th overall.

Starting 7th on the grid, Dyer raced as high as 4th overall for most of Race 2 until a late race spin in treacherous conditions dropped him back to 13th at the checkered flag. On his way to fourth, he outpaced many series regulars, including the current overall point leaders. After the race Tom said, "I could smell a podium finish [overall] and saw I was gaining on 3rd place, so I had to take a run at it." The rain and slippery track said otherwise, and a spin with 3 laps to go dropped him back. He recovered after knocking the rear wing askew on the guardrail and fought his way back to finish 3rd in ACC, stretching his point lead to 25 points in the ACC Championship.

In Race 1, run Saturday evening due to heavy rain and thunderstorms all afternoon, Dyer was hit from behind in a multi-car crash on the first lap. Despite being launched into the air, Dyer's Carbir was the only one of four cars strong enough to survive the melee, the others suffering severe suspension damage. With his right rear tire deflated and his rear wing bent at a 45 degree slant, he limped back to the pits for a tire change and rejoined the pack in last place during a full course caution. He persevered and carved his way back to finish 4th in ACC class, 19th overall.

Earlier this year at Mosport, Dyer established himself as a newcomer to watch by taking the pole and winning the ACC class in both races. His Cycle Shack/Paladin Associates Carbir also led the most laps in both races, capturing maximum points for the first weekend of competition in the 2000 ACC Series Championship.

Dyer comes to the USF2000 Series after winning 5 NORCAL Karting Championships and an IKF National Championship. In 1999, his first year in auto racing competition, he drove a Formula Mazda to the SCCA Northern Pacific Division Championship. Although competing on a very limited budget in 2000, Tom is proud to represent Carbir, the only American chassis manufacturer in USF2000 competition.