Dyson eyes late start to 2014, with United SportsCar among options
The Dyson team is aiming to return US sportscar racing in the second half of 2014 after deciding against making a full-season entry for the inaugural United SportsCar Championship
Team boss Chris Dyson, whose team competed in the American Le Mans Series in all but one season of its 15-year history, has revealed that he is working on two potential programmes that could start in the second half of 2014.
"The plan is that we will be racing somewhere in the US next season and that our main programme would start in the second half of the year," he told AUTOSPORT.
"We are a working on a couple of different options. Nothing is finalised, but it all looks very encouraging."
Dyson confirmed that the potential deals involve sportscar racing, but said that "could mean the USC or potentially another category".
Asked if the options could be in GT racing rather than in the prototype divisions where the team has traditionally raced, Dyson replied: "Potentially, but I cannot say any more than that."
Dyson stressed that the nucleus of Dyson Racing, which has run Mazda-powered prototypes in the ALMS since 2009, is being retained even though the team will not be racing in the first half of next season.
WAITING FOR RULES TO PLAY OUT
The team opted not to enter the USC from the outset because of the uncertainty over the rules as series sanctioning body IMSA tries to balance Daytona Prototypes and LMP2 machinery.
"With so much confusion in prototypes at the moment, we preferred to step back and wait for it to get sorted," he explained.
Dyson said he believed there would be room for the team to join the series later in the year, despite the publication of a capacity entry list including reserves last week.
A switch away from the North American sportscar scene to the World Endurance Championship or the European Le Mans Series has been ruled out by Dyson.
"Anything Dyson will be doing will be in the US because that has historically been our backyard," he said.
Dyson explained that he could race in one of those series in 2014.
"I have two objectives: one is to make sure the race team is vibrant and the other is to make the most of the opportunities I have as a driver," he said.
Dyson took part in three WEC rounds with the Greaves Motorsport Zytek team in 2013.
DYSON'S MAJOR US SPORTSCAR TITLES
1997 IMSA Butch Leitzinger
1998 USRRC James Weaver
1998 IMSA Butch Leitzinger
1999 ALMS Elliott Forbes-Robinson
1999 USRRC Leitzinger/Forbes-Robinson
2000 Grand-Am James Weaver (pictured)
2001 Grand-Am James Weaver
2003 ALMS (LMP2) Chris Dyson
2011 ALMS Guy Smith/Dyson
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| Series | General |
| Author | Gary Watkins |
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