Dyson Racing will start the inaugural American Le Mans Series Baltimore Grand Prix from the front row after securing a perfect one-two result in qualifying, their second of the season.
Guy Smith lead the way in the #16 G-OIL ModSpace/Construct Corp Lola Mazda that he shares with Chris Dyson to take his third pole position after dominating the two practice sessions. Steven Kane in the sister #20 Oryx Dyson Racing entry secured second place in the car he shares with Humaid Al Masaood.
“Baltimore has done a great job with the circuit,” said Smith. “It is demanding and bumpy but that is what street courses are all about. If they were the same as everywhere else they would not be special. I now have this fast young teammate who is always pushing me. It was a good battle with Steven and I am looking forward to tomorrow.”
“My last street race was in Monaco six years ago,” said Kane. “It is great to back on city streets. There is great atmosphere here and the track is a challenge with a variety of slow corners and surfaces. Some parts are new tarmac and are very nice and clean and suit the car, and than you have the parts like the front straight and the back section that are very bumpy and a challenge for the engineers and for us driving and learning the track.”
Steven Kane and Guy Smith celebrate their one-two qualifying result
Peter Weston, Technical Director, has lead the team in their preparation for the new street circuit. “Our job is to produce the best possible car for each individual circuit you go to,” said Weston. “New street tracks are a huge leveler for drivers and engineers alike. The goal is to give the drivers the most drivable package you can so they can just stay out and spend their time learning the track. That is the key. You do not want to bring the driver into the pit to make changes during valuable practice time. So you concentrate on arriving at the track with a car that has the proper gearing, ride height that suits the track, and a car that absorbs the bumps so a driver can put the power down smoothly.”
“A new track like this shows what teams and drivers are made of,” said Rob Dyson. “I cannot be more proud of how hard our guys work. There is a lot of racing still to be run tomorrow, but a win would be very fitting on Labor Day weekend.”
