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coolhand
12-07-05, 10:19 PM
Duncan enters LMP1 car in ALMS Duncan Dayton, who has a stellar reputation in formula car, vintage and endurance sports car racing, has always enjoyed driving famous race cars. He has countless victories in vintage racing with the 1978 John Player Special Lotus 79 that Mario Andretti drove enroute to the Formula 1 world championship in 1978. He has multiple all-out overall lap records in Jacques Villeneuve's Players Reynard 95i. He's a four-time winner of the Monaco Historic Grand Prix (1997, 2000, 2002 and 2004). He's also successfully driven endurance sports cars for various teams everywhere from Le Mans to Sebring to Watkins Glen to Daytona.

Now Dayton, of Danbury, Conn., has purchased another famous race car - Dyson Racing's Lola EX257 AER-powered No. 16 - and he plans to campaign it in the American Le Mans Series in 2006 in the top class, LMP1.

Dayton plans to compete in all 10 races on the ALMS calendar next year with the car, which will be entered by his team, Highcroft Racing. The car's new home base is Highcroft Racing's new, state-of-the-art, 48,000-square-foot shop in Danbury, Conn.

"Purchasing the Dyson car was an opportunity to jump-start the team with a proven package, and we're hoping to get a new P1 car for 2007," Dayton said of his plans going forward.

Dayton is actively looking for sponsorship for the season, and hopes to announce who his co-drivers will be soon. He did say that Rick Knoop will be one of his co-drivers at the ALMS season opener, the prestigious Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring at Sebring International Raceway in Sebring, Fla. March 15-18.

Like Dayton, Knoop, 52, of Laguna Beach, Calif., is a versatile driver who has been successful in many different types of race cars, and he's driven for several factory teams. He has consistently won and placed in some of the most challenging and prestigious races in the world. Among his career highlights are a Group 5 class victory at Le Mans in 1978; a class victory and third-place finish overall at the 24 Hour Pepsi Challenge (Rolex 24) at Daytona in 1983; and even NASCAR stock car experience.

"Duncan and I have been racing together in Historic Grand Prix events, which is how this relationship began," the second-generation racer said. "I just returned from visiting his new shop in Connecticut, and I'm excited about the program. This is a first-class operation from drivers to equipment and team. Combing our experience in sports car and endurance racing with the proven Dyson car should make us competitive throughout the season."

Dayton has been driving for Intersport Racing in the ALMS for the last few years. He and that team's owner, Jon Field, led the LMP675 point standings in the ALMS for most of the 2003 season but they ended up tied for second in the final class point standings. They were victorious in the LMP675 class at the Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta in both 2002 and 2003. Dayton was also part of the class-winning team at the Twelve Hours of Sebring in 2002 driving with Field and Michael Durand, which was the first international victory for the Lola EX257 MG.

In addition to its numerous victories in vintage races in the last 15 years, his own team, Highcroft Racing, was a powerhouse in the U.S. Formula Ford 2000 series in the nineties. It often fielded up to four cars in one FF2000 race.

Dayton also recently purchased Dyson Racing's No. 20, but he has since resold that Lola to Autocon Motorsports. That San Diego-based team plans to complete in the ALMS' LMP1 class next year too, with Michael Lewis, Chris McMurry and Bryan Willman behind the wheel.

The Lola EX257 (factory type B0160) won three times in the ALMS in 2004 and 2005 in the LMP1 class. It became the first car in the LMP675 class to ever take an overall victory in ALMS history, which occurred in 2003.

Pre-season testing will be held at Sebring Jan. 23-25.

extramundane
12-08-05, 12:12 AM
Nice to see Duncan back. He can peddle a car when necessary, and he's no stranger to the B01/60 chassis so he should do well. Here's hoping he brings his old buddy Andy Lally back with him.

FCYTravis
12-08-05, 12:13 AM
Yep, another rich gentleman racer buying a car.

Wait, I thought that was bad, because gentlemen ridebuyers belong in P2. Or is that only if it was in Grand-Am? :confused:

All kidding aside, it's nice to see him back - and it'll be nice to see both of the old Dyson cars doing what they're designed to do. The AER turbo scream lives :cool:

extramundane
12-08-05, 12:18 AM
Yep, another rich gentleman racer buying a car.

Wait, I thought that was bad, because gentlemen ridebuyers belong in P2. Or is that only if it was in Grand-Am? :confused:


It's good if the rich gentleman racer can actually race. It's bad if the rich gentleman racer is Tracy Krohn.

theunions
12-08-05, 12:34 AM
What has Knoop been doing for the last decade and a half (other than racing historic cars with Duncan)?

coolhand
12-08-05, 01:45 AM
It's good if the rich gentleman racer can actually race. It's bad if the rich gentleman racer is Tracy Krohn.

or Milka Duno

Lizzerd
12-08-05, 01:57 AM
He has multiple all-out overall lap records in Jacques Villeneuve's Players Reynard 95i.

That car is is in the IMS museum. The i500 winner is, anyway. Must be a different chassis.

FCYTravis
12-08-05, 02:19 AM
It's bad if the rich gentleman racer is Tracy Krohn.
Tracy Krohn is a Grand-Am race winner, and not a one-lap "winner" like Milka. Tracy might not be a James Weaver, but he can hold his own. ;)

extramundane
12-08-05, 11:31 AM
Tracy might not be a James Weaver

I nominate this for Understatement of the Decade.

At least he can afford to pay for the damage he causes. :D

extramundane
12-08-05, 11:33 AM
BTW, I love the "Dayton is actively looking for sponsorship for the season" line. Wonder if the car will be red & white?

Steve99
12-08-05, 03:24 PM
Wait, I thought that was bad, because gentlemen ridebuyers belong in P2. Or is that only if it was in Grand-Am? :confused:

If the P2 cars were eligible in GrandAm, it might actually make things interesting there. Of course the DPs wouldn't like getting lapped so often.

Sean O'Gorman
12-08-05, 03:29 PM
So four or five cars that wont even finish on the same lap as each other (assuming they finish at all) is somehow more interesting than your typical close Grand-Am race?

FCYTravis
12-08-05, 04:08 PM
If the P2 cars were eligible in GrandAm, it might actually make things interesting there. Of course the DPs wouldn't like getting lapped so often.
Until the P2 cars all broke. It's called endurance racing for a reason... and just about every P2 other than the Porsche doesn't seem to be able to make it two hours, much less 24.

There was not a single P2 race this year that was decided by less than two laps. In at least one event, only 1 P2 made it to the checkers at all - and at Mid-Ohio, the winner won while sitting in a gravel trap off-course.

I guess it would "make things interesting" to have a bunch of broken P2s littering the course while the fans got to watch a wheel-to-wheel duel between DPs for the overall victory. :)

extramundane
12-08-05, 05:01 PM
I guess it would "make things interesting" to have a bunch of broken P2s littering the course while the fans got to watch a wheel-to-wheel duel between DPs for the overall victory. :)

That's assuming the P2s hadn't put so many laps on the DPs that they'd still win after dropping out. ;)

FCYTravis
12-08-05, 05:03 PM
Touche ;)

trauma1
12-09-05, 09:34 AM
does anyone know which team will use the new cossie twin turbo???

extramundane
12-09-05, 11:52 AM
does anyone know which team will use the new cossie twin turbo???

So far, nobody has opted for it. If a Riley LMP ever sees the light of day, one will likely be in it, but apparently Riley's being very finicky over potential customers.

I don't think there are any LMS takers yet either.