Dyson again eyes IndyCar
As Dyson Racing's Sporting Director and co-driver of the No. 16 Lola-Mazda entry, Dyson keeps himself plenty busy with his Poughkeepsie, N.Y.-based American Le Mans Series team. But with Dyson's experience in the Toyota Atlantic series and Dyson Racing's brief spell as a CART entrant in 1989, he told SPEED.com a possible return to Indy car racing, even on a limited basis, is a growing interest.
“From my standpoint, I’ve always loved Indy cars," he said. “When I look at what they do in IndyCar with the 17-race schedule and intense competition, I’d love to be involved on a personal level as a driver. They have a ways to go, but they are making some interesting decisions on what the fans want to see. For me, I’m excited to see the horsepower is coming back for 2012!"
"The ALMS is where our heart and soul is and where our focus will remain, but I’m excited to see Indy car racing going back towards embracing diversity, multiple engine manufacturers and trying to bring the excitement back to what it was when I was growing up," he said.
At 33 years old, Dyson, who is close to adding the 2011 ALMS LMP1 crown to his 2003 LMP 675 title, is confident he could adapt to the demands of IndyCar racing.
"You don’t have to be 15 years old to go Indy car racing," he explained. "There was a time when all of the best guys on the grid were in their mid-30s, and those were the veterans. I say that because for me, it means there’s no ceiling for driving an Indy car. I think the more experience you can bring into the series as a driver, the better you’ll do. Certainly on road courses, there’s a lot of comparables between a modern prototype and an Indy car.
"And I think the [IndyCar] paddock needs more Americans. I’d like to think I can bring a little spice and charisma to the table from a personal standpoint, but I think it’s imprudent for anyone to think they could come in and take on all comers right away."
If the Dyson name is seen in the IZOD IndyCar Series, and despite his reticence, it would likely happen at the Indianapolis 500.
"I have mixed feelings about ovals. On one hand, I grew up racing karts on ovals and I’ve always had an abiding love for the Indy 500. I’ve always been drawn to racing at Indy, and [Dyson Racing] has been looking at it for some time. I think you’d want to hook up with a proven organization who knows the equipment. You don’t want to reinvent the wheel. Our focus in sports cars, but we have our eye on the IndyCar Series." SPEEDTV.com
09/23/06 Also seen at Road America this weekend was Chris Dyson and from what we hear, after talking to some other teams and Champ Car, Dyson Racing is eyeing a possible Champ Car effort in 2007. Recall that Chris tried his hand at driving in Atlantics last year but returned to sportscars.