Dyson Racing Team Bentley To Race Second Continental Gt3 In Pirelli World Challenge

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Category: Luxury Auto, Yachts, Jets

Published on Friday, 29 August 2014 05:07

Written by Bentley Motors

(Poughkeepsie, NY / Herndon, VA)  Dyson Racing Team Bentley announces a second Continental GT3 will enter the Pirelli World Challenge beginning with this weekend’s Round 13 and 14 races. Bentley Boy Guy Smith will pilot the number 88 car in a double header race weekend at Sonoma Raceway on Saturday, August 23 and Sunday, August 24.

Guy Smith
Guy Smith joins Dyson Racing Team Bentley concurrently with his performance in the European Blancpain Endurance Series as a member of the M-Sport Bentley race team. Butch Leitzinger will continue to pilot car number 08 through the season.

A Bentley Boy since 2001, Guy took the checkered flag at the 2003 24 Hours of Le Mans in the Bentley Speed 8. Following other successful racing competitions with Team Bentley, Guy joined Dyson Racing in the U.S. in 2005 and continued his winning career. That partnership led to further successful finishes – Guy and Dyson claimed the American Le Mans Series title in 2011 – followed by a close second in the 2012 championship.

With two wins this season as a member of the M-Sport Bentley team, Smith joins the American team with great insight into the Continental GT3’s prowess in endurance races. The sprint pace of the Pirelli World Challenge will provide a new experience that Smith is prepared for. “I’ve done extensive testing with the car in addition to my time behind the wheel during the endurance races. Bentley and the team have done a fantastic job. The Continental GT3 is a good, reliable, quick and easy-to-drive race car. I’m eager to join Butch and the team in Sonoma this weekend. The competition in the class is extremely strong and I’m looking forward to entering a second Bentley to compete in the circuit.”

Dyson Racing Team Bentley
Following a strong debut at Road America in Round 7 of this season’s Pirelli World Challenge, the team is focused on a strong finish in Sonoma. After a weather stop in Round 11 and an eighth-place finish in Round 12 at Mid-Ohio last month, the team will use knowledge gained over the course of the season to compete at Sonoma.

Chris Dyson, Vice President and Sporting Director for the team, comments: “The Continental GT3 has shown its strength on the track. This season has not been without challenges, but we have gained important knowledge about the car during each race. The differences from track to track have allowed us to make advancements in each of the following rounds. Butch’s lap times have continued to show progress and the team has worked extremely hard to meet the demands of the sprint race series. We’re excited about this weekend’s competition.”

Continental GT3 – A Proven Racer
Also competing this season in the Blancpain Endurance series, the GT3 has two first-place finishes to its credit. Its initial victory was scored at Silverstone in May followed by a second victory at Paul Ricard in June. In its most recent European competition, the GT3 proved itself as a 24-hour racer completing the Total 24 Hours of Spa race, with both entered cars fielding finishes in the top 20.

Bentley’s Director of Motorsport Brian Gush comments: “We’ve worked extremely hard this season. Both series present different challenges and the Continental GT3 has proven itself adept at competing in both of them. In many cases, the competition has several more years of testing and racing experience over us. However, we’ve proven that our team and the car are more than capable.”

Pirelli World Challenge
The Pirelli World Challenge continues its 25th anniversary season at Sonoma Raceway, August 23-24. Round 13 begins at 2:35 PDT Saturday and Round 14 at 4:40 PDT Sunday. Dyson Racing Team Bentley’s performance can be followed via live stream at www.world-challengetv.com. The race can be seen Saturday, August 30 at 1:00 p.m. EDT on NBC Sports Network.

• Car number 88 will enter the line-up at Sonoma Raceway
• Bentley Boy Guy Smith to pilot second Bentley; joins Butch Leitzinger

Notes to editors:

• The Continental GT3 programme is run by the Bentley Motorsport team in conjunction with M-Sport. The team is led by Bentley’s Director of Motorsport, Brian Gush. M-Sport was originally formed in 1979, and in 1994 M-Sport won national rally titles in Italy, Portugal, the Middle East and Britain, the latter with founder Malcolm Wilson himself behind the wheel. Since 1996, M-Sport has run Ford’s WRC campaigns, including winning two FIA World Rally Championships in 2006 and 2007.

• Last year, Dyson Racing celebrated thirty years in professional sports car racing, having established themselves as the premier sports car team in North America. With a success tally including 19 championships, 70 victories, 69 poles and over 200 podiums, Dyson Racing has a long history of outstanding results – most recently winning the ALMS LMP1 Drivers and Team Championship in 2011.

• Bentley Motors’ headquarters in Crewe is home to all of its operations including design, R&D, engineering and production of the company’s three model lines, Continental, Flying Spur and Mulsanne. The combination of fine craftsmanship, using skills that have been handed down through generations, alongside engineering expertise and cutting-edge technology is unique to UK luxury car brands such as Bentley. It is also an example of high-value British manufacturing at its best. Bentley employs around 3,700 people at Crewe.