MONTEREY, CA May 11, 2013 - Dyson Racing retired early from the American Le Mans Monterey race here at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca today with fuel pressure problems. The team tried a number of times to fix the problem in the pits and back in the garage, but #16 Thetford/RACER Mazda Lola of Chris Dyson and Guy Smith retired two and a half hours into the four-hour race.

Success in racing only comes from constant advancement but progress is not always linear. The team was running the new AER-developed Mazda P90 engine for the first time in a race. The evolution of the P80 engine features gasoline direct injection. The engine produced strong results in testing prior to the race and Guy Smith qualified second in a competitive session that saw half a second cover the first three cars.

“The P90 delivers more horsepower, more torque, better drivability and better fuel economy. It is a responsive engine with all the inherent benefits that gasoline direct injection gives you,” said Andrew Saunders, Engineering Manager of Advanced Engine Research. “The fueling commands from the ECU are instantaneous and that carries more benefits for a restricted turbo charged engine than it does for any other engine application.”

“The engine and hardware and electronics will go back to England, be put on the dyno test bed, and we will establish the root cause of today's problem,” said Chris Dyson. “We are known for being independent and not running off the rack race cars. Historially, Dyson Racing has been about pushing the envelope and never standing still. We made a big step forward this weekend in pace and will further that with more testing before Lime Rock.”