After an impressive performance at the opening round of the Blancpain Endurance Series in Monza, Italy last weekend, the new Bentley Continental GT3 is set to reintroduce the celebrated British marque to North American motorsports with Dyson Racing. The premier sports car racing team in the U.S., Dyson will race a pair of Continental GT3s in the second half of the 2014 Pirelli World Challenge in preparation for a full season of competition in 2015.
The new partnership returns Bentley to the racetracks of North America for the first time since 2003. The Continental GT3 will be on display on the Bentley stand at the New York International Auto Show on April 16 and 17. Bentley’s Director of Motorsport, Brian Gush, comments from the show:
“Now that our European motorsport programme is up and running, securing a return to racing in our biggest market is the natural next step. It’s extremely exciting to be back here with a racecar, and I’m delighted to be working with the Dyson team. Their operation reflects and embodies so many Bentley values, and I’m very confident in their abilities. This venture is the next step in the Continental GT3 plan, which we hope will eventually see our customers racing in Bentleys all around the world.”
Pending testing and development results, Bentley’s U.S. racing programme will begin with the entry of a single Continental GT3 in the Road America round of the Pirelli World Challenge at Elkhart Lake in Wisconsin on June 21. A second car will be added later in the season.
Development work and assignments for the single-driver sprint races will be shared among Chris Dyson and long-time Dyson Racing team members Guy Smith and Butch Leitzinger. The latter are also veteran Bentley Boys, Leitzinger as a driver of the class-winning Bentley EXP-8 at Le Mans in 2001 and 2002, Smith as a driver of the Le Mans overall-winning Bentley Speed 8 in 2003. Smith, who was also a development driver for the current Bentley Continental GT3 program and who is now piloting one in five races of the 2014 European Blancpain Series, will drive with Dyson Racing Team Bentley as his European commitments permit.
Team Principal Rob Dyson comments:
“Our team is proud to be demonstrating to Americans that Bentley is not only one of the great names in automotive history, but also today the producer of the finest high-performance luxury cars available. As Dyson Racing begins its fourth decade in professional motorsports, it’s an honor for all of us on the team to be racing the Continental GT3 with Bentley in the Pirelli World Challenge.”
“I couldn’t be happier. It is an ideal program for us at this point in the team’s evolution and we are thrilled to be linking up with a motivated partner like Bentley in a series that is ascendant. I am thrilled to have our family of drivers back together again. Teammates do not come any more professional than Guy Smith and Butch Leitzinger and we have a great history of working together. Our team is up to the challenge and I am grateful for Bentley’s faith in us. We intend to do a superb job for them both on and off the track.” Chris Dyson, driver and Sporting Director for Dyson Racing
“I am over the moon to be back in the Dyson racing family. It has been my home for the last nine years and to do so in the beautiful Bentley Continental GT3 is a dream come true. The most successful times in my career have been with Bentley winning Le Mans in 2003 and with Dyson Racing winning the American Le Mans Series championship in 2011. Both have played such a huge part in my career and I certainly feel very proud to represent both organizations. I’m looking forward to racing in the Pirelli World Challenge. It is a series that is quickly gaining in stature. All you have to do is take a look at an entry list to see the quality and quantity of cars on the grid and you know that it is a great place for Bentley to showcase the Continental GT3.” Guy Smith, Driver for Dyson Racing
“Two of the things that I am proudest of in my career have been my long-time association with Dyson Racing and the Dyson family, and my two years with Bentley at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2001 and 2002. To be able to come back with both of them is bringing together two very significant elements of my racing career in a fitting manner, and I am really looking forward to what we can accomplish together.” Butch Leitzinger, Driver for Dyson Racing