Mark Patterson joins Dyson Racing for VIR and Petit Le Mans

Mark Patterson will be joining the team for the four-hour race at Virginia International Raceway on September 15th and also for the season-ending Petit Le Mans on October 20th. He will be co-driving with Michael Marsal in the #20 Dyson Racing entry at VIR.

Patterson, who has raced internationally for 15 years, is a two time ProAm series champion and Jim Trueman Award winner. The last two years have seen him racing around the world. In 2010 he drove an Audi R8 for United Autosports in the FIA European GT3 series and in 2011 he raced again with United Autosports in a McLaren MP4-12C in the Blancpain Endurance Series, co-driving with Mark Blundell and Zak Brown. His most recent American Le Mans Series start was last year with ORECA in P2 at Petit Le Mans, where he came in second in P2 with Stefan Johansson and Zak Brown.

“Mark's history of stability and longevity with teams speaks to his positive contributions to the teams he has driven for,” said Chris Dyson, vice president and sporting director for Dyson Racing. “He quickly got up to speed at our most recent test and impressed myself and our engineers with his consistency. His sports car and long-distance racing experience will be positive additions to the team at VIR and at the 10-hour Petit Le Mans, where he did well last year.”

“This is an opportunity of a lifetime to race with the Dysons, a team owned by longstanding friends with a branded name of success in ALMS racing,” added Patterson. “I could not be more excited. When we tested, I was encouraged at how quickly the lap times came down and at how developed the car is. I am looking forward to driving with Michael Marsal at VIR and racing again at Petit, one of the great races in our sport.”

Dyson Racing enters the VIR race weekend with two consecutive first place P1 finishes in the win column: Michael Marsal and Eric Lux in the No. 20 Dyson car at Baltimore and Chris Dyson and Guy Smith in the No. 16 ModSpace/Thetford entry at Road America. Dyson and Smith are currently second in the season's championship, nine points out of first.