Monday, February 07, 2000
Locals 11th at Daytona
The Associated Press
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — An engine problem that slowed the defending champions helped turned the finish of the Rolex 24 on Sunday into high drama.
A Dodge Viper fielded by the French Oreca team overtook the Dyson Racing Riley & Scott Mark III-Ford, the 1999 winner, two hours from the end, then held off a challenge from a Chevrolet Corvette in the closest Daytona sports car finish ever.
The team of Cincinnati natives John O'Steen and Larry Schumacher finished 11th. Cincinnati native Kevin Doran, whose Doran Enterprises won the top division of the Rolex in 1998 and finished third in '99, had mechanical trouble and fin ished 71st.
The Dyson-owned Viper, shared by former Formula One drivers Karl Wendlinger of Austria and Olivier Beretta of France and four-time Porsche Cup champion Dominique Dupuy of France, gave DaimlerChrysler its first overall championship in a sports car endurance event.
Rob Dyson's car, co-driven by James Weaver of England, Max Papis of Italy, Elliott Forbes-Robinson and Dyson, dominated until the engine began misfiring during the nighttime hours at Daytona International Speedway.
“We just lost power,” Weaver said. “It went down 20 mph instantly. It wasn't smoking and it wasn't making any nasty noises. It just slowed down.”
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