The Dyson Lola Mazda team took the overall and LMP win at Mid-Ohio. Photo credit: Rick Dole for Michelin North America

Dyson Racing edged Patron Highcroft Racing in a very close finish to the sixth round of the 2010 American Le Mans Series season. The win marks Dyson’s first overall win since Mosport 2005 and the first ever overall win for the Mazda MZR-R engine in ALMS competition. Additionally, it marks the first win for the new Isobutanol fuel, which was introduced for the full season in ALMS this year after a two-race trial run at the end of 2009.

Chris Dyson held off Simon Pagenaud on a restart with less than 10 minutes to go, with the final margin of victory 0.506 of a second. Pagenaud had closed the gap from 9 seconds down to a few tenths after the final round of pit stops. Both the Dyson and Intersport Lolas were among the leaders and pitted before the final caution came out. Highcroft didn’t pit until the yellow based on the timing, but as Intersport also needed to pit to top off their fuel capacity, Highcroft came out in second.

Dyson and Pagenaud each had to work additionally hard toward the finish. The pair hit some slower GTC cars in the final few laps and had to time the passes to perfection to ensure they would not get balked at the wrong point.

“Simon is a really hard charger,” Dyson said of his rival. “We had run with the Highcroft car during the practices all weekend. They were stronger than us on some points but we were better in other parts. I tried to work the traffic to take advantage of our strengths.”

Pagenaud put in a valiant effort aboard the Highcroft HPD ARX 01-c to end the weekend. With their closest rivals in the drivers’ championship at Muscle Milk Team CytoSport out of action this weekend, Highcroft drivers Pagenaud and David Brabham extend their points lead. Additionally, the E10-fueled car took home the honors for prototypes in the MICHELIN® GREEN X® Challenge, its second of the year (Monterey).

The Autocon Lola team took its first podium finish of 2010 with drivers Tomy Drissi and Bryan Willman in fifth place overall. Intersport Lola led the entire first two hours (81 laps) with Clint Field driving but had mechanical issues toward the end of the race that removed them from contention. The polesitting Drayson Lola Judd Coupe also had a difficult race that ended in retirement.

In LMPC, longevity won out for the cars that race on non-proprietary customer Michelin tires. Only the third-placed No. 99 Green Earth Team Gunnar car needed a scheduled change of tires, two left sides on its first stop. The No. 36 Genoa Racing entry changed four on a stop after going off course. Ironically, the No. 99 had not needed to change a full set of tires in either of the last two races.

Christophe Bouchut and Scott Tucker rebounded after not starting at Lime Rock to win their fourth race of the season. Luis Diaz and Ricardo Gonzalez finished second in their first class start for PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports, and the Green Earth Team Gunnar car of Gunnar Jeannette and Elton Julian finished third.