The 2012 American Le Mans Series season is just one race old, but the pressure is already on for one of ALMS racing’s premiere teams as the series heads into Long Beach.

The shortest race of the ALMS season, at two hours, Long Beach means every lap, every pass, every position takes on added importance. That is especially true for a pair of top contenders who left the Sebring season opener disappointed.

An excellent debut performance for the new Muscle Milk Pickett Racing HPD at Sebring ultimately went for naught. After dominating the ALMS action for nearly 11 hours, the fueling system failed in the final hour. That opened the door for the archrival Dyson Racing to claim the American Le Mans Series victory and the LMP1 class points lead, putting the Muscle Milk squad in catch-up mode heading to Long Beach.

A repeat of Muscle Milk’s 2011 victory here by Lucas Luhr and Klaus Graf aboard their new HPD entry would help the Benicia, California-based team level the points table, but the veteran Dyson squad will not make it easy.

Chris Dyson and Guy Smith, the defending American Le Mans Series Prototype champions, wheeled out a new Dyson Lola-Mazda at the opening round at Sebring. The Dyson team adds a second car, with Eric Lux and newcomer Michael Marsal, aboard their 2011 championship-winning prototype here at Long Beach.