Brabham Second as CD Racing Laps Field
POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (November 7, 2022) – Chris Dyson wrapped up his second straight Trans Am by Pirelli championship with a win at the season-ending race at the Circuit of the Americas. It was Dyson’s sixth victory of the 11-race season. Teammate Matthew Brabham confirmed CD Racing’s domination of the weekend, finishing second in the #20 Concord American Flagpole Ford Mustang, just half a second behind Dyson’s #16 ALTWELL CBD Riley Technologies-designed Mustang, as the duo lapped the field, which at 29 entries was the series’ largest of the season.
“This is a great way to end the year,” Dyson said after climbing from his car. “I’ve always wanted to win here at COTA. I’ve been close before and it feels great. It had been a while since we had won, so to close out such a memorable 2022 on the top step – with my teammate right up alongside me – is amazing.”
For the first quarter of the 100-mile sprint Brabham shadowed pole-sitter and eventual third-place finisher Boris Said while Dyson kept his tires fresh in third place. At the race’s quarter mark, with Said beginning to struggle with overheated rear tires, Brabham took the lead. A lap later Dyson claimed second place from Said and closed on Brabham.
With 10 laps remaining lapped traffic momentarily slowed Brabham and Dyson grabbed the lead. “Matty has done such a great job for the team, stepping into the Series to win in my car here last year at COTA. He’s raced for us "on standby" four times this season, winning twice (Mid-Ohio & Virginia International Raceway) when I had problems and finishing second in other two. And he never put a scratch on the car.”
Dyson and Brabham traded fastest laps over the course of the race, with Brabham setting the quickest mark on the race’s penultimate lap.
Riley Technologies-Designed Ford Mustang Proves Its Worth
The win at COTA came in just the second outing for CD Racing’s new car. Dyson was comfortably leading in the car’s debut at VIR last month when a lapped car knocked him out of the race, leaving Brabham to take the win. Between Dyson and Brabham, CD Racing won eight of the season’s 11 races; with Paul Menard, Kaz Grala and Justin Marks each winning once.
“The Riley-Mustang’s performance in these last two races backs up our decision last winter to order the new car,” Dyson said. “While the team’s primary focus was always on winning races and the championship with our existing car, being able to test and develop the new one over the late summer and early fall meant it was a potential winner when we raced it. Of course, as Matty showed this weekend, there’s still plenty of speed in our older cars.”
Dyson's first win in the brand-new Riley Trans Am machine echoed the Dyson Racing Team's initial success with the Bob Riley-designed R&S Mk. III World Sports Car in 1995 and marks the successful resumption of a nearly 3-decade relationship between the Dyson and Riley organizations.
Masaood Back in The Saddle
CD Racing’s Humaid Masaood was back in the #21 allgram Ford Mustang for his first start since scoring a pair of fourth-place finishes at Laguna Seca and Sonoma. Masaood was running strongly, with pace suggesting he was on his way to a third-place finish, before a transmission issue knocked him out of the race.
Dyson gave a shout-out to Tomy Drissi, who finished second in the championship, noting that he overcame an early-race failed power-steering system and crash damage to clinch the runner-up spot in the championship. “Tomy had more bad luck this year than anyone should, but he never gave up; he just kept at it. His grit and tenacity is impressive. I expect Tomy will come back strong in 2023,” Dyson said. “And he’d better, because it already looks like the competition is going to be tough with several teams bringing new cars. Bring on 2023!”
Video Coverage Nov 13, 2:00 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network
Nov 14, 12:00 a.m. ET on CBS Sports Encore Presentation
