MIAMI (March 28, 2000) – First at the finish two years ago at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Dyson Racing filed the first entry for the circuit ’s May 5-7 debut of the Grand American Road Racing Association.

James Weaver was on the winning team in the 1998 Sports Car Extravaganza, and will co-drive a similar Ford-powered Riley & Scott Mk III in the 200-mile Sports Racer feature. Weaver leads a two-car entry for the event, joining car owner Rob Dyson, Andy Wallace, John Paul Jr. and Elliott Forbes-Robinson.

The inaugural Grand-Am also includes a 150-mile race for the GT classes, and a three-hour Motorola Cup race on Saturday.

"When you’re the reigning champion, it gives you a little edge in confidence which you can bank on when you go to the next race at that circuit," explained Weaver. "You’ve also got a big data base of information on the car at that track.

"Homestead is a superb facility, and they did a super job on the infield road course," added Weaver. "The downtown Miami sports car event was one of the best in the world, and this is still essentially the same event, just in a different spot. We’ve just got to educate people that it’s still there."

Weaver and the Dyson team seemed headed to victory in the 2000 Grand-Am opener, the Rolex 24 at Daytona, when mechanical problems robbed them of victory, putting them fourth overall and first in Sports Racer.

"I think we had a 13-lap lead with a few hours to go, when we had an exhaust valve failure," Weaver explained. "It was unlucky, because it cost us the victory in the final hour, but we were lucky to finish because that could have squished the engine to bits."

Weaver was the 1999 champion of the former USRRC, and now looks to become the inaugural Grand-Am champion.

"The Grand-Am is built on a strong foundation, which was lacking in sports car racing in the past. With the expertise they’ve assembled, it’s only going to get better."

Tickets for the debut of the Grand American Road Racing Association begin at $5 for an unreserved Friday grandstand seat. Sunday grandstand seats cost $15, with weekend paddock passes $20. Weekend grandstand/paddock tickets cost $40 if purchased by April 28. Children 12 and under are free in both the grandstand and paddock when accompanied by a paid adult.