Brian Wagner at Dyson Racing forwards this immaculate copy - Dyson Racing's tribute to a remarkable man. At dailysportscar, we haven't finished the James Weaver story, not by any means: much more to come by the middle of November. In the “look-at-me” world of racing, Weaver was an inspiring breath of fresh air. A true gentleman, he was also a Renaissance man who was conversant on almost any subject. His graciousness, irrepressible humor and affable personality made him a favorite of the fans and motorsport’s best ambassador.
Weaver had been with Dyson Racing for twenty years. His core values of loyalty and sense of honor were unique. James has the universal respect of everyone in the paddock and in racing. In the highly charged competitive world of racing, nothing speaks better of the racer and of the man.
James
Weaver on his retirement from racing: “I have been racing for over thirty years and twenty of those with Rob Dyson. It has been an enormous privilege to know him and to be part of his team. No driver could ask for a better environment in which to enjoy the sport. I was able to do what I loved doing – how I liked doing it. It was brilliant fun to be able to be a part of a sport I love and very unusual to be able to do it on my terms – all of which I have Rob to thank for.
“Rob’s charismatic leadership and generosity have made Dyson Racing a unique team. Leaving my home and family of the past twenty years is the toughest thing I have ever done and I will very much miss the friendships and camaraderie. “I could not have made my career in racing without the help of numerous people and I would like to acknowledge my heart felt debt to them. Dyson Racing is only a small team, but historically we have always had excellent suppliers, many of whom have become friends. They have played a huge part in our success and I would like to thank them for their support and friendship. “In looking back, some of my happiest memories are of test days with our old friends at Goodyear. We also had great fun with Riley & Scott, Ben Lozano, Lola, AER, AP, Pagid, Reid Washbon, and the folks from Penske Shocks - the list is exhaustive!
During all these years, Marion Champlain did a fantastic job of feeding us and making sure that Dyson Racing always had the plum hotels. And Alyson Kimball proved time and time again that she is the best sports physiotherapist in the business. As always, it is the people that make the difference. “None of this would be possible without IMSA and the ALMS and I would like to wish them every success for their bright future and thank all of their staff. The race officials, corner workers and the fans are the foundation of racing. The enthusiastic support of the fans means so much to a driver and has been very much appreciated over the years. “I particularly want to thank everyone on the team and my teammates for making it so much fun. Rob and his long standing crew chief, Pat Smith, Ben Lozano, Bob Akin, Andy, Butch, Chris, Marion, Bob Shaffer and my friends at Goodyear, you are all very much in my thoughts. “Racing with Rob has enabled me to see the best of America and I leave with the best of memories and a great regard for the country, the people, and above all for Rob, who will always be ‘The Guvnor.’” Chris
Dyson’s pick of some of James Weaver’s more notable
races: Sears Point, 1995: “This was the first season running the Riley and Scott Ford, and by the time we arrived at Sears Point, the car was really coming into its own. The Ferrari 333sps had qualified well, but James was very confident that our Goodyear rubber would outperform the Ferrari’s Pirellis. He was absolutely right. From the green, he shot ahead of the field and never looked back. This was in the IMSA WSC days when the drivers did solo races, and this was one of the most impressive and controlling wins I've ever seen. No one could touch James that day." Daytona "Paul Revere," 2002: “We always had a great car every time we came to Daytona, and James had been on the pole for each 24 Hour since 1998. But this race was different. We had been struggling with an intermittent misfire all during practice, and the car wasn't quite right going into the race. It rained heavily in the afternoon before the race, and this completely changed the track. Didier Theys, who was our championship rival, had a Dallara which was as fast if not faster than our car. James and I managed to hold a lead throughout the race, but at the last round of yellows the field was bunched up and Didier had gotten ahead through pit stops. James executed a great pass on Theys in the infield after the restart and started driving away. A master strategist, James even backed off a little to shrink the gap to build a false confidence in his rival, and then started pushing and stretched the gap. We won the race by ten seconds or something. And the misfire had never really gone away... It was a stunning performance even by James's standards.” Sears Point ALMS, 2003: “This was the day David slung Goliath. We had been showing encouraging pace all year with our LMP 675 Lola-AER, but this was our breakthrough race. In practice, our car was substantially quicker than the Audi R8, with our Goodyears having an edge to the Audi R8's Michelins in the critical esses section leading back to the pits. In the race, the Audi had led, but a yellow with minutes remaining bunched up the field and James had a shot to track Marco Werner down. He did just that, turning the fastest lap of the race by over one second! James timed the pass for the lead perfectly and did it in typical Weaver style, late braking and going by him at the hairpin in front of the pits. The crew and the crowd went nuts.”
James Weaver Career Highlights
2006 Second
place ALMS LMP1 - seven podiums, two poles Reflections
on James Weaver: Scott
Atherton, American Le Mans Series President and CEO Chris
Dyson, teammate
“James does not have to be on the ‘front page.’ He never seeks the limelight and in an ego driven sport, that is unique. James is incredibly honest, very decent, and he is very secure in who he is. James is an iconoclast, a character, whatever it was the pink socks or his dry sense of humor, he always kept the big picture in mind. He understood he was never bigger than the sport and at the same time, he was a huge part of it, some would say larger than life. In a sport of often fragile egos James was comfortable in his own shoes. They broke the mold with James. “If you look at the score, you have to say that James is one of the best sports car racers of all times. That is the black and white of the matter. But anyone who met him or worked with him knows that he left behind a great legacy of integrity, honesty, and open friendliness. I remember meeting someone who knew him in the 70’s and 80’s and he said that he had never met a more gentle person than James. I have to agree with that.” Rob
Dyson, team principal “His thirty-three race wins and three championships with us do not tell the story. The story is about what James meant to racing. He always, without fail, put on a good show. James was beloved by the fans and the fans know true when they see it. His sense of humor never left him. He treated everyone with respect. James is a gentleman in every sense of the word. You will never see any videos of him throwing a helmet at another car. He made a difference. He touched people and will always be known for his honesty, kindness, courtesy and humor. “He has laid a foundation at Dyson Racing that we will be our bedrock for as long as we are racing. He will be missed, but he will always be with us.”
Oliver
Gavin, Corvette C6.R "The next two years I often raced against James. There was a lot of banter and huge fun. James had great insight on how drivers were attacking corners or how the cars were handling. He had a great capacity to learn, and never thought that he knew it all – yet he had a massive amount of knowledge. I don’t think there is anyone better at setting up a race car. He is very analytical, almost as skilled as an engineer as he is as a driver. "We had some great battles. I remember one at Mid-Ohio in 2001 where he was bearing down on me at a furious pace, but I managed to hang on for the win. James is fantastic in traffic; he has an amazing ability to scythe his way through traffic like Schumacher and Senna. I don't know how he does it. "We've become great friends. He's also such an entertaining chap to travel with. One day we were in Napa, California, and he decided we should drive to Lake Tahoe. So I drove all the way there, and we found a nice place to have lunch. He than decided we should drive all the way back to Napa. He slept all the way back, and I drove about 600 miles in a day to have lunch at Lake Tahoe. That's just James, to do things on a whim." Marty
Kaufman, IMSA Race Director “James’ honesty was very much appreciated. He is just a really neat guy – a fierce, terrific competitor and I will miss him greatly.” Karl
Koenigstein, Michelin N.A. Technical Team Leader “James could be really incredible when conditions changed or the car was off. He would drive around the car's weak points and emphasize its advantages. If the car wasn't exiting a corner well, he might brake more aggressively to unsettle the rear of the car, then catch it and lean on it and power out. And he could do it lap after lap. “Even in difficult and frustrating times, James always kept a good sense of humor and his perspective -- a true professional and a class act. I consider myself fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with him through our relationship with Dyson Racing. Working with James was an honor and it was fun." Butch
Leitzinger, teammate “He was the perfect teammate, always focused on the team, rather than himself. He always left his book open, never hiding his notes. When I would make a mistake that would cost us a position or a victory, he would react not with anger or frustration but with empathy, although where that empathy came from I don't know, because I can scarcely remember him making a mistake. “James liked to say that I would have had much more success if I hadn't gotten mixed up with him, but that couldn't have been further from the truth. Not only did he allow me to ride on his coattails for all of these years, but he also showed that being absolutely committed to the team and having a fun time were not mutually exclusive things. “Above all, James had the ability, even in the ugliest situations, to see the humor. However many victories we've shared, we've shared a thousand more laughs. The sharpest part of his wit was his command of the English language. In my early days I would try to spar with him, only to be verbally drawn and quartered, and left shivering in the corner. “When a sporting legend retires, it is customary to look at his career in the form of statistics. But quantitative measurements can't encapsulate the impact that James has had. For many of us, we are better people having known him. No statistic can capture that.” Andy
Wallace, teammate “For me, not only is James one of the fastest and most entertaining drivers to watch, he's also the most technically gifted in the paddock. His knowledge and feel for a racing car is legendary. He is a generous teammate and a true friend and his sense of humor keeps us all amused. We'll miss him a lot. Some say he's never been within 2 feet of an apex. They back this up by pointing to the countless number of pictures showing James and the apex on opposite sides of the page. But that's beside the point. Anyway, apexes are overrated in my opinion. There's never a dull moment with James around.”
Dick
Martin, IMSA Chief of Pits Emanuele
Pirro, Audi R10 Guy
Smith, teammate “When I joined Bentley I was a kid and had no experience of Le Mans, James and I were at a shake down test at Santa Pod just before the Le Mans test, James sat me down and talked me through Le Mans and the pros and cons but mainly about the safety and what to look out for when driving there, he didn't need to but he did. “We met up again when I joined Dyson and I was immediately impressed by his speed. His ability to do a one-lapper was as good as I had ever seen and he could pull out a mega lap on very old tires when no one else could: that is talent. James is a fierce competitor who never showed any signs of letting up. I wish him all the best.” And
the Fans
|
POUGHKEEPSIE
NY, November 01, 2006 -- On the weekend that Formula 1
lost its finest driver, so did sports car racing. And like Michael
Schumacher, James Weaver went out on top. Weaver’s last race
was the season-ending American Le Mans race at Laguna Seca on October
21. Each time he brought the car into the Laguna pits, it was from
the lead. At the prior race at Road Atlanta, he set fastest lap.
At Mosport, he broke the track record in qualifying. He finished
second in the championship. Weaver left the sport as he lived. He
did not want any fan fare or attention. The focus was always on
the team, not himself. He told the team of his retirement after
the race was over and thanked the emotional gathering for all of
his success. The next day was spent shopping for his daughter. The
family comes first, not feeding the star-making machine.
Helmet
tilted forward and trademark orange gloves a blur of commitment,
Weaver was brilliantly fast on the track. He was an implacable competitor
and relentless in finding ways to improve the car. He was one of
the best set-up drivers in the business. Long after other drivers
had retired to their hotels, he was at the track poring over data
and working on finding more speed. It was this singular dedication
and work ethic on and off the track that made him such a fearsome
competitor. 
Las
Vegas ALMS Finale, 1999 (right): “This race was our
last chance to secure the inaugural ALMS drivers' championship for
Elliott Forbes-Robinson. All year long, we had been the underdog
getting steady results, and as we came into the last round, we had
to beat Panoz to win the championship. Our Riley and Scott Ford
V8 was a generation behind the top-running BMW, Panoz and Lola entries,
but from the first few laps you would have never known it. At the
flag, James drove like a man possessed, picking off the lead cars
with impunity. It was mesmerizing. This pace was a surprise to our
opposition, and when he pitted to hand off to Elliott we had been
harrowing the top three. Elliott took over and the Panoz tangled
with a slower car, and we ended up winning the championship. It
was a great day for the team.”
“He
had so much capacity beyond just driving quickly. He was always
paying attention to what was happening with the car and how we could
do better. No matter how well you have done, no matter how much
success you have, it can always be better still.
“I
would have to say that of all the people I have met in business
and racing, James is one of the most decent and principled I have
ever had the pleasure of working with. I have been blessed that
our relationship spans more than twenty years. They have been years
that have seen many changes to Dyson Racing and motorsports, but
James has been our bedrock – our go-to guy who never let us
down. The team came first and he always shared with his teammates.
He was very unselfish. His commitment to being the best on the track
and being fair and upright off the track has never flagged and has
been instrumental in our success over those many years.
Allan
McNish, Audi R10
Contents Copyright © dailysportscar.com. All Rights Reserved. |