DAVID MURRY | PRICE COBB | ELLIOT FORBES-ROBINSON | ANTHONY LAZZARO | BUTCH LEITZINGER
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Butch
Leitzinger opened his 2001 season driving for Dyson Racing in GARRA Sports
Racer competition, finishing second in class in the Daytona 24 Hours but
winning overall at Homestead! Butch Leitzinger drove the new Cadillac LMP to a runnerup finish in the SR class and thirteenth overall in the 2000 Daytona 24 Hours. Leitzinger contested five other GARRA races in 2000, four in Dyson Racing R & S Mk 3-Fords and one in a Lola B2K/10-Ford. Leitzinger scored three wins for Dyson, taking victory at Lime Rock, Trois Rivieres, and in the Watkins Glen 6 Hours. He finished eighth in SR and ninth overall at Mid-Ohio in his other start for Dyson. In the Lola at Road America Butch and Scott Schubot finished seventh overall and in SR. Leitzinger placed ninth in 2000 GARRA Sports/Racer points. Butch drove Dyson Racing R & S Mk 3-Fords in all eight 1999 ALMS GTP and all three USRRC Can-Am races. He finished second, on the lead lap, in the Sebring 12 Hours. He was third, on the lead lap, in the April Road Atlanta race. He was fourth, one lap down, in the Mosport Park and Sears Point races. Differential failure retired his car at Portland. Butch finished fourth in the Road Atlanta Petit Le Mans and seventh at Laguna Seca. His car retired with gearbox trouble at Las Vegas. Leitzinger ranked eighth in 1999 ALMS GTP points. Leitzinger won the 1999 Daytona 24 Hours in the Dyson Racing R & S Mk 3-Ford. He then finished second, on the lead lap, in the 1999 Lime Rock USRRC race and second, on the lead lap, in the 1999 Mid-Ohio USRRC race, where he also set Fast Lap. Butch shared the 1999 USRRC Can-Am title with teammate Elliott Forbes-Robinson! Leitzinger drove a Panoz LMP Ford in the 1999 Le Mans 24 Hours, finishing seventh overall and in GTP, only 29 laps down. 1993 SPORTS CAR GT3 and 1997 and 1998 SPORTS CAR WSC champion Butch Leitzinger won GT3 in the 1990 Sebring 12 Hours. In ten starts in the classic, beginning with 1989, Butch has achieved six Top Three, seven Top Five and nine Top Ten finishes. In 1998 Butch finished third in WSC but thirteenth overall, 29 laps down. He placed second in WSC in 1997 and fifth in 1996. However, Butch won the WSC class and placed second overall in the September 1998 PSCR Sebring event! Butch Leitzinger finished third in the 1997 Sebring Octoberfest WSC event. Butch’s contested Sebring’s 1999 season finale of the SCCA Trans-Am series. Butch’s first Trans-Am start in Frank Cioppettini’s Chevrolet Camaro started from thirty-fourth position but resulted in a seventh-place, lead-lap finish! Butch ranked 36th in 1999 Trans-Am points! Three-time Daytona 24 Hours racewinner (Nissan 300ZX Turbo in 1994, Dyson Ford R & S Mk 3s in 1997 and 1999) Leitzinger’s twelve Daytona 24 starts (the first came in 1988) have produced three wins, ten Top Five and twelve Top Ten finishes. In 1998, Leitzinger won the SPORTS CAR WSC title and was the runnerup for the USRRC Can-Am championship title! In 1998’s Daytona 24 he suffered his only retirement of 1998, his Dyson entry’s engine failling after 615 laps as he placed fourth in Can-Am and seventeenth overall. Thereafter, Butch competed in the four remaining 1998 USRRC rounds and seven WSC events, finishing no lower than third in class in all eleven, taking six wins, three seconds, two thirds, and a fourth (Rolex 24) in 1998! His Dyson mounts led all eleven events he drove for the team as he led eleven of the twelve 1998 events he contested, failing to lead only Road Atlanta’s Petit Le Mans, where he drove the Support Net entry! In the 1998 Sebring 12 Hours, Butch finished third in WSC and thirteenth overall, completing 290 laps (29 laps down). Butch won the pole and set Fast Lap in the Homestead USRRC round en route to victory! He then won the pole for the ALMS Lime Rock round and won the event! Leitzinger finished second overall and in Can-Am in the Mid-Ohio USRRC event. The June Road Atlanta ALMS race began a three-race win streak as he also triumphed in the Minneapolis USRRC event and in Mosport Park’s PSCR race. Butch finished second overall and in Can-Am in the Watkins Glen 6 Hours. In the September Sebring ALMS event he finished second overall but won the WSC class in a chaotic wet race won overall by a Panoz GT1 entry. Leitzinger drove the Support Net WSC entry in the Road Atlanta Petit Le Mans race due to the absence of the Dyson team; teamed with Scott Schubot and Henry Camferdam, the car finished fourth overall and third in WSC, twelve laps down, and was the first WSC-rules finisher behind two LMP1-rules WSC entries and the GT1 winner. Butch completed his 1998 North American season in the Laguna Seca ALMS finale, finishing fourth overall and second in WSC, on the lead lap. Butch and James Weaver finished second, on the lead lap, in the December 6, 1998 Kyalami (South Africa) International Sports Racing Series (ISRS) event! Butch led 1997 WSC racewinners with five victories, adding Road Atlanta, the Watkins Glen 6 Hours, Las Vegas and Laguna Seca to the Rolex 24! Butch also competed for Panoz (teamed with Weaver and Andy Wallace) in 1997 at Le Mans (retirement due to engine failure) and Suzuka (mechanical retirement). Butch Leitzinger won the final three 1996 WSC races (Mosport Park, Dallas, Daytona finale) and his 1997 Rolex 24 win gave him a new record WSC win streak of 4 races! Butch finished third in 1996 WSC points. Leitzinger also won the 1996 Lime Rock NASCAR Busch Grand National North event for the third consecutive year! Butch took his first WSC win in 1995 at Watkins Glen as he finished sixth in WSC points. Butch also competed in SPORTS CAR SS Compact races, ranking 24th in points, and in NASCAR Busch Grand National North, Grand National, and Winston Cup races, winning the BGN North race at Lime Rock! In 1994 Butch won the NASCAR Busch Grand National North races at Watkins Glen and Lime Rock. He also competed in the Watkins Glen Busch Grand National and Winston Cup races. His first WSC effort came in 1994 as part of the fourth-place team in the Sebring 12 Hours. Butch won 6 of 8 starts in 1993 GT3 competition en route to the title! Butch’s
major series racing career began in SPORTS CAR SS series racing in 1987
and has progressed steadily; he ranked 12th in International Sedan points
and 17th in GT3 in 1990, moved up to fifth in IS (with a win) and sixth
in GT3 in 1991, was second in 1992 GT3 points and GT3 champion in 1993! ENDURANCE
RACE CLASS VICTORY SPORTS
CAR GT, GTP and WSC, USRRC Can-Am and GARRA Sports Racer Victories |