Dyson, Bryson, Matos, Tracy and Merrill Offer Thoughts Going Into 2025
February 7, 2025
At last month’s test at Sebring International Raceway, we spoke to several competitors about their thoughts going into the 2025 season. From what their biggest challenges are to what they’re looking forward to, Chris Dyson, Kaylee Bryson, Rafa Matos, Paul Tracy and Thomas Merrill offered their insight on the season to come.
Chris Dyson
What do you think it's going to take to take back the championship in 2025?
“I think we've just got to score every single weekend. Just go for race wins, be consistent in qualifying, manage the tires, and just execute. I think we were competitive every single weekend last year. Super-fast race car. Just some bad racing luck last year. I don't think we do a lot different this year other than just continue to improve. Obviously, we had a hard fight the whole year. I expect that to continue.”
Has your approach to this season changed versus last year and the years previous?
“No, I don't think so. I think you're just more relaxed. I think right now we've proven that the Riley is a very, very good car. We've kind of gotten rid of a lot of the question marks we had over the reliability and some of the issues, and we've just been refining it, really. If you look at the second half of last year to the end of the season, I think we had a superb run. It didn't show necessarily in the final results, but you just don't panic. We know we've been here before. These guys know how to win. I know how to win. You've just got to have that confidence in yourself.”
What are you most looking forward to this year?
“Getting started.”
Kaylee Bryson
How's your test going so far in the XGT car?
“It's been absolutely amazing. We made a lot of changes to the car, going from SGT to XGT. We took out a whole bunch of lead, removed the restrictors, added bigger rear tires, and the car is extremely faster. We've already knocked off a couple seconds compared to last year, which is huge in road racing. We're having a lot of fun out here, practicing and getting used to the car. I'm getting more comfortable driving this car, and it's just really fun to drive a really fast car.”
What are you most looking forward to this year?
“My favorite tracks, probably. Like, I love Watkins Glen, COTA is really fun, and Road America. I really love almost every track that we hit this year. So, just really looking forward to going faster, racing with a different group of people, and hitting all these really cool tracks.”
Rafa Matos
What has the adjustment been like coming into Silver Hare Racing?
“It's been pretty smooth. Some of the guys that I used to work with back in 2020 are still with the team. I think the team has improved a lot in the last four years. Last time I raced here, I had one championship, so I come back to the team with two more championships, and hopefully I have a lot more to add to the table and to help the team and give the other drivers some guidance as well.
It's been very, very nice.”
What do you think it's going to take to pull off your first back-to-back championship?
“When I signed up for this deal, there's nothing else that I wanted more than a back-to-back championship, and winning Silver Hare, Maurice and Laura championship would be a great deal for the team. For now, we need to go step-by-step, race-by-race. Obviously, we're thinking on the big picture, but it's a long season. We've got to keep finishing races. If we keep winning them, it's a big bonus for us. This championship is a point championship. You've got to finish the race. If you have DNFs, most likely you won't be able to fight for the championship.”
What are you most looking forward to this year?
“I am looking to win races and to be competitive. I think Trans Am, every year, it's more and more competitive. It's a new car. It's some new people that I'm working with. Hopefully, we'll do a good job during the test and make sure everything is in place and we'll be competitive in the first race.”
Paul Tracy
What brought you back to the Trans Am Series?
“I've been working with these guys at IRC since last year. I went over and ran the Bathurst 12-hour with them. We finished on the podium over there. I got to strike up a good relationship with the owner of the car, who builds these cars. His goal was to try to bring the car into the market in the United States. This is the first American car that they brought over. They met with the guys at Trans Am and said, ‘Can we run this car in a class? Where could you place us in so we can get some track time?’ They looked at the car and the configuration of it and said, ‘We'll stick in with the XGT cars.’ It's not a full-blown GT3 style car. It's an open floor car. It's got a stock LS3 crate motor in it with a paddle shift gearbox. It's quite a quick car. It's quicker than a TA2 car. Not as quick as a big TA car, but I think it's going to be right there with the old GT3 cars. For the money and the cost to run this car, it's a fraction of what it costs to run a GT3 car.”
How are things looking in terms of turning this into a full-season effort?
“We'll see. The owner that builds these cars has paid for the first two races. Obviously, finding sponsorship is going to be key to continue on. We're going to run here at Sebring. We're doing this test. We're going to do the first race weekend and then do Road Atlanta and then just see how it goes from there.”
What are you most looking forward to this year?
“Just getting back out on track and seeing the guys. I ran into Rafa Matos and Tomi Drissi. I haven't seen these guys in quite a long time. It's great to be back out on track. It's been many years since I've been here in Sebring in an INDYCAR. It's actually the first time I've ever driven on the full track. I've never raced 12 Hours before. It's a pretty challenging track.”
Thomas Merrill
Who do you think is your biggest threat for the championship this season?
“Myself.”
What is your role within Mike Cope Racing beyond driving?
“Coaching, setup development, and anything else that needs doing.”
What are you most looking forward to this year?
“The first race. I can't wait to get started.”
