24hrs success still sinking in at Veloqx Prodrive.

Beating the highly-fancied Chevrolet Corvettes and racking up a first class victory at Le Mans for the Ferrari 550 Maranello was a major achievement for the fledgling Veloqx Prodrive combination - and the enormity of the success is still registering on the men behind the scenes who made it possible.

Few doubted the speed of the Ferrari 550 Maranellos after the team had shown well in the annual pre-race test in May but, following the 13th hour exit of the 550 in last year's race, more doubted the cars' potential to remain reliable for the entire 24-hour duration. Despite the predictions of doom and gloom, however, the Banbury-based team was never headed.

"We said last year that we felt we'd left Le Mans with the job only half done, and I am so delighted that we've finished it off this year," commented team principal
George Howard-Chappell, "It was a really great achievement and I want to thank each and every Veloqx Prodrive team member for all the hard work, dedication and commitment they showed, not only this week, but also in the preparation stages. Everyone performed magnificently and this undoubtedly contributed to our success."

The relatively small team came together at the start of the sportscar season, when engineering giant Prodrive joined forces for the American Le Mans Series and Le Mans 24 Hours with the privately-owned Veloqx operation, which had tasted success in it native Britain the previous year.

"I'm absolutely delighted!" bubbled Veloqx owner Sam Li, "From Veloqx's perspective, our joint venture agreement paid dividends. We came to Le Mans with the foundations in place for nothing less than victory. The combination of talent and experience in Veloqx Prodrive Racing was self-evident and all parties demonstrated their commitment to the project from day one."

Li also paid tribute to the six men charged with piloting the two cars through the 24 hours. Although one car was forced to retire after a mechanical problem caused it to go off the road, the team boss was still full of praise for both crews.

"We had six of the most talented drivers in our cars, and to see Jamie [Davies], Tomas [Enge] and Peter [Kox] on the top step of the podium on Sunday was an emotional moment," Li admitted, "I must also congratulate the team who worked tirelessly over the weekend. They all have my sincere admiration and gratitude for playing their part in this magnificent achievement."

The GTS class victory was the first for a Ferrari since 1974, with the #88 car crossing the line with ten laps in hand over the best of the Corvettes, which had won the race for the past two seasons. The car, owned by Frederic Dor's Care Racing organisation, proved almost faultless throughout, giving the Frenchman one of the biggest thrills of his life.

"On a personal note, it was my childhood dream to one day drive at Le Mans - and to do this in the same year as seeing one of my cars winning in GTS, beating a big factory team, is truly fantastic," he said, "This is the high point of a three-year project - a win at Le Mans and I thank all the drivers and the team members - each of them played their own part in this success."