Vann car so near after going so far.

Christian Vann and the Taurus Sports Racing Lola came within a whisker of recording a remarkable top-ten finish at last weekend's Le Mans 24 Hours.

The former privateer GT world champion was co-driving the squad's conventionally-powered Lola B2K/10 alongside Frenchman Didier Andre and Swiss driver Benjamin Leuenberger, forming a two-car entry alongside the more adventurous diesel-powered car of Phil Andrews, Calum Lockie and Anthony Kumpen, and out-lasted the #10 machine.

The first 20 hours had produced mainly trouble-free motoring and had seen the trio running as high as ninth overall, with Vann looking set for a best ever result in his second appearance at Le Mans. Then, with the end almost in sight, a combined clutch and transmission problem cost the team over two hours in the pits.... The Lola eventually crossed the line an unrepresentative 20th in an event where merely going the distance was considered a triumph.

"That was such a shame," said Vann, with understatement, "We really thought we had a top ten in the bag."

While the team's Caterpillar-powered entry gained all the pre-race publicity as the first diesel-fuelled car to run at Le Mans for nearly forty years, it was the Judd-engined #4 Lola that earned the plaudits. One of the original reserve entries, and only a late confirmation when others dropped out, the Taurus car crept almost unnoticed through the field. A relatively elderly chassis, and prepared on a minimal budget, the silver Lola plugged away faultlessly for hour after hour, lifting the team above expectations into the top ten.

"It was difficult to drive - and hard work," Vann admitted, "It's a 2000 car and, understandably, it's showing its age. We had no power steering and no paddle-shift gearbox, so it's a very physical car to drive. I'm not making excuses, but it is a little harder! We all wished we'd had something more aerodynamic, with some up-to-date software, but we did the best with what we had."

The three drivers shared the driving equally, and posted consistent and reliable times throughout the race, thereby maintaining a serious challenge while other, newer and faster cars encountered problems and driver error.

"We were disappointed by our lack of pace," Vann conceded, "That's what did it for us. If we'd been able to run even just a bit faster, we could have qualified better and, perhaps, been looking at a top six. Unfortunately, we didn't have the car to do that. As drivers, we were very closely matched and, had we had a car that was more capable, we'd have done the same - but quicker."

Vann completed five stints at the wheel, totalling over seven hours of hard racing, and was given the honour of taking the chequered flag at the end of an extraordinarily demanding race.

Qualifying had seen the silver Lola place 19th out of 48 starters. The opening stint of the race, driven by Andre, earned two further places and, by the end of the third hour, when Vann took over, the #4 car was lying 15th. Vann's first turn at the wheel was especially fruitful and, while the sister car retired early with a gearbox gremlin, he eased the Judd-powered machine into the top ten for the very first time at eight o'clock on a hot, dry and sultry Saturday evening.

As dusk drew in, and then night fell, the car thundered on like clockwork. By the time dawn rose on another perfect summer's day, the trio had covered nearly 200 laps of the 13.65km circuit and were still in ninth place.

At just after ten on Sunday morning, Vann completed his fourth double-stint, handing over to Andre once again with the car still holding ninth. An hour later, however, the first signs of trouble reared their heads, with Andre coming in mid-stint to refuel but complaining of problems changing gear.

"She's run beautifully, no problems at all," said team boss Ian Dawson, "We've just got a clutch problem right now, which means we'll struggle to start the car from the pits. But, once it's going, it's fine."

That was true but, at the next pit-stop, the car refused to oblige.

"The clutch release bearing broke," Vann explained, "We couldn't engage the clutch from standstill. When the problem first started, we were able to pull away by setting the car in first gear and then pressing the starter button with our foot full on the throttle. After a while, that stripped all the teeth off the starter and drained the battery. The only way we could carry on then was to take the back end off the car and replace the release bearing and the starter motor."

Leuenberger was stuck in the garage for two-and-a-half hours while repairs were completed.

"Of course, we always knew we couldn't compete on pace," Vann admitted, "but we also knew that, if we could put together a reliable run, we could finish well up. We were then faced with just looking after the car as best we could and seeing it carefully to the end."

With just over an hour remaining, Leuenberger resumed racing. From an excellent ninth, the team found themselves a disappointing 22nd, but resolutely determined to finish. Fifty minutes short of the 24 hours, the Lola pitted for the last time, allowing Vann to step aboard and savour the privilege of taking the chequered flag, lying eighth in class.

"It was brilliant to finish and to take it across the line myself, even if I felt somewhat deflated by the position," he said, "I was back in the car more by default than anything else.

"Benjamin was supposed to do that but, after the car had been standing so long in the garage while the repairs were being made the fuel had got hot. When he started the car again, it pumped petrol out the back and all over his suit. He also got a bit of a nasty burn. I seized the opportunity to jump in before anyone else noticed, and drove away!"

In a race of attrition, where nearly half the competitors retired, this was a commendable result.

"I was delighted with the team," said a grateful Vann afterwards, "They did a fantastic job. They'd come in for some criticism after Monza [where the cars did not run especially well], and to turn the car around after that performance and not only finish the race, but to make it look like a top ten, was a marvellous achievement. That's credit to Ian Dawson and, for my part, to our number one mechanic Tom, He was absolutely fantastic."

Christian Vann currently works in corporate event management for former F1 racer Jonathan Palmer, the new owner of the Brands Hatch Circuits group, but would dearly like to get back into more regular motorsport.

"I'd love to carry on and do a bit more with Taurus," he said, "They've been a great team to drive for. I am also considering opportunities in America for next season, but I'm particularly keen to race sportscars again. I don't really care if it's a GT or a prototype, I'm not too fussed, just so long as it's competitive. I've been away from the sharp end for too long."