Short: LMP1 is where we need to be.

Martin Short has stated that his Rollcentre Racing needed to return to the LMP1 category of sportscar racing in 2007, although he admitted to being disappointed not to get the most of his Radical LMP2 programme.

The Rollcentre squad switched from its LMP1 Dallara to the Radical for the 2006 season in an effort to taste championship success but was only able to secure a single podium finish during the year - at the Nurburgring - and suffered notable disappointments at Le Mans and Donington, the latter where a certain victory disappeared due to starter motor problem in the closing stages.

For 2007, the team returns to the LMP1 scene having purchased a Pescarolo for the new season - the car that won all five Le Mans Series races last season and also emerged as the strongest challenger to the Audi R10 in the Le Mans 24 Hours - although Short admitted he was sad to see the Radical programme come to an end.

"I guess ultimately I'm disappointed with the Radical programme because if we were pleased with it then we would still be doing it," he said in a recent interview with Crash.net. "The car is a fabulous car, in essence it was six months too early although it should have been able to be on time. It didn't arrive on time, it required a huge amount of resources to get it to the first test and the first race and we spent most of the year playing catch up, finding problems, fixing problems and then attempting to race the car and win races. We should have won four out of five races and as for Le Mans, we led the class but to finish that race was a considerable achievement.

"The tragedy is that this is a fantastic car and LMP2 is still the only class that a true privateer can win in at Le Mans. In GT1 there are Aston Martin and Corvette, in GT2 you have Porsche and Ferrari with their contracted teams and unless you are one of the chosen few, it will be difficult. In LMP2, until Porsche comes in, as a privateer you still have a bloody good chance. In LMP1, you have Audi, Audi, Peugeot, Peugeot then Henri Pescarolo and his team and then the next best which will hopefully be us. So the best we can hope for in LMP1 at Le Mans is to finish sixth - which is pretty tough.

"LMP1 for us is the biggest class, it's the best class, it's the strongest cars and it gets the strongest publicity and that is where we want to be with our sponsors Deutsche Bank. I personally would love to be in LMP2 with the Radical and it is sad, both for Radical and for ourselves, that we aren't there. We are trying to sell the car at the moment, it's capable of winning races this year as it was last year and I hope someone is going to recognise that fact and put their money down."

Moving back into LMP1 for the new season means Rollcentre will not only face the challenge of Audi and Pescarolo but also of Peugeot, who return to sportscar racing with its diesel powered 908.

However, Short insisted he was excited about the year ahead, even if he anticipates that his new car won't be as much fun to drive as the one it replaces.

"On a reliability front, very excited," he said. "On profile front, very excited. On the ability to get results at Le Mans, phlegmatic. On the ability to get results in the Le Mans Series, reasonably confident. On personal driving pleasure when it comes to driving that car as compared to the Radical, not that optimistic as the LMP1 cars go like the proverbial off the shovel down the straights but in terms of pure driving pleasure I think the LMP2 is nicer to drive. You've got over 100 kilos less weight, a less excitable engine to control and as much grip as you have with an LMP1 car.

"I've got a bit of trepidation personally about driving the car as when we went from the Dallara to the Radical, there was no comparison - the Radical was nicer to drive. I'm expecting the Pescarolo to be back to being more like the Dallara so I have a sneaking suspicion that I might be disappointed - but that's only compared to driving the Radical.

"On 27 February, or around then, we hope to test the Pescarolo at the Bugatti circuit at Le Mans and then all will be revealed - I'll know whether I'll be really excited or really nervous!!"