Drayson thrilled to live the dream

Paul Drayson admitted he was thrilled to have lived the dream of competing in the Le Mans 24 Hours, despite the Drayson Racing Aston Martin V8 Vantage failing to make it to the finish of the La Sarthe classic.

Drayson had fought a long battle to secure his place on the grid, and finally got the chance this season with his own team - running the lone GT2-spec Aston Martin in the field.

Teamed with regular partner Jonny Cocker and Marino Franchitti in the #87, Drayson was keen to try and make it to the finish of the event but, having run as high as seventh, the car was forced out when Cocker lost power on the Mulsanne Straight and was unable to get the car back to the pits.

"I was going full throttle and then there was no power in the car,"? he said. "Then it basically switched itself off. I coasted as far as I could. We lost radio comms and everything. That was all we could do. We tried everything we knew to do. In communicating with Graham [Moore, engineer] back in the pits by phone I just wanted to be concise and do all I could. I just wanted to make sure we got everything done exactly as it needed to be done. We did but it didn't make any difference unfortunately."

Despite the disappointment of being forced to retire from the race, Drayson was still delighted with the way the event had panned out, with his enthusiasm having been clear throughout the duration of the race.

"I am really pleased with what we achieved this weekend,"? he said. "The drivers didn't make a single mistake and we ran with great pace. Dale and the team did a superb job and the race lived up to its fearsome reputation. Having now climbed the mountain that is the Le Mans 24 Hours, I can tell you the view is worth the effort."