Silverstone: Drayson Racing race report

Drayson Racing Flex-Fuel Technology Earns LMP1 8th at Silverstone

UK Team Captures 4th in Intercontinental Le Mans Cup Race Debut

TOWCESTER, NORTHAMPTONSHIRE, ENGLAND - Drayson Racing entered today's 1000Km of Silverstone with the intention to prove Flex-Fuel technology's strength in head-to-head competition with other power sources. The No.11 Drayson Racing Lola Coupe with Judd Power is the only race car, competing internationally, capable of running on either second-generation, E85 bio-ethanol or E10. Drivers Paul Drayson (Gloucestershire, UK) and Jonny Cocker (Guisborough, Yorks, UK) finished eighth in the Le Mans Prototype One (LMP1) category of today's event, 11th overall, after battling for position at the front of the grid for much of the first two hours. The race, which reached its 1000Km distance before the six-hour time limit, was again proof that the United Kingdom-based programme and its Flex-Fuel technology is able to challenge the top sportscar teams in the world.

Today's Le Mans Series (LMS) finale at the Silverstone Circuit also acted as the premiere round of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup (ILMC). As the sole privateer entrant in the LMP1 class of the international, championship-within-a-championship, Drayson Racing finished fourth in P1 and fifth overall, racing against the teams of major manufacturers. The ILMC features today's 1000Km race, 2 October's American Le Mans Series (ALMS) 1000 Mile/10 Hour Petit Le Mans and the 7 November Asian Le Mans Series' event at Zhuhai Circuit in China. The ILMC provides an ideal, global stage for Drayson Racing to promote Flex-Fuels and other environmentally responsible platforms to advance sustainable motoring.

The Dale White (Bozmeman, MT, USA)-managed organisation now continues its world tour of events on three continents: North America, Europe and Asia. The move back to the United States for the ALMS' Petit Le Mans finale at Road Atlanta, takes the closed-cockpit entry back to cellulosic E85. The Judd V10 will then be fuelled by E10, as it was here today, for the ILCM finale in China. No other operation - privateer or factory "works" team - has attempted the 12-race schedule which Drayson Racing has undertaken in 2010. Before the season's end, Drayson Racing will have competed in the United States, France, Canada, the United Kingdom and China.

Quotes

Paul Drayson\\Owner/Driver:"It was awesome! Really enjoyed my stints in the car at Silverstone today. The wheel coming off in the fifth-gear, Turn 11, right-hander was exciting but I got the car back to the pits and we were able to keep running. I certainly felt I had a great car today and the team performed brilliantly in dealing with everything the race threw at us - literally!"

Jonny Cocker\\Driver: "An exciting start to the race, battling hard with the other leading petrol cars. It was great fun. Unfortunately, issues later meant we lost some time to the pits dropping us a number of laps. Paul's stint was the most impressive I have ever seen him drive since we started racing together four years ago. This only bodes well for the future of the team and, more short-term, for Petit Le Mans and China. I am really confident of the car's pace and the team's performance looking at the upcoming race in Atlanta."

Dale White\\Team Manager: "We were in the mix today. Both Paul and Jonny ran a strong pace throughout the day. Paul's stint was really impressive! Bit disappointed with the end result but the team did a good job overcoming the issues. That is really the foundation of this team, the never-give-up attitude of the team. I think, going back to the ALMS for Petit Le Mans in a few weeks, we have positioned ourselves well for the next two rounds of the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup."

-source: draysonracing.com