30
01/11/09

DRAYSON RACING SUCCESSFUL AT ASIAN LE MANS EVENT

RACE 1 - 31st OCTOBER

The No. 87 Drayson Racing Lola with Judd Power controlled the field early in today's first of two, three hour Asian Le Mans Series events here at the Okayama (Japan) International Circuit. Jonny Cocker and Paul Drayson looked destined to continue their strong effort from the start of Race 1 when, just short of 30 minutes into the race, the headlights on the No. 87 flickered off, first one and then both sides. Automobile Club De L'Ouest (ACO) regulations dictate that all lights must be operative. The resulting pit stop to change the nose cost a total of three laps. Despite the bitter disappointment of having such a dominating run ripped from their grasp, the team, making just its third Le Mans Prototype 1 (LMP1) class start, was able to battle back to finish sixth. Drayson Racing will have an opportunity to "redo" today's event on Sunday, 1 November as the Dale White-managed organisation will again start from pole position in Race 2.

Showing its surprise pole-winning performance in qualifications yesterday was no accident, starting driver Cocker broke from the pack as soon as the green flag fell over today's inaugural Asian Le Mans Series event. The two-time British GT Champion quickly put nearly five seconds on the following entries establishing the closed-cockpit prototype as the prime contender for victory. The way in which the race played-out only showed the newest team in the LMP1 category was meant for a podium finish if not its first international sportscar victory today.

To repair the headlights on the car, the team was forced to replace the entire nose section of the Lola B09/60. Whilst quickly done, the sub 1:30 second laps on track cost the team three laps to the leaders. The stop was the first of three performed. The second stop was for fuel, Michelin Pilot racing slicks and a driver change with Drayson taking over from Cocker. The third stop, with less than 20 minutes remaining in the race, kept Drayson behind the wheel.

In the process of his opening stint, Cocker was able to set the fastest race lap of the day with a time of 1:21.735. This was nearly a full second quicker than any car would run during the course of the 126 lap race.For his part, Drayson stood toe-to-toe with the best sportscar pilots in the world today. During his stint, Drayson ran on pace with the class never relinquishing the sixth-place position. All told, Drayson raced the car for half the three hour event.

Quotes

Elspeth Drayson, Owner/CEO:
"Great drives by both Jonny and Paul achieving sixth place despite the disappointment of the electrical fault. However, we showed we have a very competitive car and team which augurs well for next year, not to mention the race tomorrow when we start again from pole."

Paul Drayson, Driver/Owner:
"It was great to take the chequered flag at the end of a rollercoaster race. After Jonny's great start, unscheduled pit to fix the lights and then his recovery drive back to sixth, I just got my head down and focused on getting into a groove to hold onto the sixth place through my stint, which I did. The Michelin tyres allowed us to double stint so I could stay in the car for an hour and half which was great practice for tomorrow's race."

Jonny Cocker, Driver:
"The start went exactly to plan. We managed to pull a good lead early on which took the pressure off and allowed me to concentrate on looking after the Michelin tyres. Then I had a radio call from Dale [White, team manager] saying that we needed to pit. He didn't say why but when the nose was taken off the car I knew it was something serious. Just a shame to lose the time. But, we backed up our qualifying time with fastest lap in the race and pulling away from the other cars. Which is exactly what we intended to do. I look forward to having another go at it tomorrow."

Dale White, Team Manager:
"That was really disappointing. I don't have words to explain what it felt like to call Jonny in from the lead. We tried everything we could to repair the lights while the car was on-track but the electrical problem was too deep in the system. We had to replace the nose and that cost us the race. Fortunately, we will just hit the 'reset' button and go after it again tomorrow. We know we have the right package for this track. We know we have what it takes to win here."

RACE 2 - 1st NOVEMBER

Drayson Racing concluded its inaugural season by accomplishing one of its founding objectives: win the Michelin ® Green X Challenge ®. The award for the most efficient and competitive performance in an Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO)-sanctioned series came in Race 2 of the two-event Asian Le Mans Series format here at the Okayama (Japan) International Circuit. Paul Drayson and Jonny Cocker started the No. 87 Drayson Racing Lola with Judd Power from the pole position and finished fourth in the three hour race to rank as the highest privateer entrant in the race.

strong driving by Drayson and Cocker, mixed with an excellent two-stop fuel strategy called by team manager Dale White and the phenomenal fuel mileage of the Judd V10 engine placed the team in the position to win the environmental Michelin award. As for speed, there is no doubt the Lola B09/60 -Judd V10 has the pace. Cocker set the fastest qualifying lap on Friday (one minute, 19.143 seconds around the 3.7 Km/2.3 mile, 13-turn race course) and the fastest race lap on both Saturday (1:21.735) and today (1:20.561).

Today, Cocker got off to an exact copy of Saturday's start. The young Brit leaped from the pole position into a comfortable early lead. It was not until 20 minutes into the race that the No. 007 was able to pass for the lead. 40 minutes later, Drayson took the wheel maintaining an impressive third overall for much of his stint. The team's second and final stop came with under one hour remaining. From fifth, Cocker, back in the car, stalked, then passed the fourth-place Audi with just three minutes remaining in the race. The pass secured the team its first top-five Le Mans Prototype 1 (LMP1) performance in just its third race weekend in the class.

In the unique, two-race championship format, Drayson Racing finished sixth in Race 1. In the Saturday race, Cocker gapped the field early from the pole until a headlight failure forced a 3-lap stop for repairs. The extended stop ended any chance of the team's first international sportscar victory.

Today marks the close of the 2009 Drayson Racing "World Tour". Since March, the team has raced in two classes of cars (LMP1, GT2), in three different race series (American Le Mans, Le Mans Series and Asian Le Mans Series) and at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. They have competed in every ACO-sanctioned series covering three continents (North America, Europe and Asia) and eight countries (United States, Spain, France, Belgium, Germany, Portugal, the United Kingdom and Japan).

Quotes

Elspeth Drayson, Owner/CEO:
"This is a perfect end to Drayson Racing's first season. Winning the Michelin ® Green X Challenge ® is a major accomplishment that tops off an excellent weekend. Pole, two fastest laps and top-placed privateer team demonstrates the progress the team has made in just three LMP1 races. I would like to thank everyone in the team and at Lola, Judd and Michelin for such an excellent performance here in Japan."

Paul Drayson, Driver/Owner:
"I really felt I stepped up a gear during my stint today and got into the zone. I now feel more clinical in dealing with the GT traffic and so I was able to maintain a quick pace with zero mistakes. Our Judd engine is super efficient and our Michelin tyres were superb throughout so we could finish with one less fuel/tyre stop than the competition and that combined with our consistently strong pace was enough for first place in the Michelin ® Green X Challenge ®. A brilliant result."

Jonny Cocker, Driver:
"Absolutely fantastic end to the weekend. To come away with two poles, two fastest laps and to be the winner of the Michelin ® Green X Challenge ® shows how much the team has achieved in such a short period of time. The race went well for me. The car and the Michelin tyres were fantastic. Now we can start to concentrate on building on our performance in preparation for next year."

Dale White, Team Manager:
"To win the Michelin ® Green X Challenge ® is just huge for us! This has been our goal and one of the reasons we moved to the LMP1 class. I am so happy for Paul, Elspeth and the entire team. We knew this was in us as a team. We know we have a lot more too. We proved today we have what it takes to win these races. We took a lot away from this weekend that we'll be able to use over the winter to be ready for Sebring in March. This helps us carry a really positive momentum forward."

Pictures courtesy of Regis Lefebure.



Drayson racing celebrate their Michelin® Green X Challenge® victory.



The Drayson Racing Lola-Judd leads away from pole position in Race 1.



The Drayson Racing Lola-Judd waits on the grid for the start of Race 2.



The Drayson Racing Lola-Judd leads through the first corner at the start of Race 2.