LM: Dayton relishing Highcroft Le Mans debut

Patron Highcroft Racing Team Principal Duncan Dayton is relishing his squad’s debut at the Le Mans 24 Hours this June.

The American team was confirmed on the 55-car entry list by the ACO this afternoon and will field a Honda Performance Development-backed ARX-01c chassis in the LMP2 category.

“Getting an entry for Le Mans is extremely satisfying,” said Dayton. “"It has been a goal of ours since the creation of Highcroft Racing - preceding our relationships with both HPD and Patrón, winning our first race or even the championship.

"This is something we have wanted to do for a long time and we are delighted and thankful for the opportunity and very proud of the fact we are invited to France.

"Our goal has always been to establish Highcroft as a leading international motorsports organisation - to do that, being at Le Mans is essential."

The American Le Mans Series champions will be led at La Sarthe by David Brabham, who won the race outright for Peugeot Sport in last season.

"For the reigning American Le Mans Series champions to go to Le Mans with the reigning winner of the 24 Hours is a remarkable opportunity," Dayton said.

"We have long-standing and highly successful relationship with David and frankly, I can't imagine going to Le Mans without him.

"He has been an integral part of our program since the beginning of Highcroft Racing and his breadth and depth of knowledge at Le Mans will be so important for us.

"He has experience and a winning pedigree both in prototypes and GT cars at Le Mans - you couldn't pick a better man to lead your team at the 24 Hours for the first time."

Highcroft Racing is one of nine cars selected to contest the LMP2 class at Le Mans. The team will do battle against another HPD ARX-01c from Strakka Racing as well as two Pescarolo Judds, two Ginetta Zyteks, a WR Zytek, a Lola Judd and a HPD-powered Lola.

"Even though we earned an LMP1 entry after winning in the ALMS last year, given the fact that a petrol-powered car really can't compete against the diesels at Le Mans, it really made sense for us take our current chassis and contest LMP2," Dayton said.

"This will be our first flyaway race, our first time in Europe and our first time at Le Mans so we do have a lot to learn.

"We're not under any false pretence regarding the size of the challenge ahead. Tackling an LMP1 victory at Le Mans was really not realistic for us this year, but we're very keen to challenge for the LMP2 win.

"We are going to have to earn it, work very hard and be a quick study because most of the competitors we will be fighting with have been there before.

"While our drivers have been to Le Mans and I've raced there four times, only a handful of our crew guys have done the race so we will be on a steep learning curve."

Watch the American Le Mans Series on Motors TV (Sky Channel 413, Virgin Media 545) in 2010.


Andy Wilkinson