DRAYSON-BARWELL TO RACE IN ALMS |
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Paul Drayson and Jonny Cocker are extremely excited about their season ahead – this an intriguing blend of master and pupil, with Paul Drayson happy to adopt the pupil role. I've been watching videos of last year's ALMS races while on my training bicycle, and I've been very impressed with each event, with the crowds, the marketing and the fact that the meetings are obviously great fun. Jonny has earned his opportunity to race in the ALMS, because he is a very talented driver, but he also has a very special ability to teach his skill to others. Jonny Cocker describes the programme as a massive, massive opportunity for me. Having watched the ALMS races on TV last year, I never guessed I'd get this opportunity this year. But Paul Drayson wants to do much more than just go racing: he's acutely aware of motor racing's need to be both responsible and at the forefront of green technologies.
“The ALMS had the vision to go green in 2008, and I believe motorsport has been given a great opportunity to set a good example. It can spur improvements and change people's perceptions. From my own point of view, I need to get on with things (with my own racing career) so racing in the ALMS this season is a once in a lifetime opportunity for me.” Paul Drayson has a stated aim to race at Le Mans one day, and it's easy to get the impression that that is likely to be before the end of this decade. The Drayson-Barwell tie-up with Aston Martin Racing is further illustrated by Paul Drayson's remark that “one of the works drivers will be driving with us at Sebring.”
Mark Lemmer (with the microphone, above) forecasts that the Vantage is “going to look stunning. We're lucky, as a team, to be racing such an iconic brand, but we know we're going to be competing in a very fierce arena”. For Mark Lemmer and Chris Needell, there's the challenge of setting up a racing team on another continent – but they want to be at the forefront of other green technologies too, as does Paul Drayson. We're interested in show-casing any green technologies, and would welcome anyone getting in touch with us with any ideas, says the former government minister. So this all British operation heads to North America, to take on the toughest GT2 field in the world. It doesn't get any tougher than Sebring – but a class win there (in GT2S) would be a promising start. Endurance sports car racing - with its emphasis on stamina, reliability and speed - is the perfect platform to showcase new ideas in marketing and technology that aim to address the central dilemma of our time and to answer it,” sums up Paul Drayson, “to make being 'Green' cool and exciting, not boring and dull, and to do this by being competitive and getting results. - end - |
