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A GOOD WAY TO START LE MANS
15/06/2006
After having missed out on the test day because of a clashing commitment with SEAT Sport UK in the British Touring Car Championship, this was Darren's first time for a year back at the famous Le Mans circuit. He returns in the Aston Martin DBR9 with which he won the 2005 Sebring 12 Hours, partnered with Tomas Enge and Andrea Piccini in the 007 numbered car.
He was looking forward to getting back into the Aston Martin DBR9 here at one of his favourite circuits, but – after nearly three weeks of dry and warm weather – the heavens decided to make life a little more challenging. It started raining heavily about ten minutes before the start of the first two-hour session and didn't stop until well after the running finished at midnight. "Wednesday evening was pretty eventful with the amount of rain we had and it made re-acclimatising to the circuit pretty difficult. It's the first time I'd driven round here in the wet and it's pretty scary, especially in the second session when it was completely dark. I had some good runs and we were quickest in the GT1 class on Wednesday which I was pleased about as it meant I'd got back into the groove very quickly."
Thursday's conditions were completely different– dry and warm, perfect for racing. Darren continues, "The team sent me out straight away to do a race stint to allow me some more time to get used to the circuit in the dry again. I was very pleased with the run as it was quick and consistent and I ended up just one tenth of a second off Pedro [Lamy]. Andrea finished off the first session and did a very good job. He's a new team mate for all at Aston Martin but he's up to speed and we're all working very well together. It's very important for a race like this."
Echoing previous years, Tomas Enge aimed to set a quick time towards the end of the evening and, although it certainly wasn't a lap without any problems, mainly to do with traffic, luckily it was good enough to secure pole. The Czech's fifth consecutive GT1 pole.
"I personally don't think the Corvettes showed their real potential in qualifying and they probably just concentrated on their race set up", said Darren. "I really do think this will be a very tight race, not only with the Corvettes, but also with the Saleen and the Team Modena Aston Martin. I'm really looking forward to the race and think we're in a healthy position. We'll let you know!"
Darren, 34, lives near Banbury in Oxfordshire. Successful in many different categories of motorsport, his most notable and high profile victories have been at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and in the British Touring Car Championship. He's a firm favourite with teams, fans, and media alike from around the world.
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