Oliver Gavin claims he did not know what to do with himself when he was forced to retire from the Le Mans 24 Hours after just three hours, his failure to finish proving an alien concept for the ever-reliable Brit.

Indeed, the Corvette Racing car, with Gavin at the wheel alongside Olivier Beretta and Max Papis, has been an example of dependability in the last three years it has won, but a prop shaft failure not long into the race signalled a surprise end for the reigning champions.

It left Gavin unsure of how to react when he did pull up alongside the circuit at Arnage and despite his best efforts to get the car going again, he would eventually be forced to call time on his 2007 Le Mans effort.

“It was a very strange feeling for us as, of all the years that Corvette has entered Le Mans, we have never had a failure like this before and the team has never retired a car.

“From my point of view, of the seven years I've entered Le Mans I've finished all except this one, and all on the podium. To be out so early was extremely disappointing. It was a completely new experience for me to be at the race track with no racing to do, and I didn't quite know what to do with myself.”

After seeing Aston Martin end their winning streak, Gavin claims it was a shame he was not able to take the fight to the #009 DBR9 that won, in the interests of fair competition.

“It's a real, real shame after such a huge build up. Le Mans was the focus of our whole season, more so than in any other year I have been with Corvette Racing. It was extremely disappointing for all of us involved, and even for our rivals at Aston Martin. I went to see them on Sunday and they were sad for us because they had wanted to beat our car, as the one which has beaten them for the last three years.

“There's a very healthy rivalry and respect between the two teams, and we both realised that we need one another to keep it working. Fortunately the #63 car was really strong and pushed them the whole way, so at least we had plenty to plenty to cheer about all through Sunday.”