The Strakka Racing team was able to celebrate a finish on its debut in the LMP1 class at Le Mans after Nick Leventis, Danny Watts and Peter Hardman secured 14th place in class at La Sarthe.

The team's Ginetta-Zytek emerged as one of the quickest LMP1 petrol machines during the race but a number of small mechanical issues ultimately hindered its hopes of picking up a top ten finish.

However, in its first season with the LMP1 car, a finish was still an achievement that left team boss Hardman a happy man.

"I said our goal was to finish and we achieved that, but it's the way we achieved it that is impressive," he said. "I'm very proud of everyone at Strakka Racing, all the crew, my team-mates Nick and Danny and all associated with us. To finish the biggest sportscar race in the world; the Le Mans 24 hours, is a huge a achievement.

"We had a tremendous car and great pace, but we simply encountered problems that were not related to what we were doing as a team, or as drivers. We got out of the car on Thursday evening and gathered for a de-brief. When Piers (Phillips, Race Engineer) asked us how we might improve the car, we looked at each other, and then agreed. There was nothing!

"It was frustrating to have prepared a car that was such a dream to drive, only to have these niggly little problems, but whenever the crew worked on the car to fix anything, and sent us out again afterwards, it felt exactly the same as it had before - perfect. That kind of support instils you with confidence, as a driver, and encourages you to do your best.

"The whole team has been highly professional throughout, and I'm proud of our achievements here at Le Mans."