We did the 12 Hour test three or four weeks before the race, and Highcroft had a lot of problems because there were so many new things to get to grips with. We're a new team, so it's going to take time to gel, whereas the other guys are a little further ahead. Certainly, the Fernandez team got its car first, so it is well ahead of the game, but, when you look at the speed we had and the reliability that got us to the finish in first, second and fourth in class, it was so much more than Acura and HPD could have thought of. It was just such an exciting weekend for all of us.
The competition was intense all weekend - not just in LMP2, but also between Audi and the Andretti Green guys, who didn't have a problem with their car up until the final hour of the race. They were on the lead lap for many hours so it was intense, not just for Porsche, but for Audi as well. For sure, the Porsche is a quicker car than what we have - we know that and expected that - but, surprisingly, they had more problems than we did, especially considering that we are a brand new programme and they're not. It was quite encouraging to see.
Despite AGR and Fernandez being established teams from other series, Highcroft doesn't really see itself as the minnow of the Acura camp as we've put together such a good team. Despite being new, I think you'll find we had the fastest car at both the test and the race, but we just had a few more problems. Our competitiveness is certainly there and our team is no less than any other team - the only advantage the other guys have is an existing relationship with HPD, while we are new to them. But we are three teams working together. Highcroft is the development team for the chassis, while Fernandez handles the engine development side. Andretti Green then benefits from what we learn, but we're there as a group, not as individual teams.
