As I was behind them during the pace car, I said to myself 'hello boy, we're back!' At the restart, I was all over O'Connell in the #3 'Vette. I passed him in traffic and set off after the #4. It was so nice to be able to race the 'Vettes after being trounced by them last year. However, as I got close to the end of the stint, I couldn't keep up with the leader. O'Connell was getting faster too, the fastest GT on the track. He got past me and this is how it stayed until the next pit-stop.
We lost more time in the changeover, and our team-mates' car even got in front of us, so we were back to fourth. It was great racing, but I was recovering back at the truck as I had been in the car for an hour-and-a-half, and the AM is a hot car to drive.
The race was hard and fast and, after a few hours, cars started to have problems. Our team-mates got hit by a Saleen, damaged the suspension and had to go back to the truck, so were back up to third. Then, closer to the end of the race, the #3 'Vette of O'Connell hit the wall after a brake disc exploded. The #4 got tangled with a slower car and was in the pits for ages and, suddenly, we found ourselves in the lead - and with a three-lap advantage over the Mowlem Saleen, which had also had its problems.
From there, it was then a case of just getting to the finish without any problems. I jumped into the car for the last time to drive to the end but, with 20 minutes left to the end, I heard a bad noise coming from the car. I radioed to the pits to ask what was happening, and mass panic erupted!
A hole in the exhaust was diagnosed as our problem and, fortunately, I was still able to continue. I crossed the line, winning the Sebring 12 Hours to the team's and fans' delight. Aston Martin hadn't won a big race like that for 46 years.
