I have just come home from competing in the first round of the American Le Mans Series at the Sebring 12 Hours in the Panoz Esperante - and that winning feeling is back.
After a huge battle with
Ferrari and Porsche, which started when the green flag fell and only ended at the chequered flag, it was one of the closest I have had at this historical race. Winning the GT2 class after last year's triumph in the Aston Martin feels pretty good. Back-to-back wins and the points lead in the championship - you would have to say that it is all heading in the right direction.
We arrived at the track on Monday to start our preparation for the race and, straight away, we were setting the pace. The new Ferrari 430 looked very quick indeed, and we could tell straight away that this new car will be a danger in the series. The Porsches were our biggest threat though, as these guys are so good when it comes to this type of racing.
Sebastien Bourdais, the current Champ Car champion, joined Scott Maxwell and I, with Bruno Junqueira, his Newman/Haas team-mate, in the #51 car. Both these guys did a great job, as they got down to the times very quickly, fitted into the team really well and we had a lot of fun together the whole week.
I got the job of qualifying, as Scotty and I decided that I would take this one and he will take the next. Sharing is caring, as I tell the kids...!
I put a good lap together and grabbed pole at the last second. I had waited in the pits to get a clear lap but, when I went out to do my run, a red flag came out. I was worried that I had run out of time, but the session was extended and I had two laps to do it. I was confident I could get pole due to the pace we had shown, but it was much closer than I would have liked.
