"There have been moments when I missed driving, and those moments have come with different frequency. I certainly missed the thrill of pushing myself and a car to the limit – that is something that is hard to replace. Even though I've been out of the cockpit for four years, I'm doing my very best to regain my form and fitness. If I'm able to do that, then hopefully, I'll be competitive. These prototypes are high-downforce, high-grip machines, and not unlike the cars I was accustomed to racing. I'm fully focused and confident I'll be competitive. As always, my aim is to be the fastest guy out there."
de Ferran admitted that he didn't expect it to be easy as he combines the role of team management with taking on active driving duties, but said he felt that plan in place for the team would allow him to complete his roles to the best of his abilities.
"In the past I have said it would be difficult to do both, so I recognise it's going to be a major challenge," he said. "However, I'm confident that, having had several discussions with Acura and thought about it carefully, I can set the team up with right infrastructure to allow me to perform both roles to the maximum of my ability.
"I gained considerable management experience while working at Honda
F1, and always had an active interest in how a successful team operates when driving for top outfits such as Penske. As in most other companies, a racing team is all about the people you hire. I don't pretend to know everything. There's always a lot to learn and, unquestionably, I will be relying on the skills of those around me to make our team fully competitive. I'm confident, though, that we can create an environment where people feel comfortable and motivated, where they can flourish and, as a consequence, produce results.
![Gil de Ferran announces his plans to contest the 2008 American Le Mans Series [Pic credit: ALMS]](http://pix.crash.net/thumbs/404777.jpg)
