American sportscar racer James Gue has set his sights on drive in the Le Mans 24 Hours after completing his first lap of the famous French circuit during testing at La Sarthe on Sunday.
Gue is currently listed as a reserve driver for the Miracle Motorsport team, but found himself called up to take part in the pre-race test with Andy Lally busy racing at Watkins Glen in the latest round of the Grand-Am Rolex Series. It allowed Gue to live the dream of driving at one of the most famous circuits of them all and he admitted he had enjoyed the experience.
"Coming to Le Mans has always been a dream of mine," he said, "I grew up around sportscar racing because my dad has been involved running teams for years.
"I have watched the race on television for as long as I can remember. In many ways, it feels pretty familiar actually being here because I have had my eye on this place for so long. The track is pretty similar to what I expected. I completed a lot of laps on computer games before coming over, so it only took two or three laps to really get a feel for the place.
"I have also raced the Courage chassis before, so that was a big bonus. The car was really built for this track. With a smooth surface and quick corners, the long wheelbase is really well suited to the circuit. The car is a handful at a place like Sebring but, here, it is perfect."
While Miracle currently plans to feature team owner John Macaluso alongside Lally and Ian James, Gue will still be on hand at next week's Le Mans event - keeping his helmet and race gear close at hand in case he gets a call-up to drive.
"To actually get to race here would be a dream come true - particularly with Miracle, because they have such a strong driver line-up," he said, "It would certainly be one the highlights of my career. Regardless of what happens, I am going to stay here for the race and help the team where I can. If I don't get the chance to compete this year, I certainly will be working very hard to investigate every opportunity to do the race in 2007."
