Scuderia Ecosse "Living the Dream" at Le Mans 24 Hours

18 June 2006

Twenty-four hours ago Scuderia Ecosse started the greatest race in the world. Over 300 laps and 20 pit-stops later, Andrew Kirkaldy crossed the line in third position, as the only surviving Ferrari in the toughest race of them all. In one of the most competitive GT2 fields for years the Scuderia Ecosse team is delighted to take the first Le Mans GT2 podium for Ferrari.

Andrew Kirkaldy: "This car is amazing! It felt the same at the end as it did at the start of the race. I loved every minute of the Le Mans experience, especially the runs at the end when there were less cars about! I drove for over ten hours so it was hard work and it’s a shame we had the problem with the wheel as aside from that the car ran flawlessly. This was the first 24 hour race for the Ferrari 430 and it was great to show that we can go all the way. The podium was great fun as we’re not used to seeing so many people!"

Chris Niarchos: "My first ever GT race was here in November 2003 (Le Mans 1000kms on the Bugatti Circuit) and I’m not afraid to say that I was dreadful back then! Now I’m on the podium for the Le Mans 24 Hours! You can never expect to make that kind of progress in such a short time so "living the dream" more than sums up the feeling I have now. I think we make a very strong driving team; we were fastest and most consistent in all the sessions. Along with all the guys we are a great team and we had a fantastic Le Mans!"

Tim Mullen: "This is a great result for the team, especially as historically Ferraris have struggled to do 24 hours. The car was fantastic and if it weren’t for the problem with the wheel we would have won. Unfortunately I’ve been suffering with a bad stomach which came on early in the race so I feel like I’ve had the stuffing knocked out of me!"

Stewart Roden, Team Principal: "This is going to take a while to sink in. I’m delighted we’ve achieved this result and I want to congratulate the whole team as they operated perfectly throughout the entire event. This is our first full 24 hour race and it was hard work but very rewarding; it’s especially rewarding for us to be able to show what the 430 is capable of. After our early exit last year it is a great feeling to come back and prove, mainly to ourselves, that we can do it."

Scuderia Ecosse

See 2006 series calendar for Le Mans

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