The FINANCIAL — One of the leaders of “green racing” worldwide claimed a milestone victory as Drayson Racing’s Paul Drayson and co-driver Jonny Cocker celebrated a stunning success by winning the MICHELIN GREEN X Challenge and the overall American Le Mans Series race today at Road America.
In scoring his team’s second MICHELIN GREEN X Challenge victory (Salt Lake City, 2010) in the American Le Mans Series, and third worldwide, Drayson, who also has a victory in the MICHELIN GREEN X Challenge Asian Le Mans Series, (Japan, 2009) added his team’s first overall ALMS victory in the two-hour, 45 minute race to the pole position and fastest race lap to sweep the board in the seventh race of the 2010 ALMS season.
"The former U.K. Minister for Technology and Innovation and member of the House of Lords said, “I’m here with my wife, Elspeth and our family and team because the ALMS is leading the world in making racing relevant and providing the opportunity to bring a race team into competition with new technologies," Michelin informs.
“It is not only about being able to race with new technologies; it is about winning with the new technologies. The MICHELIN GREEN X Challenge provides the platform for science and technology to help speed innovation.
“To win the MICHELIN GREEN X Challenge and win the race overall and have the fastest lap all in the same day is the whole point. We are showing that the new technologies will win,” said Drayson.
Drayson’s victory marks the 16th time in 34 awards since the program’s inception in March 2009 that the MICHELIN® GREEN X® Challenge winner also won its respective class in the race competition.
Drayson’s victory was also the first overall race win for cellulosic E85 ethanol fuel in the 116-race history of the ALMS.
In the GT category, Porsche swept the top three spots in the MICHELIN GREEN X Challenge as first time winner Falken Porsche nosed out the Flying Lizard Porsches to claim its first victory. The win means that five different teams and six different cars have won GT awards in the first seven races of 2010.
