Farnham race ace Olli Caldwell impressed as he got his first taste of competing in the historic 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Caldwell, 21, joined his teammates aboard the number 35 Alpine Elf Endurance Team’s A470 machine.
The French team worked flat out through the night, battling rain, incidents and formidable opponents to make their comeback to ninth place.
Caldwell – who first took to the track and jumped in on lap 57 – said: “It’s an amazing track, even more so at night, as I’ve discovered over the two days.
“Driving at more than 300kph (186mph) in total darkness is both strange and awesome.”
When the rain started to fall three hours in, half the pack began to aquaplane or spin off.
As dusk fell, Caldwell got his chance and was fully engaged in a battle for fourth position.
“They were really difficult conditions and getting into the rhythm with the sun setting was challenging,” said Caldwell.
“It was my first running in the rain and dark which was not so easy.”
“I got to experience the start and finish of the night of the 24 Hours of Le Mans,” said Caldwell.
“It’s more challenging and enjoyable if you manage to avoid trouble, rivals making mistakes or the mentally draining aspect of being on your own, as was the case on most of my triple stint.
“There was some damage to the car, as it felt less stable after the accident.”
Celebrating his 21st birthday with a top-ten debut at 24 Hours of Le Mans, Caldwell added: “I’m really pleased with our result – I think it’s been a positive Le Mans for us and we can be happy with where we finished.
“We certainly had the pace for a better result but we were unlucky – then also it could’ve been a lot worse considering the conditions. I felt really confident in the car and we have made good progress in terms of the balance and set up. Hopefully we can maintain this momentum.”
He will be back in action with the Alpine Elf Endurance Team for the next round of the World Endurance Championship at Monza on July 8 and 9.
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