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Brit Smith ready for Le Mans

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Briton Guy Smith claims he can't wait to start his first ever Le Mans 24 Hours, an opportunity he describes as a 'dream come true.'

The Reynard driver has been in rigorous training to bring him up to fitness for the demanding event. At the age of 25, Smith has only one 24-hour race, this year's Daytona 24, and half a season of sportscar experience behind him.

"Daytona was a fantastic event," he says. "I'd never driven a 24 hour race, never driven at night and never driven on a banked circuit in a sportscar, so it was all fairly daunting. But it didn't take too long too get on the pace. My longest race up to that point had been about an hour and a half. I did four stints at Daytona and each one was longer than that!"

Nevertheless, he is looking forward to making his race debut at the classic race, driving for team owners Stefan Johansson and Jim Matthews.

"My first lap of the Le Mans circuit was just awesome," he enthuses.

"I had never been to the circuit, so I didn't know quite what to expect and, of course, I had heard so much about it. But there's nothing like driving it. You just can't help grinning from ear to ear. The speed of the Mulsanne is incredible. Now, I just can't wait to get back there."

The Johansson-Matthews team will travel to Le Mans on Monday in readiness for the scrutineering checks and official engagements for the drivers. The cars will take to the track for their first practice and provisional qualifying sessions on Wednesday, with further practice and final qualifying on Thursday. Smith looks forward to the event, commenting,

"Now I've had that initial time in the car in April and learnt the circuit, I can start to concentrate on getting quicker. Le Mans is somewhere I've always wanted to race. Winning is, of course, our goal and I know the team will be doing their utmost to pursue this. We've got some strong opposition out there, but I hope we'll be out there putting up a good fight. We've got good speed, the car has been getting better and better and everyone's very focused, so all the ingredients are right.

"As for the outcome - well, I can't think of anything better than standing on the top of the podium - that's my goal."


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