One of the most successful engineers in the history of Formula One with Williams, McLaren and now Red Bull Racing, Adrian Newey has also sampled the delights of competing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. In 2007, the proud owner of an iconic Ford GT40 – the car that took four consecutive wins at the Circuit des 24 Heures du Mans between 1966 and 1969 – Newey set out to fulfil a dream.

How did you first hear about the Le Mans 24 Hours? Through TV, magazines, anything else?

As a child I was interested in motor racing and took Auto Sport – or rather my father paid for me to have Auto Sport – from the age of about 10. From there, I just learnt about it naturally.

How did you get the opportunity to enter the race with JMB Racing in 2007?

I had done various long-distance rallies in an SS 100 pre-war Jaguar with a friend. We did A Rome a couple of times, Mille Miglia and so forth. Those were regularity rallies.

And whilst I very much enjoyed them and enjoyed the long-distance driving, I fancied something a bit more competitive – in terms of the driving – than regularity. So, having been down to the Goodwood Revival a couple of times and watched the races there, I thought buying something like a Ford GT 40, and competing in historic races would be fabulous. Luckily, a friend in the States knew of one for sale, and that's how I bought the GT 40. And I very much enjoyed racing it. 

My friend Joe Macari approached me and said, “Look, why don't we have a go at Le Mans?”

“Crikey! Okay.”

It really started as a pub chat. So, the three of us, me, Joe and Ben Aucott, who was the owner of the F430 GT2 car said, “Okay, let's do this”. Joe had a few contacts, of course, and managed to pull some strings. And so, we got the entry with JMB and AF Corse for the 2007 race. And I think at that point I had done the grand total of about 12 races, something like that. Not very many at all.

And it was off to Le Mans, which is very much in at the deep end. And I think that's what was so amazing about Le Mans is that it's obviously one of the blue riband events of the whole motor racing scene, along with Monaco Grand Prix and Indianapolis. And yet as a complete amateur, you can enter the race. And so, there we were. This was in the days before Pro-Am. We were, I believe, the only all-amateur driver line-up on the starting grid at Le Mans, up against the pros. We really went into it with the attitude that, clearly, we weren't going to be as quick as the pros. All we wanted to do was enjoy ourselves. Keep out of trouble. Make sure we didn't get in anybody's way and try and get to the finish. That was the target. And sure enough, in qualifying, we were pretty much right at the back of the grid. Unsurprisingly.

How did you feel about the Le Mans circuit after your first laps?

In the race, we just kept our noses clean. The car ran incredibly reliably. We never went in the garage once. There was a lot of rain during the race quite early on and then very heavy in the early hours of Sunday morning. I did a triple stint in that wet, wet part which was pretty “eyes wide open” the whole way through.

I do remember my race engineer coming on the radio and saying “Adrian, the Panoz is behind you. It's catching you at two seconds a lap”, and I came back and said “I bet he hasn't got a wife and four children” because I was absolutely petrified in the car but managed to keep it on the island.

And the bottom line is that we finished fourth in class and 22nd overall which was a fabulous result for us all. So, a really enjoyable event.

In 2007 Le Mans, the Canadian and the US GP took place at the same time. Did you fully focus on your first 24 Hours or did you also keep an eye on what was going on with Red Bull Racing?

I tend to try to compartmentalize my time. So, if I'm on holiday or doing something as a hobby, such as this then, of course, I take an interest in what's going on at the Grand Prix, but I try to minimize my involvement. Actually, it went the other way in 1998 or 1999, I can't remember exactly. I was at McLaren, which use Mercedes engines. And Norman Taouk, who was the motorsport director at Mercedes rang me when I was in Canada from Le Mans and said, "we have an aerodynamic problem with our cars. One of them's flipped, can you talk to our engineer?" and so I gave some basic suggestions. “Stiffen front springs, go as stiff as you can on the front damping, etc. to try and stop the nose picking up.” I think, unfortunately, that advice was ignored. And obviously the problem continued. So that was, if you like, my first direct involvement in Le Mans.

What memories do you keep from your Le Mans experience, regarding the race week, the atmosphere and the race itself?

The build up to the to the race is of course, all part of it. And I think that's one of the things that makes Le Mans (perhaps along with Indianapolis) so unique, is the length of the event.

I think my biggest memory pre-event was the Drivers' Parade where you basically go around the streets sitting on the back of vintage cars and sign autographs for fans. I think what makes it particularly special is just the enthusiasm and passion of all the fans there. Fans who go to Le Mans tend to be very dedicated. They are, I would say, a slightly different type to Formula One. They are passionate about Le Mans and about endurance racing. At the same time, of course, they are out to enjoy themselves and no doubt have a few cans with the race and get on the big wheel and so on and so forth. So, I think that's the biggest thing about Le Mans for me – just the enthusiasm and the passion that is everywhere. And that kind of carries you along as part of it.

PHOTOS : LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), 24 HOURS OF LE MANS 2007 (D.R. / ARCHIVES ACO) - Top: The Ferrari F430 driven by Adrian Newey. Middle: Adrian Newey with teammates Joe Macari et Ben Aucott (left to right) at scrutineering. Below (D.R. / RED BULL RACING): Adrian Newey in the Formula One paddock with the little red book that follows him everywhere, filled with notes and data about his Grand Prix experience.